Gabrielle Scherrer has devised a 20/21 program of British 20 th Century compositions. It begins with the perfect opener: the Mont Juic Catalan Dances Op 9 composed jointly by Benjamin Britten and Lennox Berkeley. This Suite is based on dances the composers heard and jotted down when they attended a concert of folk music in Barcelona, Spain, in the 1930s. The two composers noted these dances with ‘Mozartian dexterity’ with every nuance and every decoration during the concert. Later, back in England, they collaborated by combining all of their notes they had scribbled down to produce a Suite of perfectly orchestrated vivid and dynamic dance music. The English Chamber Orchestra is conducted by Steuart Bedford. The lyrical Viola Concerto (1929) was the young William Walton’s breakthrough work which made him a rising star in the British music scene. It seems to belong to the late Romantic tradition despite being composed in the 20 th Century. Accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Andre Previn Nigel Kennedy’s noble and warm performance as the soloist in this work is a winner. Don’t miss this engaging masterwork! John Ireland’s Piano Trio in A minor in One Movement (1906) embraces a variety of moods while retaining its unity. The Trio is dramatic and full of passion but there are also beautifully melodic and joyful episodes. Another winner! Yfrah Neaman, violin Julian Lloyd Webber, cello Eric Parkin, piano And the final work in the program is the familiar ‘Hammersmith’ Op 52 by Gustav Holst which expresses the composer’s affection for the Hammersmith District of West London. This challenging composition will be played by the Adelaide Wind Orchestra conducted by Peter Handsworth. And there so many more equally engaging works for your enjoyment in this program.

In this program Arlene Matheson presents two groups of Australian musicians including the violinist, Helen Ayres and the violist, Stephen King who play, firstly, Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet in A major K581 and secondly, La Creation de Monde by Milhaud. The clarinet was not invented until the early eighteenth century and initially found a place in the orchestra. Mozart took it out of the orchestra and gave it a solo role for the first time when he composed his Clarinet Quintet. It is one of Mozart’s most popular works and a showpiece for the clarinettist. When Darius Milhaud visited America he heard ‘authentic’ jazz on the streets of Harlem. Milhaud went home and, using jazz elements, composed his jazz=ballet, ‘La Creation de Monde’. It remains a milestone in the cross-Atlantic pollination of jazz and western art music. This is a sensational program featuring Australian performers.

Glen Quick begins his Sounds Classical program with a roof-raising choral adaptation of the 1812 Overture by Tchaikovsky performed by the BPO Karajan Don Cossack Choir. After the tremendous success of his First Piano Concerto Tchaikovsky commenced work on his Second Piano Concerto. This-Concerto makes one want to dance and it has frequently been arranged, over the years, for that purpose. We will listen to a perfectly acceptable sounding historical recording of this work with the Australian pianist Eileen Joyce who overcomes the technical difficulties of the piece with consummate ease. Joyce is accompanied by the London Philharmonic conducted by the Polish conductor, violinist and composer, Grzegorz Fitelburg. Korngold was a child prodigy, hailed as the ‘Mozart of the 20 th Century’. The Violin Concerto in D major Op 35, with its romantic touch, which he wrote in the 1940s shows clearly that, later in life, he had not lost his flair for composing monumental works. Calling for a high degree of virtuosity from the soloist it consists of a splendid combination of German late romanticism and film music characteristics. The Vera Tsu Violin Razumovsky Sinfonia is conducted by Yu Long. The Vienna New Year’s Concert program always features some life-affirming pieces from Johann Strauss I & II. We will take a break from the more serious works in our program to turn to the gaiety and glamour of 19 th Century Vienna and listen to the wonderful light-hearted music of these two members of the famous Strauss family. The British cellist, Natalie Clein, has been described as mesmerising and soaringly passionate. Natalie Clein, together with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra conducted by the equally passionate music maker, Ilan Volkov, concludes he program with a very fine performance of Max Bruch’s Kol Nidrei, Op 47.

‘Christmas is Coming’ and musically speaking we are going to decorate the tree, enjoy winter, encounter lots of snow, do some winter sport including skating and sleigh rides, there might be mistletoe, turkey, gravy, cocktails, candy, cherries, cream, coffee, wine and shortbread….just setting the scene for the season! …and more too AND – you can hear the show later – go to https://5mbs.com/listen-on-demand/ or download the app – https://communityradio.plus/