Each Saturday evening at 8:00 on WHRO-FM, “This Just In” brings you three hours of recent classical releases, an opportunity to explore new recordings and rediscover familiar works through fresh performances.
This week, host Raymond Jones begins with one of the great pillars of British choral music: “The Dream of Gerontius” by Edward Elgar. Widely considered Elgar’s finest choral work, the piece reflects the composer’s deeply personal and sometimes complicated relationship with faith. The recording comes from a live performance at the BBC Proms in 2022 and was released earlier this year. Edward Gardner conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus, joined by the Hallé Choir and soloists Jamie Barton, Alan Clayton, and James Platt.
Chamber music is also on this program, with cellist Warren Hagerty joining pianist Orli Shaham for the “Romance for Cello and Piano” by composer Ari Barak Fisher. The piece comes from “American Tapestry,” a recent album that brings together musicians of the Pacific Symphony in a collection of contemporary works by living American composers and curated by Shaham herself.
Welsh musical heritage is represented with “Divertimento for Strings” by composer Arwel Hughes, conducted by his son, Owain Arwel Hughes.
We’ll also have a double dose of Ludwig van Beethoven. From the archival release “Beethoven Sonatas – The Lost Tapes,” we’ll hear Piano Sonata No. 27 performed by Sviatoslav Richter. And to close the program on a symphonic scale, Sir Thomas Beecham leads the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in Symphony No. 2.
Hear it all Saturday at 8:00 p.m. on WHRO-FM 90.3, or online, with Raymond Jones and “This Just In,” your weekly guide to the latest classical releases.
