Classical Connection on CFCR 90.5 FM

26/06/2024

On our June 26 show:

🇨🇦 "Peace" from "Three Motets on Text by Henry Vaughan" by Allan Bevan (University of Alberta Madrigal Singers. Leonard Ratzlaff, conductor)

🇨🇦 Georg Tintner conducts Symphony Nova Scotia in "Summer Night on the River" by Frederic Delius

🇨🇦 a live, 2002 recording of Connie Kaldor's famous "Wood River" sung by Saskatoon's Bridge City Chorus conducted by Naomi Friesen

🇨🇦 "Perpetual Summer" by Kati Agócs played by the National Youth Orchestra of Canada under Jacques Lacombe

🇨🇦 "Negative Energy" and "If Trees Fall in the Forest" from "An Auditory Survey of the Last Days of the Holocene" by Frank Horvat (SHHH!! Ensemble)

* Soprano Sandrine Piau and contralto Sara Mingardo sing "Vive in Te" from GF Handel's "Radamisto" (Rinaldo Alessandrini conducts Concerto Italiano)

🇵🇱 Grande Valse Brillante Op.18 in E flat major by Fryderyk Chopin (Regina Smendzianka)

* "Mamma, Quel Víno è Generoso", the finale of Pietro Mascagni's "Cavalleria Rusticana" (Placido Domingo as Turridu, Agnes Baltsa as Santuzza and Vera Baniewicz as Lola. Giuseppe Sinopoli conducts the Philharmonia Orchestra).

Tune in at 1:00 PM CST and take the whole hour of great music in.

19/06/2024

On our June 19 show:

* Itzhak Perlman plays Concerto No.1 in A minor by Jean-Baptiste Accolay (The Julliard Orchestra conducted by Lawrence Foster)

🇨🇦 "Cortège" by Amir Amiri (Infusion Baroque with Amir Amiri on santur and vocalist Vidita Kanniks)

🇨🇦 Allegro moderato, the first movement of Sonata for Trumpet and Piano by William Rowson (Adam Zinatelli with Akiko Tominaga on piano)

🇨🇦 Ensemble Claude-Gervaise with "L'amor Donna" by Giacomo Fogliano

🇵🇱 Sonata in D for Two Violins and Basso Continuo by Stanisław Sylwester Szarzyński (Ewa Anna Augustynowicz and Katarzyna Solecka on violins, Paola Ventrella on theorbo)

* "Heyr Himna Smiďur" by Icelandic composer Thorkell Sigurbjörnsson (Voces8)

* Finale from Concerto for Classical Guitar and Jazz Piano by Claude Bolling (Angel Romero and George Shearing)

🇨🇦 "One by One" by Lebo M (Lebohang Morake) performed by the University of Regina Chamber Singers. Kathryn Laurin conducts.

* an excerpt from "Dance of the Hours" (La Gioconda) by Amilcare Ponchielli (Herbert von Karajan conducts Berliner Philharmoniker)

Tune in at 1:00 PM CST and enjoy the whole programme.

12/06/2024

The saddest news ever.
Victor stepped in when live classical music in Saskatoon was in danger of fading out.
His dedication to bringing the audiences interesting programming, world-class soloists and captivating commentary made him a truly unforgettable figure on Saskatoon's art scene. As new listeners can attest, Victor's vibrant personality made classical music accessible to them.
His love of music shone whenever he visited CFCR's studio to give us a fun interview.
Victor, you are so missed! But your legacy lives.

We are saddened to hear of the passing of SSO Conductor Emeritus Victor Sawa.

He was an integral part of the Saskatoon Symphony family and shared his love of music with us from 2010-2015.

We are grateful for his impact on the SSO, and the Saskatchewan music community. He will be remembered fondly by so many, as he made everyone feel welcome on and off the stage. Whether it was a chat in the lobby, sharing a Rider score on stage, or programming shows that opened doors, Sawa made music for everyone. We continue this legacy of community building to this day.

Our thoughts are with his family.

