Programme information Saturday 11 th August to Friday 17 th August 2018 WEEK 33 THE FULL WORKS CONCERT: CLASSIC FM S AMERICAN ROAD TRIP PRESENTED BY JANE JONES AND CATHERINE BOTT Monday 13 th August to Friday 17 th August, 8pm to 10pm This week on Classic FM, we re going Stateside. Over the next five nights, we will travel across America from Los Angeles, Pittsburgh and Boston to Detroit, Chicago and Philadelphia to hear from the country s greatest orchestras. Classic FM s American Road Trip starts in the Big Apple with one of the oldest orchestras: the New York Philharmonic. Classic FM is available across the UK on 100-102 FM, DAB digital radio and TV, the Classic FM app, at ClassicFM.com and on the Global Player. 1
WEEK 33 SATURDAY 11 AUGUST 5pm to 7pm: SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE MOVIES with ANDREW COLLINS The celebrated film composer James Horner, the man behind the music for Titanic, Braveheart and Apollo 13, passed away in 2015. On Tuesday (14 th August), he would have turned 65. Andrew Collins pays tribute to him by devoting two hours to Horner s film scores, featuring favourites such as Avatar and lesser-played works like Legends of the Fall and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. 7pm to 9pm: COWAN S CLASSICS with ROB COWAN Rob Cowan takes us on a musical journey with selections from his own record collection, including several performances by the pianist Elisabeth Leonskaja, his Artist of the Week. The famous Air from Bach s Orchestral Suite No.3 is this week s starting point as Rob takes us Beyond the Hall of Fame. 9pm to 10pm: LEONARD BERNSTEIN S JOY OF MUSIC with HUMPHREY BURTON Humphrey Burton continues Classic FM s summer series celebrating one of the 20 th century s most famous and influential musicians: Leonard Bernstein. As Bernstein s official biographer, Humphrey offers an unparalleled insight into the life and music of the outstanding composer, conductor and pianist in this, his centenary year. Tonight, Humphrey presents two masterpieces with which Bernstein was closely associated. Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin was a Bernstein favourite since his teenage years and in this version, Bernstein himself directs from the keyboard. In fact, he was often hailed as a successor to Gershwin. Listeners can also re-live a famous moment in recent history: the fall of the Berlin Wall. Bernstein conducted Beethoven s Ninth Symphony at a concert televised worldwide on Christmas Day. The orchestra included musicians representing the four occupying powers of Berlin. For the occasion, Bernstein changed the words of the poem, so freiheit (freedom) was sung by the choir instead of freude (joy). The event became known as the Berlin Freedom Concert and the complete Ode to Freedom features tonight. 2
SUNDAY 12 AUGUST 3pm to 5pm: CHARLOTTE HAWKINS Charlotte has chosen the 16-year-old Mexican pianist Daniela Liebman as her Young Classical Star this week. Liebman started playing at just five-years-old and has all the promise of a future star. She s released two mini-albums to date and Charlotte will play music from those this afternoon. 9pm to 10pm: EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT CLASSICAL MUSIC with CATHERINE BOTT Johann Strauss Junior s Champagne Polka, everyone s favourite piece of music to pop a cork to, was first performed on this day in 1858 in Pavlovsk. The anniversary has provided Catherine Bott with the inspiration to dedicate a programme to drinking songs, from the famous Brindisi from Verdi s La Traviata to lesser-heard singalongs and rousing tavern tunes. 3
MONDAY 13 AUGUST ROAD TRIP: NEW YORK This week on Classic FM, we re going Stateside. Over the next five nights, we travel across America to hear from the country s greatest orchestras, starting tonight with one of the oldest: the New York Philharmonic. We begin with Beethoven s only complete Violin Concerto, performed by Anne-Sophie Mutter under the legendary German maestro Kurt Masur, followed by Brahms s Symphony No.4 conducted by Zubin Mehta. To round off the first Full Works Concert of our American road trip, Elisabeth Leonskaja is the soloist for Tchaikovsky s rarely-heard Piano Concerto No.3. Jane Jones presents. Ludwig van Beethoven Violin Concerto in D major Opus 61 Violin: Anne-Sophie Mutter Kurt Masur conducts the New York Philharmonic Orchestra Johannes Brahms Symphony No.4 in E minor Opus 98 Zubin Mehta conducts the New York Philharmonic Orchestra Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No.3 in E-flat major Opus 75 Piano: Elisabeth Leonskaja Kurt Masur conducts the New York Philharmonic Orchestra 4
