The theme of this week's Focus at 4 is elements! Water, earth, fire, air. What more could you need?
Tune in weekdays at 4pm with Greg Ferrisi to hear:
Monday, 6/10: Joseph Haydn's Symphony No. 59, "Fire," with Adam Fischer and Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra
Tuesday, 6/11: Claude Debussy's "Reflections in the Water," with Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli
Wednesday, 6/12: John Williams's "E.T.: Adventures on Earth," with the Boston Pops
Thursday, 6/13: J.S. Bach's Orchestral Suite No. 3: "Air," with David Russell (Classical Guitarist)
Friday, 6/14: Jean-Fery Rebel's "The Elements: Ramage - Rossignolo," with Tempesta di Mare - Philadelphia Baroque Orchestra
BSO Principal Bassist Edwin Barker plays Koussevitzky
When the Boston Symphony Orchestra Chamber Players came to GBH's Fraser Performance Studio a few weeks ago, it was in celebration of Serge Koussevitzky's 150th birthday. So of course BSO Principal Bassist Edwin Barker played a few pieces *by* Koussevitzky to kick things off!
Watch the full concert on demand: https://bit.ly/4aae2Gs
In this video:
KOUSSEVITZKY - Andante, from Concerto for Double Bass
KOUSSEVITZKY - Valse miniature
Edwin Barker, bass
Randall Hodgkinson, piano
Brian McCreath, host
Who in the world was Serge Koussevitzky?
Who in the world was Serge Koussevitzky?
When Boston Symphony Orchestra Chamber Players visited GBH Music for a concert celebrating the 150th anniversary of Koussevitzky's birth, they had a lot to say about him! Brian McCreath, BSO VP of Artistic Planning Anthony Fogg, and BSO Principal Bassist Edwin Barker talked about what made Koussevitzky such an important part of Boston's musical history.
Watch the full concert and learn more: https://bit.ly/4c3ylH3
The theme of our Focus at 4 this week is flowers! 💐 Although we're well on our way to summer at this point, any horticulturalist will tell you that flowers bloom in every season. For example, some gardeners believe that hydrangeas bloom most beautifully during the transition from spring to summer. We've consulted with the flower experts (and our music programmers) and we've arrived at this bundle of delightfully floral pieces. Tune in weekdays at 4pm with Greg Ferrisi to hear:
Monday, 5/27: Sergei Rachmaninoff's "Lilacs," with Vladimir Ashkenazy
Tuesday, 5/28: Henry VIII's "Rose Without a Thorn" Suite, with the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble
Wednesday, 5/29: Giacomo Puccini's "Crisantemi: Andante mesto," with the Emerson String Quartet
Thursday, 5/30: Piotr Tchaikovsky's "Waltz of the Flowers" from his "Nutcracker Suite," with Lorin Maazel and The Cleveland Orchestra
Friday, 5/31: Leo Delibes's "Flower Duet" from "Lakme," with Eugenia Zukerman, Allan Vogel, and Dennis Helmrich
The theme of this week's Focus at 4 is space! The astronomical kind, not the break-up kind. Tune in weekdays at 4pm with Greg Ferrisi to hear these starry, heavenly pieces:
Monday, 5/20: John Williams's "Flying Theme" from "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial," with the Berliner Philharmoniker
Tuesday, 5/21: Richard Strauss's "Also sprach Zarathustra: Introduction," with Andris Nelsons and Gewandhausorchester
Wednesday, 5/22: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's "Twinkle, Twinkle" Variations, with Myung Whun Chung 정명훈 (official)
Thursday, 5/23: Antonín Dvořák's "Song to the Moon," with Yo-Yo Ma, Eric Jacobsen, and The Knights
Friday, 5/24: Gustav Holst's "The Planets: Mars," with Alexander Gibson and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra
BSCP rehearsing Piston at GBH's Fraser Performance Studio
The Boston Symphony Orchestra Chamber Players are coming to GBH! Join us for the livestream TONIGHT 5/16 at 7:30pm — register online for free here: https://bit.ly/4aae2Gs
Us listening to John Williams on WCRB this #StarWarsDay. May the Fourth be with you!