12/06/2024

Our June 12 playlist;

🇨🇦 James Ehnes plays Allegro vivace, the third movement of Violin Concerto in D minor by Aram Khachaturian (Mark Wigglesworth conducts the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra)

🇨🇦 Isabel Bayrakdarian sings "Groong" (The Crane) by Gomidas Vartabed (Eduard Topchjan conducts the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra

🇨🇦 the Amici Chamber Ensemble's Joaquin Valdepeñas (clarinet), Benjamin Bowman (violin) and Serouj Kradjian (piano) plays Scherzo from Suite for Clarinet, Violin and Pianos by Alexander Arutiunian

🇨🇦 Luminous Voices sing (in Cree) the second movement of "Ispiciwin" by Andrew Balfour (Jessica McMann on bass flute, Walter MacDonald White Bear on Native American courting flute)

🇨🇦 the Lafayette String Quartet with Presto, the last movement of String Quintet No. 14 in D minor "Death and the Maiden" by Franz Schubert

🇨🇦 Soprano Michèle Boucher sings "Höre Ich Ziguener Geigen" from "Gräfin Mariza" by Emmerich Kalman (Raffi Armenian conducts the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra)

🇨🇦 Bruce Liu plays "The Hen" from "Nouvelles Suites de Pieces de Clavecin" by Jean-Philippe Rameau

🇨🇦 The University of Saskatchewan Greystone Singers in a spiritual "Ride the Chariot". Soprano Chelsea Mahan is the soloist. Gerald Langner conducts

🇨🇦 "Cry" from "Levantine Rhapsody" by Didem Bašár (Didem Basar on Kanun, Guy Pelletier on flute, Brigitte Dejczer on violin, Noémy Braun on cello and Patrick Graham on percussion.

Tune in at 1:00 PM CST for an hour of celebration of Canadian music and musicians.

04/06/2024

On our June 05 show:

* Nils Olov Håkan Hagegard sings "King Heimer and Aslög" by August Söderman (Kjell Ingebretsen conducts the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra)

🇺🇦 Andante maestoso - Allegro molto, the first movement of Symphony No. 5 in C major "Slavonic" by Boris Lyatoshynsky (Theodore Kuchar conducts the Ukrainian State Symphony Orchestra)

🇺🇦 "Let's Drink, Friends", a Ukrainian folk song arranged by Mykola Kolessa (Mykola Hobdych conducts the Kyiv Chamber Choir)

🇨🇦 Stephane Tétreault with Orchestre Symphonique de Quebec (Fabien Gabel, conductor) plays Allegro non troppo from Concerto for Cello and Orchestra No. 1 in A minor, Op. 33 by Camille Saint-Saëns

* South African soprano Pumeza Matshikiza sings "Vedrai, Carino" from Mozart's "Don Giovanni" and "Malaika", a Swahili song arranged by William Fedhile (the Aurora Orchestra conducted by Iain Farrington)

🇨🇦 "Pavane" by Georges-Émile Tanguay (the Symphonova Orchestra under Shelley Katz)

* "Roses" from "Soul's Expressions" for Baritone and String Orchestra by Eleanor Alberga (Morgan Pearse with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. Joseph Swensen, conductor)

* "Fuga in e" by Johann Heinrich Buttstedt (Maurizio Croci, organ)

* "Ode 2 Joy" as felt and sung by the Opera Babes (Karen England and Rebecca Knight)

Hope you can enjoy it all.
Tune in at 1:00 PM CST.

29/05/2024

On the May 29 show:

🇨🇦 "Fire - Flowers" set to the poem by Emily Pauline Johnson by Zachary Wordsworth (Luminous Voices with Cheryl Emery-Karapita and Leanne Regehr on pianos, baritone Jonathon Adams and soprano Laura Brandt. Timothy Shantz conducts)

* "Hymn to the Nordic Lights" by Tõnu Kõrvits (Risto Joost conducts the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra)

🇨🇦 "Ich Weiß" by Jaap Nico Hamburger (Measha Bruggergosman-Lee with Michael McMahon on piano)

🇨🇦 Allegro from the 1745 Violin Concerto in F major, Op. 10, No.4 by Jean-Marie Leclair (Genevieve Gilardeau with Tafelmusik conducted by Jeanne Lamon)

* Joan Sutherland and Jane Barbié in "Flower Duet" from "Lakmé" by Leo Delibes (Richard Bonynge conducts the Orchestre National de L'Opera de Monte Carlo)

🇨🇦 "Identities Suite" by Sid Robinovitch (various musicians)

* the 1950 recording of Robert Todd Duncan singing "Danse Macabre" by Camille Saint-Saëns (William Allen on piano)

* The Kronos Quartet plays Allegro, Sempre Ben Marcato, the third movement of String Quartet No. 3, Op. 67, "Songs are Sung" by Henryk Mikołaj Górecki

* Leonard Bernstein's "Hashkivenu" performed by tenor Hans Peter Blochvits, organist Christopher Bowers-Broadbent and the BBC Singers

Tune in at 1:00 PM CST and stay tuned for the entire hour.

