Keith Hempton will present four interesting sets of works. Pachelbel composed eleven extant motets most of which have 4-part choruses with texts taken from psalms. Cantus Coin directed by Konrad Junghabel will present three motets by Pachelbel in the manner of the era in which they were written. Haydn composed his Creation Mass during the final years of his life. It is a late masterpiece on a grand scale with writing that is more symphonic than that of his earlier works. The composer, Johann Adam Hiller described it in these terms: ‘the greatest work of a very great man, J. Haydn.’ Soloists of the Choir of St John’s College Cambridge are directed by George Guest. ‘Exile Lamentations’ (2008) by the Australian composer, Paul Stanhope, consist of a triptych of choral pieces relating to the experience of displacement, homelessness and banishment. The powerful textual messages consist of twentieth century Palestinian poetry and Christian and Jewish elements found in the Lamentations of Jeremiah. The Sydney Chamber Choir is directed by Paul Stanhope. Finally, the unique Jesu Meine Freude BWV 227 is the longest and the most musically complex of Bach’s motets. It consists of interwoven stylistically different verses and focuses on an emotional bond with Jesus. The Collegium Vocale Gent is directed by Philippe Herrewegne.

Fiona Peterson has a wonderful program for 5MBS listeners. A complete performance of the very recently rediscovered six sonatas Op 63, by Boismortier, published in 1737 and not played since 1750, for two pardessus de viole, the smallest members of the viola da gamba family. A pardessus de viole is about the size of a violin. It is held upright on the lap and played with a bow. The two players are Peter Wendland and Jacqui Robertson-Wade. Also in this program there will be an interview by Jacqui Robertson-Wade about the pardessus de viole. But that is not all: there will also be works by Villeneuve and Couperin featuring this fascinating instrument. This program is enthusiastically recommended for everyone and especially early music lovers.

Michael Owen presents a feast of thoroughly enjoyable works by some esteemed composers from the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. We start off with the String Quintet in B flat major K174 by Mozart. This work is the young Mozart’s first venture forward to the field of the string quintet and he was guided by Michael Haydn. It is charming work and it was written when Mozart’s genius was starting to emerge as a truly individual personality. An important work. The combination of seven instruments has inspired many composers including Nepomuk Hummel who was situated between Viennese Classicism and Romanticism. His Grand Septet in C major Op 114 ‘Military’ begins with a concise ‘trumpet-call’ in the first movement. It is a technically brilliant work and will be played by the Solamente Naturali. Ignaz Moscheles composed his virtuosic Cello Sonata in E major Op 121 (1851) in Bohemian fashion treating the piano and cello as equals. As he wrote movement three he remembered living in Prague because it resembles a rhythmic folk-like Dumka melody. Moscheles’ friend, Robert Schumann, vehemently sang the praises of this work. You will too! Jiri Barta, cello and Hamish Milne, piano will play this work. This program works in a circular, unified fashion. We began with the seventeen years old Mozart’s first String Quintet and the program concludes with Mozart’s String Quintet in E flat major K593, a product of the composer’s musical maturity. The slow movement is noble and sublime and the minuet is graceful although it resembles, in part, it suggests a landler. A masterpiece. Piero Farulli, viola, together with the Melos Quartet, plays this work.

This program, which will be presented by Ian Johnston, features works by the Soviet composer, Sofia Gubaidulina who died on 13 March this year. Gubaidulina belongs to the post-Shostakovich generation of Russian composers. Her works are frequently enjoyed in the West. The first work is Gubaidulina’s Chaconne, which is her first published work, which she composed in 1962. This work presents a dialogue between the eighteenth century and the present. For Bach, creating his Chaconne was not a personal expression but a civic and religious service. By contrast Gubaidulina’s Chaconne, with its complexity and emotional depth attracted the attention of the contemporary music community. She had mastered original ways of modifying ancient musical expression. It will be played by Sofya Gulyak, piano. Within Gubaidulina’s 5-movement Concerto for Bassoon and Low Strings (1975) the first, third and fifth movements represent sections of the overarching sonata form while the second and fourth movements serve as intermezzi. Gubaidulina uses her musical imagination to find new sounds, new ways to connect with the audience without repeating the same old sounds and patterns. The work is dedicated to the Russian bassoonist, Valeri Popov who is the soloist in this performance. Popov is accompanied by the Ensemble of Soloists of the USSR State Academic Symphony Orchestra conducted by Reinbert de Leeuw. Gennadiy Aygi was a brilliant Russian poet who lived from 1934 until 2006 and won many prizes for his work. He is considered the father of late-Soviet avant-garde Russian poetry. Sofia Gubaidulina set several of his poems to music in her cycle ‘Now Always Snow’. This work will be played by Leonid Vlasov, Voice Nederlands Kamerkoor Schoenberg Ensemble Reinbert de Leeuw, conductor And that is not all. There so many stimulating works by Sofia Gubaidulina in this program to enjoy.

