Each Wednesday at 9 p.m. on WHRO-FM, “A Local Touch – Music with a Virginia Connection” invites listeners to explore the remarkable artistry found across the Commonwealth. This week’s program highlights musicians, ensembles, and performances that showcase the depth and variety of Virginia’s classical music scene.
The evening begins with a graceful Nocturne by Wenzel Matiegka, performed by three artists well known to Hampton Roads audiences: flutist Debra Wendells-Cross, clarinetist Robert Alemany, and JoAnn Falletta on guitar. In this arrangement, the clarinet takes on the original viola line, giving the trio a fresh and beautifully blended sound.
From there, the program turns to a major American symphonic voice with Randall Thompson’s Symphony No. 1. Thompson, who once led the music department at the University of Virginia, crafted music known for clarity, balance, and warmth. This performance by the New Zealand Symphony under James Sedares offers a vibrant reading of one of Thompson’s early orchestral achievements.
The spotlight then shifts to Roanoke, with a dynamic 2005 live performance of Saint-Saëns’s Cello Concerto No. 1 featuring celebrated cellist Zuill Bailey and the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, conducted by David Wiley.
Then the program heads to Staunton for this week’s “Heifetz on Air” segment titled “24 Carats.” Outstanding young artists perform virtuoso works like a Paganini-inspired fantasy, a Hungarian rhapsody for cello, and an extraordinary arrangement of Bach’s “Chaconne” for four violas. And we’ll stay in Staunton for a final selection: organ works by composer Christopher Hoh, performed at the Trinity Episcopal Church by organist Jonathan Dimmock.
Discover the artistry, diversity, and talent thriving across our state, this Wednesday evening at 9:00 on WHRO-FM 90.3, and also online, with “A Local Touch – Music with a Virginia Connection.”