22/05/2024

Our May 22 playlist:

* from her newest album of Chopin and Beethoven sonatas, Beatrice Rana plays Grave-Doppio Movimento, the first movement of Piano Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor Op. 35 "Funeral March" by Fryderyk Chopin

* Soprano Lise Davidsen and pianist Leif Ove Andsnes with "Bilberry Slopes" from "Haugtussa" Op. 67 "The Mountain Maid" by Edvard Grieg

* "The Dream of the Ladder" from "Four Dreams for String Quartet" by Christopher Walczak (Apollo Chamber Players)

* Orlando Consort sings "Je Ne Cuit Pas" by Guillaume de Machaut

🇨🇦 "Scherzo" from "Narrative" written in 2012 by David Kaplan (Glen Gillis on saxophone and Bonnie Nicholson on piano)

* from the 2020 debut recording by American flautist Brandon Patrick George - "Corrente" from Johann Sebastian Bach's Partita for Solo Flute, BWV 1013

🇨🇦 Choeur Louisbourg (Monique Richard, conductor) in "Benedictus" from "Missa Pax" by Canadian composer Timothy Corlis

🇨🇦 Warren Nicholson Guitarist plays Prelude No. 1 in E minor (Andantino Espressivo) by Heitor Villa-Lobos

* "L'Ultima Ebrezza", a song by Ottorino Respighi to the text by Ada Negri, sung by tenor Timothy Fallon with Ammiel Bushakevitz on piano

* The Royal Scottish Orchestra closes with the final movement, "Hardanger Ale", of "The Wedding Suite" by Norwegian composer Geirr Tveitt. Bjarte Engeset conducts.

Hope you can enjoy the whole hour.
Tune in at 1:00 PM CST.

15/05/2024

Here's what's coming up on our May 15 show:

🇨🇦 David Potvin plays "Song" and "Fury" from Preludes for Piano by Jean Coulthard

🇨🇦 The Halifax Gay Men's Chorus sings "Maybe" by Robbie Smith (Brian Crocker conducts, Cynthia Davies on piano)

🇨🇦 Calgary's Adam Zinatelli comes in with "Fanfare for the Backyard Birdfeeder" for solo trumpet by Karen Donnelly

🇨🇦 From New Brunswick, Choeur Louisburg brings in a traditional Acadian song "Écrivez-Moi" (Monique Richard, conductor)

* Allegro assai, the third movement of Concerto in E minor for Harpsichord by František Xaver Richter (Vojtěch Spurný conducts the Czech Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra)

🇨🇦 Halifax violinist Gillian Smith plays "Star Cluster" from "Nebula Variations" by Derek Charke

🇨🇦 "Tzimtzum", a title track from the 2023 album by Jaap Nico Hamburger sung by Ensemble ArtsChorale with Matt DuPont on harp, Juan Sebastian Delgado on cello and Phil Hornsey on percussion (Matthias Maute, conductor)

🇨🇦 Infusion Baroque (Alexa Raine-Wright on flute and recorder, Sallynee Amawat on violin, Andrea Stewart on cello and Rona Nadler on harpsichord with Shawn Mativetsky on tabla and Thibault Bertin-Maghit on double bass) with its "Variations on La Folia"

* Andrea Bocelli as Rodrigo from Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Luisa Miller" (Zubin Mehta conducts the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra)

* Allegro vivace, the third movement of Symphony No. 34 in C by W.A. Mozart (Matthias Bamert conducts the London Mozart Players)

Tune in at 1:00 PM CST and enjoy the programme.

08/05/2024

On our May 08 show:

🇨🇦 "Spring" from "The Four Seasons...in High Park" by Frank Horvat (the Odin Quartet)

* "Unending Love" by Roxanna Panufnik to the text by Rabindranath Tagore (The Ex Cathedra Choir and Ensemble with members of the Milapfest participants)

🇨🇦 "Blessed are the Persecuted", a Tonga (Zambia) hymn played on marimba and multiple other percussion instruments by Darrell Bueckert

🇨🇦 University of Saskatchewan Greystone Singers (Gerald Langner, conductor) with a traditional spiritual "The Battle of Jericho" arranged by Moses Hogan

🇨🇦 Margaret Wilson on clarinet and Gillian Lyons on piano play Allegro Con Fuoco, the first movement of Grand Duo Concertante Op. 48 by Carl Maria von Weber