The strings make beautiful music and the sun comes shining through in Josef Suk’s gentle Serenade for Strings in E flat major Op 6 which is John Pederson’s first selection in his program. The Radio Chamber Orchestra of Poland is conducted by Agnieszka Duczmal. Fuelled by ideas gained from music by Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and Weber the fifteen years old Mendelssohn got an early start to his composing maturity when he composed his Symphony No 1 in C minor Op 11. The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra is conducted by Otto Tausk. Medtner began to compose his Piano Quintet in C major Op posth at the age of 23 and completed it when he was 68. It is a tranquil, serene and atmospheric work with the growth of optimism during the final movement. Konstantin Scherbakov, piano, heads an ensemble of five players. Finally we have Richard Strauss who was the master of late romanticism. Strauss liked woodwinds and he wrote his Oboe Concerto in D major AV144 to show what an oboe was capable of. He was in his 80s when he wrote it yet it is lyrical, beautiful and cheerful. Lothar Koch, oboe is accompanied by the Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Herbert von Karajan.

The twentieth century was the first century that produced truly great American classical music. Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings Op 11 (1936) is tonal, lyrical and accessible. Yvonne Schwerdt has chosen this work to begin her Sunday Night Concert program. It will be played by the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Kristjan Jarvi. Aaron Copland won the Pulitzer Prize for his Appalachian Spring Ballet. Americans could easily relate to it as it refers to American history. The Appalachian Spring Suite will be played by The Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Leonard Bernstein. Leonard Bernstein’s serene and affirmative Jewish ‘Chichester Psalms’ (1965) is set to Hebrew texts to convey an ecumenical message focused on the brotherhood of Man. It will be presented by Vienna Youth Choir Soloists from the Vienna Boy’s Choir Israel Philharmonic Orchestra Leonard Bernstein, conductor Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No 3 in E flat major Op 75 is based on the first movement of a discarded unfinished symphony. Because of its genesis as a symphony the piano part tends to be integrated with the orchestra. Still it a great pleasure to hear and it is definitely a Tchaikovsky essential especially when it is performed by Victoria Postnikova, piano with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra conducted by Gennadi Rozhdestvensky. Outside Vienna one of the greatest waltz composers was Alexander Glazunov. The final work in this program is Glazunov’s glorious Concert Waltz No 1 in D major Op 47. L’Orchestre De La Suisse Romande is conducted by Ernest Ansermet.

The major work in Sue Fitch’s program is the First Piano Sonata by Charles Ives. The pianist is Esmond Choi who has completed his undergraduate studies. He is currently studying for the Master of Philosophy degree under the supervision of Stephen Whittington and Konstantin Shamray while continuing to receive support from Lucinda Collins who previously was his undergraduate supervisor. Esmond is researching Charles Ives’s artistic approach on being a musician and the preparation for performing the First Piano Sonata. Other works are the Sonatina Op 205 by Castelnuovo-Tedesco and the Cantabile in D Op 17 by Paganini. These works will be played by Kathryn Moorhead who is a freelance flute teacher and the celebrated classical guitarist, Aleksandr Tsiboulski. This is guaranteed to be a very interesting program.

Our show tonight features the Ken Peplowski Live at New York’s Mezzrow jazz club. The show as recorded in February 2023 and the band includes Ken Peplowski – on Clarinet & Tenor Saxophone, Ted Rosenthal – Piano, Martin Wind – on Bass and Willie Jones III – Drums. The performance includes unique renditions of jazz classics as well as lesser-known gems, all delivered with an authority and nuance of which only Peplowski and his cohort are capable. And you can hear this show any time after on 5 mbs.com “Listen on Demand” and it’s the first show listed under “Jazz and Blues