As the Los Angeles Philharmonic broadcast season comes to an end January 11th, two new programs will take the Friday 8 pm slot on WRTI's All-Classical stream and HD-2 over the next eight weeks.
From January 18th through February 8th, "Russian Accents: Rachmaninoff, Stravinsky and the Piano" showcases the piano music of Sergei Rachmaninoff and Igor Stravinsky, as recorded in live performances by Alexander Toradze and members of the Toradze Piano Studio.
Alec Baldwin will be your host, with commentary by Stravinsky himself, Alexander Toradze, Valery Gergiev and Joseph Horowitz, as they explore the life and music of two master Russian composers - both of whom were also important pianists - and both of whom emigrated to the United States.
In addition to sizzling live performances by Toradze and members of the Toradze Piano Studio, the program includes piano recordings by Rachmaninoff and Stravinsky. The repertoire ranges from such favorite works as Rachmaninoff's Third Piano Concerto and Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring (in a two-piano version by the composer), to such rarities as Rachmaninoff's First Piano Sonata and Stravinsky's Concerto for Two Solo Pianos.
Listen from February 15th through March 8th, and you'll hear a series highlighting the renowned "Edinburgh Festivals," - the world's largest combination of arts festivals.
Born from the trauma of the Second World War, Edinburgh's unique combination of festivals is a triumph of international shared storytelling. Encompassing classical music, theater, literature, popular and folk music, science, visual art and a city-wide sharing of culture, this radio series will give listeners a first-hand experience of being in one of the world's most creative and cosmopolitan cities during a period when over 600,000 visitors experience the "annual cultural equivalent of the Olympics" during which over 4,000 performances take place in hundreds of venues ranging from exquisite concert halls to site-specific fringe spaces.
The four programs are built around concerts recorded at this year's Edinburgh International Festival, one of the most important classical music festivals in the world. Among the classical music highlights are: pianists Leif Ove Andsnes and Daniil Trifonov, chamber music by Trio Zimmerman, Les Vents Français and the Calder Quartet, violinist Leonidas Kavakos with pianist Nicola Lugansky, bass-baritone Luca Pisaroni, with pianist Justus Zeyen, the European Youth Orchestra conducted by Gianadrea Noseda, and the Iraqi Youth Orchestra, led by Paul MacAlindin.
Both of these shows come from our friends at the WFMT Radio Network, and can be heard Friday evenings at 8 pm on WRTI's All-Classical stream and WRTI-HD2 beginning January 18th.