HAPPY RETIREMENT, Margaret! Thank you for glorious 47 years of music making! 🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷

* "Estávase La Aldeana" by a 17th century Spanish composer Juan Blas de Castro to the text by Luis Vélez de Guevara (La Colombina vocal quartet)

* Zuzana Růžičková on piano with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra (Karel Šejna, conductor) in the 1957 recording of Allegro Vivo, the third movement of Concerto for Piano and Orchestra by Viktor Kalabis

* "Mexico", a song by Jean-Marie Sénia with text by Jean-Claude Carriére (Hanna Schygulla)

* Etude No. 3 (Spinner) from Concert Etudes Op. 35 by Cécile Louise Chaminade (Joanne Polk)

Tune in at 1:00 PM CST for an enjoyable hour of listening to beautiful music.

01/05/2024

Wishing Margaret Wilson a long and happy retirement.

https://vimeo.com/940979678   Margaret Wilson once heard from a conductor say, “There are only 3 tempos; too fast, too slow, and almost right.” It seems Wilson found the right tempo for life when she joined the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra in 1977. Now, after 47 years, she’s decided it’s ti...

01/05/2024

Check out our May 01 playlist:

🇨🇦 The 1951 recording of 18 years old Glenn Gould performing Rondo Allegro Scherzando, the third movement of Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No.1 in C major, Op.15 by Ludwig van Beethoven (Sir Ernest MacMillan conducts the Toronto Symphony Orchestra)

🇨🇦 From Edmonton - soprano Karen Zaidan and from Prince Albert - pianist Katie Ormeron present "Mai" by Gabriel Fauré

🇨🇦 Saskatoon violinist, pianist and composer Anna Bekolay with Jessica Kapell on violin, Lana Tomlin on viola, Cara Reimer on cello and Kevin Buzinski on snare drum, plays "Train Song"

* Mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade sings Gabriel Fauré's "Chanson de Mélisande" (Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse conducted by Michel Plasson)

🇨🇦 The Canadian Chamber Ensemble (Raffi Armenian, conductor) with the Arnold Schoenberg arrangement of "Roses from the South" by Johann Strauss Jr.

🇵🇱 Sonata a 3 in C minor for 2 Violins, Dulcian and Basso Continuo by Polish Baroque composer Kaspar Foerster (Ensemble Giardino di Delizie directed by Ewa Anna Augustynowicz)

* Baritone José van Dam with Orchestre de L'Opera de Lyon (Kent Nagano, conductor) presents "O Ewiger Gott! O Göttliches Gesicht" from "Jedermann Monologues" by Swiss composer Frank Martin

🇨🇦 Saskatoon piano duo: Dianne Gryba and Bonnie Nicholson in "La Vida Breve" by Manuel de Falla

* The 1965 recording of Carlo Bergonzi and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau singing "Ascolta! Le Porte Dell'Asil S'Apron Gia..." from Giuseppe Verdi's "Don Carlo". Sir Georg Solti conducts the Orchestra and Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden

🇨🇦 Saskatoon guitarist Ben Schenstead plays "Danza Brasileira" by Jorge Morel.

Tune in at 1:00 PM CST and enjoy the whole hour.

24/04/2024

On the April 24 show:

* "Dies Irae", "Tuba Mirum" from Giuseppe Verdi's "Requiem" (the Robert Shaw Chorale and the NBC Symphony conducted by Arturo Toscanini)

* Otto Klemperer conducts the Philharmonia Orchestra in Allegro non troppo, the 4th movement of Symphony No.4 in E minor, Op. 98 by Johannes Brahms

🇨🇦 Soprano Danièle Forget and L'Ensemble Arion with "Air Fort Tendre" from "Leander and Hero" by Louis-Nicolas Clérambault

🇨🇦 Angèle Dubeau and Pa Pietà play "Re-invention No.1" by Australian composer Elena Kats-Chernin

🇨🇦 Evelyn Glennie and the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra (Anne Manson, conductor) in Sonata in D minor Op. 5 "La Folia" by Arcangelo Corelli (arrangement for marimba, vibraphone and strings by Karl Jenkins)

* "Sakura, Spring has Come" from "One World" by Karl Jenkins (the composer conducts soprano Lucy Crow, the World Choir for Peace and the World Orchestra for Peace)

🇨🇦 The Afiara Quartet (Valerie Li and Timothy Kantor - violins, Eric Wong - viola and Adrian Fung - cello) play "A Letter from the After-Life" from "Two Pop Songs on Antique Poems" by Dinuk Wijeratne

🇨🇦 Jeremy Dutcher sings "Skicinuwihkuk" from his 2023 album "Motewolonuwok"

Tune in at 1:00 PM CST and enjoy the whole programme.

