WDAV Blog: Classical Musings

POSTED December 9, 2011 – Pity poor Beethoven. Like so many December babies, his birth anniverary on the 16th can get lost in all the holiday musical hoopla. But to honor dear Ludwig and to assure he gets his due, WDAV is pleased to present once again, B24 – the Beethoven Birthday Marathon.

WDAV features a different, complete Beethoven masterpiece practically every hour between midnight on Friday, December 16th and midnight Saturday, December 17th. Here’s the lineup:

12 AM: String Quartet No. 14 in C Sharp Minor, Op. 131
1 AM: Symphony No. 1
2 AM: Piano Sonata No. 21 in C Major, “Waldstein”
3 AM: Symphony No. 2
4 AM: Piano Trio in B Flat, “Archduke”
5 AM: Symphony No. 4
6 AM: Leonore Overture No. 3
7 AM: Serenade in D for Flute, Violin & Viola
8 AM: Piano Concerto No. 2
9 AM: Violin Sonata in F, “Spring”
10 AM: Symphony No. 7
11 AM: Violin Concerto in D
12 PM: Symphony No. 8
1 PM: Piano Concerto No. 5, “Emperor”
2 PM: Symphony No. 9
3 PM: Piano Sonata No. 8 in C Minor, “Pathéthique”
4 PM: Symphony No. 5
9 PM: Symphony No. 6, “Pastoral”
10 PM: “Grosse Fugue” in B Flat for String Quartet
11 PM: Piano Sonata No. 23 in F Minor, “Appassionata”

There’s no cake or streamers – but there is a 24-hour party for the Birthday Boy! Listen between midnight December 16th and midnight December 17th for B24 – the Beethoven Birthday Marathon on WDAV Classical Public Radio at 89.9 FM and wdav.org.

WDAV wishes you a happy holiday season, full of music and friends. To prove it, meet us at one (or all!) of these special holiday musical events:

Charlotte Lessons & Carols
Friday, December 2 at Noon
St. John’s Baptist Church, 300 Hawthorne Lane, Charlotte
WDAV’s Matt Rogers hosts this yearly live broadcast, featuring David Tang’s thrilling vocal ensemble VOX, joined by other area choirs and musicians. The Letourneau organ adds to the festivities in the richly resonant sanctuary of St. John’s Baptist Church in the Elizabeth neighborhood of Charlotte. This event is FREE.

WDAV’s Holiday Open House
Friday, December 2, 6-8 p.m.
WDAV, 423 North Main Street, Davidson
It’s Christmas in Davidson – that lively festival that takes over Main Street for all things seasonal.  WDAV joins with our neighbors on Friday evening for a family-friendly holiday celebration. Stroll down Main Street to the WDAV Studios to enjoy caroling on the front porch, warm beverages, studio tours with your favorite WDAV personalities and more. This event is FREE.

Old Salem Presents…Christmas with the Winston-Salem Symphony
Saturday, December 3, 7:30 p.m. & Sunday, December 4, 3:00 p.m.
James A. Gray, Jr. Auditorium, Old Salem, Winston-Salem
A 45-piece chamber orchestra from the Winston-Salem Symphony, conducted by Robert Moody, performs Christmas music from the eighteenth to twenty-first centuries. The program features the Winston-Salem Symphony Chorale with guest soloists Kathryn Mueller (soprano) and Diana Yodzis (alto) performing Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1 in C Major, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Mendelssohn’s Christus and more. For more information and tickets, call 800-441-5305. WDAV broadcasts a live recording of this concert on December 23 and 24.

Charlotte Chamber Music “First Tuesday” Concert: Sing We Nowell
Tuesday, December 6 at Noon
First Presbyterian Church, 200 West Trade Street, Charlotte
It’s another live broadcast holiday tradition from WDAV, this time hosted by WDAV’s Mike McKay. Soprano Abigail Haynes Lennox’s crystalline voice has thrilled audiences in the Carolinas with her performances ranging from high Baroque cantatas to traditional Appalachian folk tunes. She’s front-and-center with the Seicento String Band (led by former Charlotte Chamber Music Artistic Director Henry Lebedinsky) in a program of French, Spanish and Scottish Baroque holiday music.  This event is FREE.

We hope you’ll spend your Thanksgiving holiday with friends, family… and WDAV! We’ll accompany your festivities with the best classical music from the Carolinas and beyond — including these special programs. Don’t miss a minute – turn to 89.9 FM or wdav.org!

