Programme information

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1 Programme information Saturday 30 December 2017 to Friday 5 January 2018 WEEK 01 DAVID MELLOR S NEW YEAR VIENNESE-UP Sunday 31 December, 7pm to 10pm The city of Vienna is synonymous with this time of year Tonight, David Mellor presents a lighthearted selection of some of the most uplifting Viennese classics, in a three-hour Viennese-Up. Alongside music by Johann Strauss Junior and Senior, David will also uncover some rarely-heard gems by the Strausses contemporaries, providing a toe-tapping accompaniment to your own new year celebrations. Every piece of music played will be taken from a live recording of the New Year s Day Concert, with David s selections stretching back across seven decades of this annual, much-anticipated event. Classic FM is available across the UK on FM, DAB digital radio and TV, at ClassicFM.com and on the Classic FM app. 1

2 WEEK 01 SATURDAY 30 DECEMBER 5pm 7pm: SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE MOVIES with ANDREW COLLINS: THE BEST FILM SCORES OF 2017 Andrew Collins selects the best film scores of 2017, shining a spotlight on composers who have made their mark over the past 12 months, including Carter Burwell (Goodbye Christopher Robin, The Founder), Benjamin Wallfisch (It, Dunkirk) and Nicholas Britell (Moonlight, Battle of the Sexes). Documentaries such as Kedi and Jane will make an appearance, along with superhero hits like Thor: Ragnarok, Wonder Woman and Spider-Man: Homecoming. 2

3 SUNDAY 31 DECEMBER 7pm 10pm: DAVID MELLOR S NEW YEAR VIENNESE-UP The city of Vienna is synonymous with this time of year: tickets to the annual New Year s Day Concert are like gold dust, and the waltzes and polkas of the Strauss family will forever be associated with the passing of one year, and the start of the next. Tonight, David Mellor presents a lighthearted selection of some of the most uplifting Viennese classics, in a three-hour Viennese-Up. Alongside music by Johann Strauss Junior and Senior, David will also uncover some rarely-heard gems by the Strausses contemporaries, providing a toe-tapping accompaniment to your own new year celebrations. Every piece of music played will be taken from a live recording of the New Year s Day Concert, with David s selections stretching back across seven decades of this annual, much-anticipated event. Alongside the plethora of Viennese music, David celebrates other European composers who caught the Strauss family mood, like the French waltz king Emile Waldteufel and Hans Christian Lumbye, Denmark s answer to the Strausses. 3

4 MONDAY 1 JANUARY 4pm 7pm: THE CLASSIC FM CHART OF THE YEAR with JOHN BRUNNING This New Year s Day, John Brunning presents a special countdown of the biggest selling classical releases of The contenders for the number one spot include Andre Rieu, Jonas Kaufmann, and Ludovico Einaudi, all of whom have topped the weekly Classic FM Chart at some point over the last year was also a year for film score successes, with many blockbuster soundtracks reaching the top of the countdown. There s only one way to find out which release is crowned victorious: join John from 4pm, as he unveils the Top 30 in full. 4

5 MONDAY 1 JANUARY 8pm 10pm: THE FULL WORKS CONCERT with DAVID MELLOR David Mellor kicks off 2018 with a celebration of one of the most extraordinary figures in classical music history: Leonard Bernstein. In the year in which we celebrate the great composer, conductor and pianist s 100 th birthday, David plays some of Bernstein s best-loved works, including West Side Story and the Chichester Psalms. David also features Bernstein at the keyboard, as he plays Ravel s Piano Concerto with the Philharmonia Orchestra, and on the podium, leading the Vienna Symphony Orchestra in Sibelius s Symphony No.7. With two hours of brilliant music, and his own personal reflections on Bernstein s extraordinary talent, David promises a fascinating and enjoyable listen. Leonard Bernstein Candide Overture Leonard Bernstein conducts the London Symphony Orchestra Aaron Copland Quiet City Leonard Bernstein conducts the New York Symphony Orchestra Maurice Ravel Piano Concerto in G major Leonard Bernstein leads the Philharmonia Orchestra from the keyboard Leonard Bernstein Chichester Psalms Organ: Thomas Trotter Matthew Best conducts the Corydon Singers Jean Sibelius Symphony No.7 in C major Leonard Bernstein conducts the Vienna Symphony Orchestra Leonard Bernstein Symphonic Dances from West Side Story Leonard Bernstein conducts the New York Philharmonic Orchestra 5