17/04/2024

Tune in April 17 at 1:00 PM CST and enjoy an hour of great music:

* "Ihr Habt Nun Traurigkeit" from "Ein Deutsches Requiem", Op. 45 by Johannes Brahms (Kathleen Battle with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus under James Levine)

* Mazurka Op. 12, No. 2 - "Polish Song" by Henryk Wieniawski (Marat Bisengaliev on violin, John Lenehan on piano)

* "Ayo Visto Io Mappamundi" (I have seen the world map) by an anonymous 15th century Italian composer (The Waverly Consort directed by Michael Jaffee)

* Viktoria Mullova and her ensemble perform Allegro, the first movement of J.S. Bach's Violin Concerto in E, BWV 1042

🇨🇦 The First Baptist Girls' Choir (from Truro, Nova Scotia) brings James Gordon's "Frobisher Bay" (Jeff Joudrey, conductor)

🇨🇦 The University of Saskatchewan Greystone Singers (Gerald Langner, conductor) with two songs: "I'm a Train" by Albert Hammond and Mike Hazelwood and "If I Got My Ticket, Can I Ride?" (a traditional spiritual featuring soloist tenor Matthew Nicholson)

* "La Scala di Seta" - the Overture to The Gioachino Rossini's farsa comica (Alceo Galliera conducts the Philharmonia Orchestra)

* From "Three Ifé Songs" composed for to the poem by Angelique Kodjo by Philip Glass: "Oshumare" (Rainbow Serpent) sung by Angelique with the Brückner Orchester Linz conducted by Dennis Russell Davies

🇨🇦 "Mega4 Meta4" (excerpt) by Christos Hatzis (Steven Dann on violin, electronics by the composer)

Hope you like it all.

10/04/2024

On April 10 tune in at 1:00 PM CST to hear:

🇨🇦 Tafelmusik Baroque Soloists with Sinfonia á 4 by Johann Rosenmüller

🇨🇦 The Canadian Tenors singing James Horner's "Remember Me" from the movie "Troy"

🇨🇦 Canadian pianist Jane Coop playing Fantasie - Impromptu in C sharp minor, Op. 66 - Allegro agitato by Fryderyk Chopin

🇨🇦🇺🇦 From Vancouver - Zeelia presenting a traditional Ukrainian Song "In the Fields There is a Well"

🇨🇦 Ofra Harnoy with Michael Dussek on piano performing Capriccio by Lukas Foss

🇮🇱 From Israel the Moran Choir (Naomi Faran, artistic director) brings us two songs: "This Summer You Shall Wear White" and "Land of the Seven Kinds"

🇨🇦 Ensemble Claude-Gervaise with "Rostiboli Gioioso" by Giovanni Ambrosio

* "To One Who Revisited an Old Garden" by William McClelland to the text by Catherine Kirsopp (mezzo-soprano Krista River with pianist Donald Berman)

* The West-Eastern Divan Orchestra (Daniel Barenboim, conductor) with their interpretation of Allegro con brio, the 4th movement of Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92 by Ludwig van Beethoven

* "Herua", a traditional song from Coastal Kenya (The Kenyan Boys' Choir)

🇵🇱 An excerpt from Bolero - Andante maestoso from "Reflections" by Polish composer Marek Biliński (Agnieszka Duczmal conducts Amadeus Chamber Orchestra of Polish Radio )

Enjoy the whole programme!

03/04/2024

On our April 03 playlist:

* percussionist Martin Grubinger plays the sixxen on "Communio: Pascha Nostrum Immolatus Est Christus". Godehard Joppich conducts Schola Cantorum of the Benedictine Abbey Münsterschwarzach.