Giving Thanks: A Celebration of Fall, Food & Gratitude. Music and words are brought together in a thoughtful reflection on the meaning of the holiday. Two best-selling writers join the table this year: Nora Ephron and Roy Blount, Jr. Classical music is the heart and soul of Giving Thanks, and this year’s selections include classics from Bach, Copland and more.
Thursday, Nov. 24, 3-5 p.m.
Rebroadcast Sunday, Nov. 27, 3-5 p.m.

 Performance Today Thanksgiving Edition. Fred Child brings us a holiday edition of the weekday concert program that features live performances from across the country for this American holiday.
Thursday, Nov. 24, 5-7 p.m.

Thanksgiving with Cantus. Join Cantus – one of America’s most accomplished vocal ensembles – for a special Thanksgiving program.
Thursday, Nov. 24, 7-8 p.m.
Rebroadcast Sunday, Nov. 27, 6-7 p.m.

On Wednesday afternoon, November 9th, at approximately 2 o’clock, WDAV and all other licensed broadcasters will participate in a national test of the Emergency Alert System. The test will last for approximately 30 seconds and is being coordinated by the Department of Homeland Security and affiliated agencies to assure the public of the system’s effectiveness. If you’re listening at the time of the test alert, please be advised – it is only a test! For more info, visit the Federal Communications Commission website.

POSTED October 28, 2011 — On Halloween, you can count on spooky classics from Classical Public Radio at 89.9 and wdav.org. Our programming will feature Bach’s Toccata and Fugue and Saint-Saën’s Danse Macabre, Liszt’s Mephisto Waltz and more. From 7 to 9 p.m., listen for a reprise of the two-part Reel Music Halloween special, with music from classic horror films such as The Bride of Frankenstein, Cat People, Rosemary’s Baby, The Omen, and Silence of the Lambs. And at 9 p.m., Frank Dominguez opens his bag of tricks and treats for a special edition of Halloween Night Music, featuring more haunting classical favorites.

WDAV has your Halloween soundtrack. It should be devilishly good fun!

Effective November 11, 2011, WDAV will begin distributing the popular program World of Opera, which had previously been distributed by NPR. Listeners’ experience of the show will be unchanged: World of Opera will continue to feature the same high-quality operas from European and American opera houses, and Lisa Simeone will continue as host. World of Opera, carried by some 60 public radio stations across the nation, is the only radio show in America devoted to broadcasting full-length operas captured in performance from around the world. Productions from La Scala, Bayreuth, Vienna, Paris and Geneva regularly grace World of Opera’s airwaves, as well as performances from great American opera companies, including Washington National Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Glimmerglass, Santa Fe and New York City Opera.

We are seeing a lot of misleading media reports about WDAV’s relationship to World of Opera host Lisa Simeone. To clarify and correct:

As host of World of Opera, Lisa Simeone is an independent contractor of WDAV Classical Public Radio. Ms. Simeone’s activities outside of this job are not in violation of any of WDAV’s employee codes and have had no effect on her job performance at WDAV. Ms. Simeone remains the host of World of Opera.

 We continue to work with NPR to find a solution to the issues surrounding World of Opera, and we’ll publish any updates here!

You may have heard or read news coverage of an issue with NPR World of Opera and our host, Lisa Simeone. Here’s WDAV’s statement:

WDAV and NPR have different missions. WDAV respects NPR’s mission to serve as a leading news provider. WDAV on the other hand, exists to serve as a leading provider of arts and cultural programming nationally and internationally. Based on the differing missions of these two organizations, we are working together to find a solution to the issues surrounding NPR World of Opera.

We’ll offer updates here as they are available!

POSTED October 15, 2011 — October 22, 2011 marks the 200th birth anniversary of pianist and composer Franz Liszt. To celebrate, WDAV brings you Liszt-o-mania!

During the week of Monday, October 17th – Saturday, October 22nd, you’ll hear Liszt’s most important works on WDAV, as well as commentary on each piece from Bruce Murray, concert pianist and dean of the Brevard Music Center in Brevard, North Carolina.

On Liszt’ actual birthday, Saturday, October 22nd, we’ll feature a  Liszt “Mini-Marathon” between 7 am and 7 pm, with a different Liszt work scheduled each hour. There’ll be CD giveaways and more! Join in the week-long birthday party, as we celebrate the life and works of Franz Liszt!

(Now, if only we could get Liszt to enjoy himself…)

Thank you to the 1,300+ listeners who helped us make our Fall Membership Campaign goal of $210,000 — the largest campaign goal in the station’s history. We are grateful for your support, as well as the tireless efforts of our volunteers, the generosity of area restaurants who fed us all for the last ten days, and the patience of our colleagues, family and friends!

Thank you for supporting the best classical music from the Carolinas and beyond on WDAV Classical Public Radio!