Symphony @ 7 returns to Classical 101 for one evening a week on Thursdays at 7 pm with great works from the symphonic repertoire. I’ll be presenting recordings of orchestral compositions from our vast CD library that might take note of significant dates, perhaps anniversaries of composers, conductors, or performers, or music that’s just plain interesting to hear for one reason or another.
This Thursday, we’ll hear Robert Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A minor featuring the Russian pianist Sviatoslav Richter, whose 100th birth anniversary is March 20th. He is regarded as one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century and is especially noted for the depth of his interpretations and virtuoso technique. He’ll be accompanied by the Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Ricardo Muti in a performance from the Salzburg Festival in 1972 that marked the exciting young Italian conductor’s first appearance there.
The second piece on the the program is by contemporary American composer Michael Daugherty, his Radio City: Symphonic Fantasy on Arturo Toscanini and the NBC Symphony Orchestra. It’s a 25 minute work that pays tribute to the legendary maestro and the orchestra created specifically for him by NBC.
Their weekly radio broadcasts originated from Studio 8-H at Rockefeller Center and were listened to by millions of Americans between 1937 and 1954. Studio 8-H is now home to the NBC television program Saturday Night Live.
Join me for the return of Symphony @ 7 on Thursday evenings on Classical 101. Here is Richter performing Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 18 in B-flat major.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0kyKcCXtIk