Each Saturday evening at 8:00, WHRO-FM brings you the very latest in classical music releases on “This Just In,” hosted by Raymond Jones. With discerning taste and a deep love for musical discovery, Raymond curates three hours of newly released recordings that highlight today’s finest performers and repertoire, offering a fresh perspective on the ever-evolving classical canon.
This week’s program opens with Yuja Wang’s thrilling interpretation of Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 2, recorded with the Boston Symphony Orchestra under Andris Nelsons. Released last month by Deutsche Grammophon on the album “Shostakovich: The Piano Concertos – Solo Works”, this recording marks the culmination of the BSO decade-long Shostakovich cycle and is released to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the composer’s death.
Another highlight comes from Albion Records, continuing its essential survey of Vaughan Williams’s lesser-known works. This week, we feature the “Stratford Suite,” composed in 1913 and presented in a spirited new performance by the Kent Orchestra under James Ross. And from Toccata Classics, we hear a lush and introspective gem by Swiss composer Richard Flury: his “Poème nocturne,” performed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Paul Mann.
Stepping into the Romantic era’s most feverish dream, we then turn to Berlioz’s “Symphonie Fantastique” in a riveting new recording by the Orchestre de Paris, led by rising star Klaus Mäkelä released by Decca last week. And also on this week’s playlist is Ruth Gipps’s Violin Concerto in B-flat, performed by violinist Charlie Lovell-Jones with the BBC Philharmonic under Rumon Gamba.
From Pentatone, we hear the premiere recording of a surprising and elegant reimagining: “Haydn’s Mandolin Concerto in C Major,” performed by virtuoso Alon Sariel with the Kölner Akademie under Michael Willens. Taken from the May 2025 release “Vienna Mandolin Stories,” the piece is Sariel’s own creation of an imagined Haydn mandolin concerto based on works for cello, violin, and oboe.
The program concludes with a rare concertante work by Albert Lortzing: his “Concert Piece for Horn and Orchestra,” featuring horn soloist Marc Gruber with the WDR Funkhausorchester conducted by Ernst Theis.
Don’t miss this opportunity to discover what’s new and remarkable in the world of classical music. Join Raymond Jones for “This Just In,” this Saturday at 8:00 p.m. on WHRO-FM 90.3, or online through the Media Player.
