This Wednesday evening at 9:00 on WHRO-FM, tune in for “A Local Touch – Music With a Virginia Connection.” This week, host Raymond Jones has prepared for you a broad variety of music, all rooted in Virginia, whether it’s composers, conductors or performers, with a special spotlight on three great Czech composers.
We begin our journey in the beautiful Great Valley, with Shenandoah University’s Jan Wagner leading Denmark’s Odense Symphony in the atmospheric ballet “The Emperor Jones” by Heitor Villa-Lobos, inspired by Eugene O’Neill’s play. Then, we enjoy Virginia’s celebrated violinist Hilary Hahn, performing the dazzling Violin Concerto written for her by Edgar Meyer. Next, we move on to a refined and intimate encounter between poetry and music with Mary Howe’s “Two Mirza Shaffy Settings,” performed by soprano Courtney Maina. Our “Heifetz on the Air” episode from Staunton is entitled “Czech, Please” and features three major Czech composers: Dvořák, Smetana, and Martinů. From there, we continue with Robert Jager’s ceremonial “Diamond Variations,” played by the US Air Force Band of Washington DC. Then, we have an expressive Romantic dialogue between piano and orchestra, with Max d’Ollone’s Fantasie for Piano and Orchestra conducted by Professor David Grandis and performed by the William & Mary Symphony and pianist Daniel Inamorato. We conclude the evening with the “Blue Symphony” by Herbert Elwell with pianist Gloria Whitehurst Phillips and the Feldman String Quartet.
This Wednesday at 9:00, join Raymond Jones to enjoy three great Czech composers, as well as works connected to our beloved Virginia. Tune in for “A local touch,” on WHRO-FM, or listen online through our Media Player or your preferred device.
