Each Saturday evening at 8:00 on WHRO-FM, “This Just In” brings you three hours of the latest classical releases, your weekly guide to what’s new on record and worth your attention.
This week, Raymond Jones opens with Jean Sibelius’s “Tapiola,” in a powerful interpretation by Sir Thomas Beecham, leading the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in 1955. This recording is part of the recently released Warner Classics box set devoted to Beecham’s stereo legacy. This piece is a definitive masterpiece of the Sibelian repertoire, and according to the editors of the Gramophone Classical Good CD Guide, Beecham’s take is noted for its “giant authority.”
We continue our journey through Gustav Mahler’s symphonies with Symphony No. 2, “Resurrection,” performed by the Czech Philharmonic under Semyon Bychkov. Part of a recently released cycle on Pentatone, this symphony expands Mahler’s vision to monumental scale, moving from darkness to a final choral affirmation. This performance features soprano Christiane Karg and mezzo-soprano Elisabeth Kulman.
Also on the program is a brand-new release from Sir Antonio Pappano, who leads the London Symphony Orchestra in Gustav Holst’s “The Planets.” This recording offers a fresh take on one of the most recognizable works in the orchestral repertoire. Listen especially for the final movement, “Neptune,” where the voices of the ensemble Tenebrae create that signature distant, otherworldly fade.
Join Raymond Jones this Saturday at 8:00 p.m. for “This Just In” on WHRO-FM 90.3, or listen online, and stay up to date with the newest releases in classical music.
