Week of August 12, 2024: The Spanish School – Borrowing our title from the storied Spanish Riding School in Vienna, home of the Lipizzaner horses, this program explores the wealth of musical output from Iberian composers. Following a lineage from the 18th century on to those creating new music today, we consider the Spanish School as a living tradition, blending the values of the past with the passion of the present. From the guitar to the piano, and every instrument in between, this week features selections from Pablo de Sarasate, Andrés Segovia, Antonio Soler, and many other Spanish composers and performers.

Week of August 19, 2024: Under the Hood, Pt. 2 – Back by popular request, Bill takes us through the inner workings of five great symphonies by Joseph Haydn, Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, Pyotr Tchaikovsky, and Jean Sibelius. Thus, allowing us to understand some of the deeper meanings hidden in these symphonies. Bill will highlight the workings of Haydn’s Symphony No. 101 “The Clock,” performed by the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields under the baton of Sir Neville Marriner, and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 2, played by the London Philharmonic with Mstislav Rostropovich conducting.

Week of August 26, 2024: Grieg and Sibelius – We’ll explore the lives and music of the two Nordic greats: Edvard Grieg and Jean Sibelius. Music spanning almost one hundred years includes many chamber works, Grieg’s Peer Gynt, Norwegian Dances, and several Sibelius symphonies. Bill will introduce us to the Hardanger fiddle, and we’ll listen to Norwegian Leif Ove Andsnes perform on Edvard Grieg’s own piano. Finnish composer Jean Sibelius wrote about his fifth symphony, “It was as if God the Father was throwing pieces of mosaic from the edge of heaven and asking me to figure out what the pattern was.”