🇨🇦 Toronto Symphony Orchestra (Karel Ančerl, conductor) with the first movement of Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 6 in F major, "Pastoral"

* Polyphony singing "In Paradisum" from "Requiem" by Karl Jenkins (Stephen Layton, conductor)

* The Kronos Quartet presenting Two Studies on Ancient Greek Scales: "Olympos' Pentatonic" and "Archytas' Enharmonic" by Harry Partch

🇨🇦 Finale from Suite for Clarinet, Violin and Piano by Alexander Arutiunian (Joaquin Valdepeñas, Benjamin Bowman and Serouj Kradjian)

* From Claudio Monteverdi's opera "L'Incoronazione Di Poppea" - "Signor, Oggi Rinasco Ai Primi Fiori ", a duet of Poppea (Sylvia McNair) and Nerone (Dana Hanchard) with John Eliot Gardiner conducting the English Baroque Soloists)

🇨🇦 Angéle Dubeau and La Pietá performing "Far From the Madding Crowd" by Craig Armstrong

* From the 2018 "The Gates of Heaven" project, the Vocal Varshe ensemble (soprano Anna Woźnicka, mezzo-soprano Olga Wądołowska and tenor Jakub Sitarski with Anna Śmiszek - Wesołowska on cello and Michał Jacaszek on electronics) with "Or Khadash"

🇨🇦 "Marionette Lazarus" (excerpt), an experimental trumpet piece by Amy Horvey.

Hope you can tune in at 1:00 PM CST and stay for the whole hour.

30/03/2024

Happy Easter, everyone!

27/03/2024

On March 27 tune in for this music:

* "Nor Tsaghik" by the 12th century Armenian composer Nerses Shnorhali, arranged and performed by pianist Tigran Hamasyan (Harutyun Topikyan conducts the Yerevan State Chamber Choir)

* "J. S. Bach's "Wachtet Auf" (Sleepers Awake, Cantata No.140) performed by Peter Hurford on the organ in the Church of Our Lady of Sorrows in Toronto

* Al Ayre Español ensemble in "De Esplendor Se Doran Los Ayres" by the 17th century Spanish composer Joseph Ruiz de Samaniego (Ernesto Lopez Banzo conducts)

🇨🇦 Esprit Orchestra (Alex Pauk, conductor) play "Tundra" and "Bug Music" from "Take the Dog Sled" by Alexina Louie

🇨🇦 "Cosmic Canticle" and "Aegean Recitative" from the second part of "From Sappho's Lyre" by Constantine Caravassilis - composer (Constantine conducts the Tenth Muse Ensemble and soloists)

🇨🇦 Lara Deutsch on flute and Philip Chiu on piano perform "Bird Circuit" from "Digital Bird Suite", Op.15 by Takashi Yoshimatsu

🇨🇦 Calgary's Luminous Voices in "Weepe You No More" by Arthur Bachmann to the text by John Dowland (Timothy Shantz, artistic director)

🇨🇦 Juno Award-winning Constantinople ensemble (Kiya Tabasian, artistic director) plays us out with "Zendali", a traditional tune from Alexandria.

Tune in at 1:00 PM CST and enjoy this diverse program.

23/03/2024

A final good bye to Maestro Maurizio Pollini.

“We are in disbelief and mourning as we learn the terribly sad news about Maurizio Pollini’s passing. One of the truly great and groundbreaking musicians of our time has left us. His achievements in the field of modernist and contemporary music as well as in the classical and romantic repertoire are towering. Maestro Pollini’s collaboration with Deutsche Grammophon has spanned half a century from his first studio album, while his debut release on the Yellow Label goes back even further to 1960, when he won the Chopin Competition. Those who were so fortunate to work with Maurizio Pollini cherish his uncompromising, relentless work in studio sessions which led to countless iconic albums, as well as the inspiration and sensitivity of a warm and vulnerable soul that was palpable in personal conversations. It is very touching that in recent years Maurizio Pollini went back to the last five Beethoven Sonatas that once laid the groundwork for an incredible recording oeuvre and revisited Schubert together with his son Daniele. We feel committed to carry on Maurizio Pollini’s legacy well into the future, as we deeply miss his musical voice and true humanity.” - Dr. Clemens Trautmann, President Deutsche Grammophon

deutschegrammophon.com/de/katalog/produkte/beethoven-the-late-sonatas-pollini-12858

23/03/2024

Happy Birthday to a very special young man!

March 23 - my birthday! 🥳
I will celebrate it by performing Prokofiev 2 with Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin (DSO Berlin) at the Berliner Philharmonie, taking the night train to Baden-Baden, and performing Beethoven 3 tomorrow as my debut with the Berliner Philharmoniker.

