Thursday - Rob Cowan with James May
With Rob Cowan. Including Five Reasons to Love Orchestral Lollipops; Musical Challenge: Classical Consequences; Rob's guest: broadcaster James May.
Discover definitive recordings of the greatest classical music with your trusted guide, Rob Cowan. His guest is journalist and presenter of Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ's Top Gear programme, James May.
9am
A selection of music including '5 Reasons to Love... orchestral lollipops'. Throughout the week Rob welcomes in the New Year with a selection of orchestral lollipops recalling the tradition of Thomas Beecham's orchestral bons-bons. The San Francisco Symphony conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas play familiar favourites include Rachmaninov's Vocalise, Delius's On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring, Schubert's Entracte No.3 from Rosamunde and Litolff's celebrated Scherzo.
9.30am
Musical challenge: Classical Consequences
10am
Rob's guest this week, sharing his favourite classical music every day at 10am, is James May. Best known as co-presenter of the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ's Top Gear programme, the Renaissance man of motoring takes off his driving gloves and returns to Essential Classics to dig deeper into another of his great passions. A former chorister and occasional flautist, May is a classical music enthusiast with a particular love of the keyboard.
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Music Played
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Johann Christian Bach
Symphony in B flat, Op.18 No.2; 3rd mvt, Presto
Conductor: Anthony Halstead. Orchestra: The Hanover Band.- CPO.
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Artist of the week: Riccardo Muti
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Ludwig van Beethoven
The Consecration of the House, Op 124
Orchestra: Philadelphia Orchestra. Conductor: Riccardo Muti.- EMI.
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5 Reasons to Love... Orchestral Miniatures
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Charles Ives
A Concord Symphony; 3. The Alcotts
Conductor: Michael Tilson Thomas. Orchestra: San Francisco Symphony.- SFS MEDIA.
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Dieterich Buxtehude
Was frag' ich nach der Welt, BuxWV 104
Orchestra: Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra. Choir: Amsterdam Baroque Choir. Director: Ton Koopman.- CHALLENGE.
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Artist of the Week: Riccardo Muti
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Antonio Vivaldi
Flute Concerto in G minor, RV 439, 'La notte'
Performer: Bruno Cavallo. Ensemble: Soloists of the Philharmonic Orchestra of La Scala. Conductor: Riccardo Muti.- EMI.
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Rossini (arr. Respighi)
La Boutique Fantasque; 2 Tarantella Β– Mazurka; 3 Cossack Dance
Performer: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Performer: Antal Dorati (conductor).- PHASE.
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arr Respighi Rossini
La Boutique Fantasque Ballet Suite 2nd and 3rd movements.
Conductor: Antal DorΓ΅ti. Orchestra: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. -
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Franz Schubert
3 Pieces D.946 (no.3)
Performer: Alfred Brendel.- PHILIPS.
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James May's Choice
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Trad.
A star in the south, Polish carol
Choir: Elora Festival Singers.- NAXOS.
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AntonΓn DvoΕ™Γ΅k
Slavonic Dance in E minor, Op.72 No.2
Performer: Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. Performer: Rafael Kubelik (conductor).- PHILIPS.
Classical Consequences
Brendel stopped playing, fixed the audience with a cool stare and said: "Ladies and gentlemen, I can hear you, but I doubt if you can hear me."
Broadcast
- New Year's Day 2015 09:00Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 3
Our Classical Century
Radio 3 explores 100 key musical moments that shaped us, from 1918 to the present day.
Time Travellers: the podcast
Eleanor Rosamund Barraclough presents quirky tales gathered from the corners of history.