A Valentine’s mood finds its way into this week’s edition of “This Just In,” as Raymond Jones brings you three hours of recently released classical recordings Saturday evening at 8:00 on WHRO-FM.
One highlight comes from Warner Classics’ 2025 comprehensive box set of Sir Thomas Beecham’s complete stereo recordings: a newly remastered version of “Love in Bath,” Beecham’s elegant Handel pastiche featuring soprano Ilse Hollweg and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
From Naxos comes a graceful miniature by Gabriel Fauré, his “Romance in B-flat,” part of the album “Fauré: Orchestral Works” with violinist Pierre Fouchenneret, cellist Martin Johnson, flutist Catriona Ryan, and the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra under Jean-Luc Tingaud.
Jean Sibelius adds a Nordic shade of romance with “Rakastava (The Lover),” performed by the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, an ensemble closely linked to the composer himself. This delicate suite, drawn from Finnish folk poetry in the “Kanteletar,” shows Sibelius at his most tender and atmospheric.
An Irish perspective on seasonal storytelling arrives with “The Irish Four Seasons,” where violinist Lynda O’Connor and the Anamus Ensemble bring to life Ailbhe McDonagh’s imaginative response to Vivaldi. Familiar in concept yet distinctly Irish, the work offers something both recognizable and refreshingly new.
The expressive warmth continues with Brahms’ Cello Sonata No. 1, heard here in an unusual and striking arrangement for bassoon. Bassoonist Frank Morelli and pianist We-Yi Yang reveal unexpected lyricism in Brahms’ writing, giving the instrument a rare opportunity to sing in Romantic tones.
Rounding out the program is the St. Clare Cantata by Sir Malcolm Arnold, performed by the London Choral Sinfonia.
A touch of romance, a musical journey around the world, and a collection of newly available recordings come together this Saturday at 8:00 p.m. on WHRO-FM 90.3, and online, with “This Just In.”