20/03/2024

March 20 show welcomes Spring with:

🇨🇦 John Dowland's "Behold a Wonder Here" (tenor Michael Slattery with La Nef under Sylvain Bergeron)

🇨🇦 From the live 2010 recording Janina Fialkowska playing Allegro Vivace, the third movement of Fryderyk Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21 (Bramwell Tovey conducts the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra )

🇨🇦 Saskatoon's Fireside Singers in "You Are Mine" (Marilyn Whitehead conducts, Sheila Shinkewski on piano, Raymond Ko on violin)

* "Upsurge" from the 1996 Symphony No. 3 "Taiwan" by Gordon Chin (Shao-Chia Lü conducts the Taiwan Philharmonic)

* Scherzo from Concerto for English Horn and Contrabass by Lars Danielsson (Carolina Grinne with the Gothenburg SO conducted by Peter Nordahl)

🇨🇦 Margaret Atwood reciting and Measha Brueggergosman singing "Digging Up The Scythians", Margaret's poem set to music by Aaron Davis (David Pell conducts the Hannaford Street Silver Band)

* Pianist Lang Lang returns to his roots with "Dance from Quici" from the "Silk Road Suite" by Zhao Jiping (with Zhang Jiali on guanzi)

* Violinist Gidon Kremer pays tribute to Astor Piazzolla with "El Sol Sueño" (better known as "That Last Sunday") by Polish composer Jerzy Petersburski

Hope you can tune in at 1:00 PM CST and stay for the hour.

12/03/2024

Our March 13 playlist:

🇨🇦 "My Heart Opens to Your Voice", a duet of Samson and Dalila from The Camille Saint-Saëns opera (the 1962 recording of Jon Vickers, Rita Gorr and Orchestre du Théâtre National de L'Opera de Paris under Georges Prêtre)

🇨🇦 Pinchas Zukerman playing Rondeau:Tempo di menuetto from WA Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 5 in A major, K. 219 "Turkish" (with the National Arts Centre Orchestra)

* Soprano Diana Damrau, tenor Laurent Naouri and Orchestre et Choeur de L'Opera National de Lyon (Emmanuel Villaume, conductor) with "D'Una Madre Disperata" from "Il Crociato in Egitto" by Giacomo Meyerbeer

🇨🇦 Anton Kuerti with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra under Andrew Davis plays Rondo (molto allegro) from Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 19

🇨🇦 Jean Stilwell sings "Ich Bin Von Kopf Bis Fuß" from "Blue Angel"

🇺🇦 Ryda Lysenko (the granddaughter of the composer) plays Intermezzo for Piano in F, Op. 8/2 (the 1957 recording)

🇨🇦 The Canadian Chamber Choir with "After Storm" by Jeffrey Ryan (Julia Davids conducts)

* Allemande from JS Bach's French Suite No. 5 in G major, BWV 816 (Céline Frisch, harpsichord)

* Finale: Allegro from Symphony in G minor by Jan Křtitel Vaňhal (aka Johann Baptist Wanhal) performed by the London Mozart Players (Matthias Barnet conducts)

Tune in at 1:00 PM CST. Enjoy!

09/03/2024

A final good bye to the CFCR icon and fellow host.

05/03/2024

On the March 06 show:

🇨🇦 A premiere broadcast of the just-released album by Measha Brueggergosman "Zombie Blizzard" (Halifax's Leaf Music label), featuring Margaret Atwood, her poetry and music by Aaron Davis.
"Blizzard" recited by Margaret, sung by Measha with the Hannaford Street Silver Band under David Pell.

🇨🇦 Marnie Giesbrecht on organ, Joachim Segger on piano with Romance and Final from Duet Suite for Organ and Piano written in 1999 by Denis Bédard

🇵🇱 "But Why?", one of the "Kurpian Songs" by Roman Maciejewski (1910-1998) sung by the Chamber Choir of the Fryderyk Chopin Music University, Warsaw, conducted by Krzysztof Kusiel-Moroz

🇨🇦 Duo Similia (identical twins Nadia and Annie Labrie) play "Night Club 1960" from Astor Piazzolla's "Histoire du Tango"

🇨🇦 🇺🇦 Saskatoon's Sofia Mycyk plays "Spring Song" from "Hutzulian Watercolours" by Ihor Shamo (1925-1982)

🇺🇦 A 1957 recording of tenor Ivan Kozlovskyi and baritone Boris Hmyria singing a traditional Ukrainian song "O You Dnieper"

* Jacqueline du Pré with her notable 1965 recording of Edward Elgar's Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85: Lento - Allegro molto (Sir John Barbirolli conducts the London Symphony Orchestra)

* Soprano Renée Fleming as Hanna of Franz Lehár's "Die Lustige Witwe": The Vilja Lied (Jeffrey Tate conducts the English Chamber Orchestra)

* The Festival Orchestra of Mexico (Enrique Bátiz, conductor) plays "Sones de Mariachi" by Blas Galindo

Tune in, as always, at 1:00 PM CST and enjoy the whole programme.