Today in Music History: April 25
Live from the studio, Edyn-Mae Stevenson has some music history for ya! 📻
The theme of our Focus at 4 this week is "In the Countryside." Sure, stores are bringing out the swimsuits and pool floaties in anticipation of a tropical vacation, but what about a little jaunt to the country? You know I think a little country air might do us all some good. 😌 Tune in weekdays at 4pm with Greg Ferrisi to hear:
Monday, 4/1: Frederick Delius's "On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring," with Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony
Tuesday, 4/2: Aaron Copland's "Down a Country Lane," with Frank L. Battisti and the New England Conservatory Wind Ensemble
Wednesday, 4/3: George Butterworth's "The Banks of Green Willow," with Jeffrey Tate and the English Chamber Orchestra
Thursday, 4/4: William Byrd's "Woods So Wild," with Ayreheart
Friday, 4/5: Ralph Vaughn Williams's "In the Fen Country," with Barry Wordsworth and the New Queen's Hall Orchestra
The theme of this week's Focus at 4 is ballet! According to the calendar (and contrary to the past couple of chilly days), Spring has sprung. What better way to spring into warmer days than with some dance music? 🩰 Tune in weekdays at 4pm with Greg Ferrisi to hear:
Monday, 3/25: Pyotr Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake Waltz," with Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra
Tuesday, 3/26: Christoph Gluck's "Dance of the Blessed Spirits" from "Orfeo ed Euridice," with Herbert von Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker
Wednesday, 3/27: Sergei Prokofiev's "The Child Juliet" from "Romeo and Juliet," with JoAnn Falletta and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra
Thursday, 3/28: Claude Debussy's "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun," with Leonard Bernstein and the Orchestra of the National Academy of Saint Cecilia
Friday, 3/29: Aaron Copland's "Appalachian Spring," with Louis Lane and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
Our Focus at 4 this week is opera reimagined! After our BSO broadcasts of "Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk" and "Bluebeard's Castle" (which are BOTH available to listen to on demand at classical.org) we can't help but be in an opera mood. Tune in weekdays at 4pm with Greg Ferrisi to hear these arrangements:
🎭 Monday, 2/19: W.A. Mozart's "The Magic Flute Suite" (arr. for wind octet & bass), with Julius Rudel and the Amadeus Ensemble
🎭 Tuesday, 2/20: G.F. Handel's "Verdi Prati" from "Alcina," with Simon Standage and Collegium Musicum 90
🎭 Wednesday, 2/21: Léo Delibes's "Flower Duet" from "Lakme" (arr. for flute, oboe, and piano), with Eugenia Zukerman, Allan Vogel, and Dennis Helmrich
🎭 Thursday, 2/22: Richard Wagner' s "Spinning Chorus" from "The Flying Dutchman" (arr. by Franz Liszt), with Llŷr Williams, pianist
🎭 Friday, 2/23: Richard Strauss's "Der Rosenkavalier Suite," with Andre Previn and the Vienna Philharmonic / Wiener Philharmoniker
Camille Saint-Saens – Stargazing is pretty romantic, right? He sure hopes you think so, because he just sold six compositions and most of his belongings to buy a telescope. If you’re lucky he’ll even let you take a look!
What’s Clara Schumann’s love language? Writing you a piano masterpiece, then playing it better than you ever could. Ah, Romance… 😍🥰
W.F. Bach – What can we say? The man has swag. This snappy dresser is ready for a night on the town. If it’s hip and happening, he’s there — and he’s the best-dressed guy in the room.
Beethoven – A simple man with inexpensive taste, don’t expect any over-the-top gifts from Beethoven. Instead, a cup of coffee with the perfect number of beans – 60 – brewed to perfection … and maybe a stormy piano serenade after that.
Hector Berlioz – Girl, get out of there! He’s going to propose right now even though you only met him a week ago. Hightail it as far away as you can before he gets even more attached.
W. A. Mozart – His music may be classy, but his personality? Let’s just say it needs some work. If you like dirty jokes, you’ll have a great Valentine’s Day. Otherwise, maybe try to find another date. We hear Salieri may be available.
Claude Debussy – Two words: picnic date. Your choice of location – seaside or leafy park – but is it ok if he brings his daughter along?
Franz Liszt – Here comes Mr. Popular, with tickets to his own piano recital. If you can make it through an evening surrounded by his screaming fans, he’ll give you his real gift: a lock of his own hair. Kind of weird, but hey, it might be worth something on eBay.
Our Focus at 4 this week is *drumroll please* Valentine's Day! 💕 Can't you feel the love in the air? Well if you don't just yet, we're playing all the lovey dovey classics this week at 4pm with Greg Ferrisi to get you in the mood. Tune in to hear:
💝 Monday, 2/12: Edward Elgar's "Salut d'amour," with Anne Akiko Meyers and Sandra Rivers
💝 Tuesday, 2/13: Franz Liszt's "Liebestram No. 3," with Evgeny Kissin
💟 Wednesday, 2/14: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's "Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture," with Kurt Mazur and Gewandhausorchester
💝 Thursday, 2/15: Richard Wagner's "Liebestod," with 小澤征爾 Seiji Ozawa and Berliner Philharmoniker
💝 Friday, 2/16: Dmitri Shostakovich's "Romance," with Nemanja Radulovic - violinist, Michail Jurowski, and the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin (DSO Berlin)
