During the week of July 27th, host Bill McGlaughlin will remember many of the musicians who became household names through the years. Pictured here are Maureen Forrester, Jean-Pierre Rampal, cellist Lynn Harrel, and Peter Serkin.
Week of July 6, 2020 - Baltic Music Many of us know and love the work of Sibelius, Finland's greatest musical export, but the countries around the Gulf of Finland have given us a wealth of composers, some better known than others. This week’s theme is music from this land of lakes and islands — isolated, self-contained, and full of beauty. Composers like Erkki Melartin, Leevi Madetoja, Heino Eller, and Arvo Pärt, working in the long shadow of Sibelius, created violin concertos, symphonies, tone poems, choral works, and chamber works. So, what is it that fascinates us about this distant northern region? Perhaps we will sum it up best with a fantastic piece by Uuno Klami called Aurora Borealis.
Week of July 13, 2020 - Nadia Boulanger (1887-1979) Virgil Thomson once said, “In every town in the United States you find a five-and-dime and a Boulanger student," and he wasn't far off. Nadia Boulanger taught and influenced an entire generation of musicians, from Aaron Copland and Ástor Piazzolla to Philip Glass and Quincy Jones. This week we'll hear some of her own compositions, works by her talented sister, Lily, and performances of her prolific students. Bill features Nadia conducting her close friend Igor Stravinsky’s composition Dumbarton Oaks, and ends this retrospective of Nadia Boulanger listening to Piazzolla’s Oblivion.
Week of July 20, 2020 - American Masters III Our series celebrating American composers continues with more innovative works from composers born in the first fifteen years of the 20th century. Lou Harrison with his love of Indonesian Gamelan music, George Rochberg’s tonal 3rd string quartet performed by the Concord Quartet, then on to Franz Waxman’s orchestral music, and Bill ends the week with a full hour of music from the quintessential New Yorker, Morton Gould. Don’t miss the treat of the week; Leroy Anderson’s The Typewriter, performed by the St. Louis Symphony with John Cassica soloing on the typewriter.
Week of July 27, 2020 – Remembering Old Friends Loss is inevitable and it hurts. But we can ease our burden by honoring and celebrating the memory of those who have left us. In “Remembering Old Friends” Bill takes us along to visit some dear colleagues he’s had the pleasure of knowing and working with over the years, and to celebrate the times they spent together and the music they made. Find a comfy spot, lean back and close your eyes, and let us take you to Anner Bylsma, Rudolf Firkusny, Maureen Forrester, Lynn Harrell, Alicia De Larrocha, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Peter Serkin, Oscar Shumsky, Michael Tree, and Barry Tuckwell.