04/03/2024

A fellow CFCR host interviewed Kinan Azmeh.
Due to technical problems this never found its way to air on last Friday's edition of the Classical Connection.
Enjoy it now.

A conversation with Kinan Azmeh about self-expression and improvisation. Kinan had a fun activity for those who are interested in starting improvising in our...

02/03/2024

Farewell to our friend Sigrid.
Just a couple of weeks ago we saw her at the Symphony. Fiercely independent she made her way there on her own, enjoyed the music but ... complained about ticket prices 😃 We expected to see her in the concert hall this Saturday but it wasn't meant to be...
Sigrid was one of the founders of CFCR and for decades hosted the German show as well as the Friday and Monday editions of Classical Connection. Active in that role well into her 80s she had a hard time with making the decision to retire.
She had numerous regular dedicated listeners who showed their appreciation of her unique style by financially supporting CFCR during our annual fundraising drive FMPhasis.
Always fully engaged in whatever she was doing, opinionated and determined, Sigrid had a caring, loving side to her personality. And a wicked sense of humour.

Grateful for all your contributions to Saskatoon Community Radio, Sigrid!
You will be missed and fondly remembered.

Sigrid KIRMSE passed away. This is the full obituary where you can express condolences and share memories. Published in the Saskatoon StarPhoenix on 2024-03-02.

27/02/2024

On our February 28 show:

* Rondo alla polacca, the third movement of Concerto for Piano, Violin, Violoncello and Orchestra in C major "Triple Concerto" by Ludwig van Beethoven (Daniel Barenboim on piano and conductor, Anne-Sophie Mutter on violin and Yo-Yo Ma on cello with the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra)

* "Miserere Mei, Deus" from "Miserere - Songs of Mercy and Redemption" by Karl Jenkins (countertenor Iestin Davies, Polyphony choir and the Britten Sinfonia conducted by Stephen Layton)

🇨🇦 The 1988 "Nadir" by Christos Hatzis (the Canadian Electronic Ensemble)

🇨🇦 Soprano Edith Wiens with Rudolph Janzen on piano in "Der Einsame" from Franz Schubert's "Lieder"

* Latvian accordionist Ksenija Sidorova and the Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra play "Chanson Bohème" from Georges Bizet's "Carmen" (Sascha Goetzel conducts)

🇨🇦 Vancouver's Chor Leoni sings Bruce Cockburn's "All the Diamonds" (soloist Steve Maddock, Diane Loomer conducts)

* Hans-Joachim Roedelius (piano) and Arnold Kasar (piano and synthesizer) in their composition "Neris"

🇨🇦 "In Hoc Mundo" by Domenico Zipoli (tenor Rodrigo Del Pozo, L'harmonie Des Saisons directed by Mélisande Corriveau)

Tune in at 1:00 PM CST for an hour of musical pleasures.

21/02/2024

On Wednesday, February 21 hear:

🇨🇦 The Lee Pui Ming Ensemble in "Tale of Three Snakes" by Lee Pui Ming

🇨🇦 "Nedda! Silvia, a Quest'ora", a duet from "Il Pagliacci" by Ruggiero Leoncavallo (soprano Jennifer Maines-Chamandy, baritone Michael Meraw and the McGill Symphony Orchestra conducted by Francesco Milioto)

🇨🇦 The Manitoba Chamber Orchestra (Roy Goodman, conductor) playing "Calm Sea in Summer" from "Sea Sketches" by Grace Mary Williams

🇨🇦 Baritone Gerald Finley (with Stephen Ralls on piano) singing "The Vagabond" from "Songs of Travel" by Ralph Vaughan Williams

* "These Last Gifts" by William McLelland sung by the New York Virtuoso Singers conducted by Harold Rosenbaum

* Finale: Spiritoso from Joseph Haydn's Symphony No. 104 in D, "London" (Barry Wordsworth conducts Capella Istropolitana

* From "Whitman Songs for Soprano and Orchestra" by Oliver Knussen - "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer" (Lucy Shelton with the London Sinfonietta conducted by the composer)

* The Scottish Chamber Orchestra under Sir Charles Mackerras with Scherzo, the third movement of Symphony in D major, Op. 24 by Jan Václav Vořiček

* The Munich Philharmonic Orchestra (Leon Ives, conductor) playing Benny Anderson's timeless hit "Thank You for the Music"

Tune in at 1:00 PM CST form the whole hour of music.