6 TUESDAY 2 JANUARY 8pm 10pm: THE FULL WORKS CONCERT: GREAT COMPOSERS MONTH BEETHOVEN It s Great Composers Month on Classic FM: every weeknight in January, we celebrate one of the world s finest classical composers, showcasing some of their best music and telling the story of their life. The series begins with a true revolutionary: Ludwig van Beethoven. His Egmont Overture opens the concert, which features as its centrepiece the composer s perennially popular Symphony No.6 ( Pastoral ), performed by the Vienna Symphony Orchestra under Sir Simon Rattle. We hear all the elements of Beethoven s masterful writing over two hours with his playful Piano Quintet in E-flat, performed by Stephen Hough and the Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quartet, and the brooding yet delicate emotion conveyed in his Piano Sonata No.14 ( Moonlight ), performed by Maurizio Pollini. Presented by Emma Nelson. Egmont Overture Gustavo Dudamel conducts the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela Piano Sonata No.14 in C-Sharp minor ( Moonlight ) Piano: Maurizio Pollini Symphony No.6 in F major ( Pastoral ) Simon Rattle conducts the Vienna Symphony Orchestra Romance No.2 in F major Violin: Maxim Vengerov Mstislav Rostropovich conducts the London Symphony Orchestra Piano Quintet in E-flat major Piano: Stephen Hough Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet 6

7 WEDNESDAY 3 JANUARY 8pm 10pm: THE FULL WORKS CONCERT: GREAT COMPOSERS MONTH ELGAR Tonight, Emma Nelson demonstrates how Sir Edward Elgar s distinctive sound came to define Great Britain at the height of Empire. The UK s greatest orchestras perform a selection of Elgar s works, starting with his triumphant Pomp and Circumstance March No.1, composed in Emma then features Elgar s famous Enigma Variations, before Classic FM s Orchestra in the North West of England playthe composer s Symphony No.1. Acclaimed violinist Pinchas Zuckerman leads the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in Elgar s Chanson de Nuit, to bring this celebration of one of this country s best-loved composers to a reflective close. Edward Elgar Pomp and Circumstance March No.1 in D major Mark Elder conducts the Halle Orchestra Edward Elgar Variations on an Original Theme ( Enigma Variations ) Bernard Haitink conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra Edward Elgar Serenade in E minor for Strings Andrew Davis conducts the Philharmonia Orchestra Edward Elgar Symphony No.1 in A-flat major Vasily Petrenko conducts the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra Edward Elgar Chanson de Nuit Pinchas Zukerman conducts the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra 7

8 THURSDAY 4 JANUARY 8pm 10pm: THE FULL WORKS CONCERT: GREAT COMPOSERS MONTH - DEBUSSY Classic FM invites you to lose yourself in the impressionist world of French composer Claude Debussy this evening, as part of Great Composers Month. Catherine Bott presents a varied evening of his beautiful music, including instantly-recognisable works such as the Prelude a l apres-midi d un faune and Suite Bergamasque. The Lyon National Orchestra performs Debussy s joyous Sarabande et Danse under Leonard Slatkin, and there s the winning combination of flute and harp in the Arabesque No.1. The concert closes with a thrilling performance of Debussy s ballet Jeux, recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra live in concert under Valery Gergiev. Presented by Catherine Bott. Prelude a l apres-midi d un faune Kurt Masur conducts the New York Philharmonic Orchestra Arabesque No.1 in E major Flute: Emmanuel Pahud Harp: Mariko Anraku Suite Bergamasque Piano: Pascal Roge Preludes Book 1 (arranged for orchestra) Jun Markl conducts the Royal Scottish National Orchestra Danse Profane Harp: Claire Jones Paul Watkins conducts the English Chamber Orchestra Sarabande et Danse Leonard Slatkin conducts the Lyon National Orchestra Jeux Valery Gergiev conducts the London Symphony Orchestra 8

9 FRIDAY 5 JANUARY 8pm 10pm: THE FULL WORKS CONCERT: GREAT COMPOSERS MONTH - GERSHWIN To close the first week of Great Composers Month on Classic FM, Catherine Bott presents a real Friday-night treat: two hours of joyous music by. There are toe-tapping melodies from shows including Porgy and Bess and Strike up the Band, alongside his famous Rhapsody in Blue, performed by soloist Jean-Yves Thibaudet and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra under their Music Director, Marin Alsop. Other soloists to appear on the bill include trumpeter Alison Balsom and violinist Joshua Bell, with beautiful arrangements of Gershwin songs, before we hear the composer himself, and a piano roll he stamped of his suite to An American in Paris. Strike up the Band Overture Michael Tilson Thomas conducts the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra Rhapsody in Blue Piano: Jean-Yves Thibaudet Marin Alsop conducts the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Someone to watch over me Trumpet: Alison Balsom Piano: Tom Poster Porgy and Bess: Symphonic Suite (arr. Robert Russell Bennett) Wayne Marshall conducts the Aalborg Symphony Orchestra Summertime Soloist: Renee Fleming James Levine conducts the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and New York Voices Variations on I Got Rhythm Wayne Marshall leads the Aalborg Symphony Orchestra from the piano 3 Preludes Cello: Yo-Yo Ma Piano: Jeffrey Kahane An American in Paris Piano (roll): Continued overleaf 9

10 FRIDAY 5 JANUARY 8pm 10pm: THE FULL WORKS CONCERT: GREAT COMPOSERS MONTH - GERSHWIN Continued Embraceable You Violin: Joshua Bell John Williams conducts the London Symphony Orchestra Lullaby The Nash Ensemble 10