Ghostly tales, shadowy moods, and the thrill of live performances set the stage this Wednesday at 9:00 p.m. on WHRO-FM with “A Local Touch – Music with a Virginia Connection.” Host Raymond Jones offers an early celebration of Halloween filled with captivating performances and local artistry.
Organist Dorothy Papadakos joins the program ahead of her much-anticipated Halloween Tour stop at Christ & St. Luke’s Church in Norfolk this Friday night. She’ll improvise a live soundtrack for the 1920 John Barrymore silent film “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” transforming the gothic classic into a one-of-a-kind musical event. To set the mood, listeners will have a chance to hear Papadakos in her haunting take on “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”
Another Halloween Concert takes place this Saturday in Williamsburg, where Dr. David Grandis and the William & Mary Symphony Orchestra will present a program of rediscovered works by French composer Paul Ladmirault. Raymond Jones speaks with Dr. Grandis about the fascinating process of uncovering these forgotten scores and bringing them to life with his students at William & Mary.
Also visiting Hampton Roads this weekend is world-renowned Cellist Yo-Yo Ma, performing in Newport News for one night only, with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra. In honor of his visit, Jones features a riveting recording of Ma performing Édouard Lalo’s Cello Concerto with the Orchestre National de France.
And we’ll wrap up the night with Richmond-born maestro Paul Freeman conducting Haydn’s “Lord Nelson Mass,” and pianist Olga Kern with the Dali Quartet in Brahms’ Piano Quintet in G Minor, recorded live in Norfolk’s Robin Hixon Theater.
Join “A Local Touch’ for an evening of music that bridges the real and the imagined, this Wednesday at 9:00 p.m. on WHRO-FM 90.3 and online.