TUESDAY 14 AUGUST ROAD TRIP: BOSTON, BALITMORE AND DETROIT Tonight, Jane Jones features some of the best recordings by four fine American orchestras. There will be favourites by American composers George Gershwin and Max Steiner, as well as Aaron Copland conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra in a performance of his 1944 work, Appalachian Spring. Also featured tonight: Sibelius s Valse Triste, Ravel s Bolero, and Dvorak s Romance in F minor played by Itzhak Perlman under Erich Leinsdorf. Max Steiner Gone With the Wind Tara s Theme John Williams conducts the Boston Pops Orchestra George Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue Piano: Jean-Yves Thibaudet Marin Alsop conducts the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Hector Berlioz Trojan March Paul Paray conducts the Detroit Symphony Orchestra Robert Schumann Violin Concerto in A minor Opus 129 Violin: Gidon Kremer Seiji Ozawa conducts the Boston Symphony Orchestra Jean Sibelius Valse Triste Opus 44 No.1 Colin Davis conducts the Boston Symphony Orchestra Maurice Ravel Bolero Paul Paray conducts the Detroit Symphony Orchestra Antonin Dvorak Romance in F minor Opus 11 Violin: Itzhak Perlman Erich Leinsdorf conducts the Boston Symphony Orchestra Aaron Copland Appalachian Spring Antal Dorati conducts the Detroit Symphony Orchestra Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov Procession of the Sardar David Zinman conducts the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra 5
WEDNESDAY 15 AUGUST ROAD TRIP: CHICAGO It s the third night of Classic FM s American road trip and tonight, Jane Jones showcases the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under two legendary conductors: Daniel Barenboim and Georg Solti. Barenboim first leads the orchestra in Wagner s overture to his 1845 opera, Tannhauser. Later, he joins forces with Lang Lang for a complete performance of Mendelssohn s Piano Concerto No.1. We ll also hear the orchestra in full flow under Georg Solti, performing Beethoven s Symphony No.7, and to close tonight s concert, the Hungarian conductor is at the helm for highlights from Tchaikovsky s Swan Lake. Richard Wagner Tannhauser Overture Daniel Barenboim conducts the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Felix Mendelssohn Piano Concerto No.1 in G minor Opus 25 Piano: Lang Lang Daniel Barenboim conducts the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No.7 in A major Opus 92 Georg Solti conducts the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky Swan Lake: Suite Georg Solti conducts the Chicago Symphony Orchestra 6
THURSDAY 16 AUGUST ROAD TRIP: PHILADELPHIA, PITTSBURGH AND CLEVELAND For the penultimate night of Classic FM s American road trip, Catherine Bott is in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Cleveland, featuring a host of fantastic recordings from the city s home orchestras. Tchaikovsky s Capriccio Italien opens tonight s concert, under the German-American conductor William Steinberg, after which Sarasate s virtuosic Zigeunerweisen is performed by Itzhak Perlman. The centrepiece of the programme is Mozart s Piano Concerto No.21 performed by Mitsuko Uchida and the Cleveland Orchestra. In the second half of tonight s Full Works Concert, we hear two recordings by conductor Eugene Ormandy, whose 44-year association with the Philadelphia Orchestra is one of the longest enjoyed by any conductor with a single orchestra. Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky Capriccio Italien Opus 45 William Steinberg conducts the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Pablo de Sarasate Zigeunerweisen Opus 20 Violin: Itzhak Perlman Andre Previn conducts the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto No.21 in C major Mitsuko Uchida leads the Cleveland Orchestra from the keyboard Antonin Dvorak Violin Concerto in A minor Opus 53 Violin: Isaac Stern Eugene Ormandy conducts the Philadelphia Orchestra Robert Schumann Introduction & Allegro Appassionato Opus 92 Piano: Rudolf Serkin Eugene Ormandy conducts the Philadelphia Orchestra 7
FRIDAY 17 AUGUST ROAD TRIP: LOS ANGELES AND SAN FRANSISCO Tonight, Catherine Bott heads to America s west coast to showcase two ensembles: the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, which celebrates its 100 th anniversary next year, and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. We open with the young Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel leading the LA Phil in a performance of a Classic FM favourite: Beethoven s Pastoral Symphony. In the second half of tonight s concert, we hear Berlioz s dream-like Symphonie Fantastique played in full under the American conductor Leonard Slatkin. Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No.6 in F major Gustavo Dudamel conducts the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra Agustin Lara Granada Guitar: Juan Diego Florez Gustavo Dudamel conducts the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra Hector Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique Opus 14 Michael Tilson Thomas conducts the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra 8