Classics of the Phonograph

Musical talent is famously hereditary. The family of Johann Sebastian Bach was one of the famous examples. Among recording artists of past decades we have violinists David and Igor Oistrakh, pianists Rudolf and Peter Serkin, and conductors Eric and Carlos Kleiber. We’ll play some samples of parent-child music making.

At the Paris Opera in the 19th Century, there was one rule: every grand opera had to have a ballet in the Third Act. No matter what the plot line, a reason must be found for someome in the story to do some dancing. If this rule caused problems for the likes of Wagner and Verdi, it resulted in some first rate ballet music. We’ll play some of this music, and you can dance, if you like.

Special time: 10 am Saturday

One of the more striking LP labels of the early 1950s was Remington, the creation of Don Gabor, whose name graced every record cover. Designed to be sold at much lower prices than major labels, Remington Records had in its catalog such major artists as Georges Enesco, Albert Spalding, and Simon Barere. You can hear their music during Saturday's show!

Jascha Heifetz was widely regarded in the 1930s as the world’s greatest violinist. He made many concerto recordings in that decade, of works by Mozart, Brahms and Sibelius. Some critics think that these recordings caught him at his best, not the ones he made after WWII. On Saturday at 11, John Frayne will sample some of these 1930s recordings.