It's Mendelssohn's birthday! Let's celebrate!

Robert Schumann was born in this month in 1810, so we have Krista River and Judith Gordon performing  Schumann's great song-cycle, "Frauenliebe und Leben", "A Woman's Love and Life", composed in 1840, the year Schumann married Clara Wieck.  Also on the program, Schumann's Three Romances for Oboe and Piano, played by oboist Keisuke Wakao with pianist Christoph Eschenbach. Robert Schumann: Frauenliebe und Leben, Op.42 Krista River, mezzo-soprano; Judith Gordon, piano Recorded in a live broadcast at WCRB's Fraser Performance Studio on February 4th, 2008. Robert Schumann: Three Romances, Op. 94 Keisuke Wakao, oboe; Christoph Eschenbach, piano Recorded in a live broadcast at WCRB's Fraser Performance Studio, March 1st, 2012

We're celebrating Rachmaninov's birthday! Ya-fei Chuang's virtuosity and passion are front and center in this live performance of his Piano Sonata No. 2. Rachmaninov: Piano Sonata No.2 in B-flat minor, Op.36 Ya-fei Chuang, piano Recorded in a live broadcast in WGBH's Studio One on June 21st, 2005.

Ravel once said: “We should always remember that sensitiveness and emotion constitute the real content of a work of art.“  Canadian pianist Janina Fialkowska brings his art to life in "Jeux d'Eau".  Also, the Moet Trio was the first ensemble to participate in the New England Conservatory's Professional Piano Trio Training Program - and they did a great performance for us of Ravel's Trio. Ravel: Jeux d'Eau Janina Fialkowska, piano Recorded in a live broadcast at WGBH's Fraser Performance Studio on October 6th, 2008. Ravel: Piano Trio in A minor (1914) Moet Trio: Yuri Namkung, violin; Yves Dharamraj, cello; Michael Mizrahi, piano Recorded in a live broadcast at WGBH's Fraser Performance Studio on April 15th, 2008.

February is Mendelssohn's birthday month, and it's also the month of Valentine's Day.  Felix wrote the Andante and Rondo Capriccioso for a girl he was smitten with, and his 2nd String Quartet is based on a gorgeous love song, "Ist es wahr?" ('Is it true?')! Felix Mendelssohn: Andante and Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 14 Benjamin Grosvenor, piano Felix Mendelssohn: String Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 12 Pacifica String Quartet: Simin Ganatra, violin; Sibbi Bernhardsson, violin; Masumi Per Rostad, viola; Brandon Vamos, cello Recorded at WGBH's Fraser Performance Studio on November 5, 2013, and October 18, 2007 (string quartet).

Mozart's birthday is January 27th, and we're celebrating with a couple of great performances from our studio.  Mozart: Violin Sonata in G major, K.301. Haldan Martinson, violin; Sally Pinkas, piano Mozart, arr. Ulf-Guido Schäfer: Selections from “Cosi fan tutte”. Ma’Alot Wind Quintet: Christina Fassbender, flute; Christian Wetzel, oboe; Ulf-Guido Schäfer, clarinet; Volker Tessmann, bassoon; Volker Grewel, horn Recorded at WGBH's Fraser Performance Studioon February 26, 2009 (violin sonata), and at WGBH's, Studio One, February 6, 2004 (wind quintet).

It's Beethoven's birthday on December 16th! We celebrate with a studio performance featuring some of his more out-of-the way pieces. Beethoven: Sonata in F for Horn and Piano, Op. 17 William Purvis, horn; Mihae Lee, piano Beethoven: Three Irish and Welsh Songs     Cupid’s Kindness, WoO 155 No.2     The Kiss, Dear Maid, Thy Lip Has Left, WoO 153, No. 9     Come Draw We Round The Cheerful Ring, WoO 152, No. 8 William Hite, tenor; Gilles Vonsattel, piano; Brian Howard, cello; Bruce Milano, mandolin Beethoven: Two works for Mandolin and Fortepiano     Sonatina in C, Woo44a     Adagio in E flat, WoO 43b Bryce Milano, mandolin; Sylvia Berry, fortepiano Recorded at WGBH's Fraser Performance Studio on December 8, 2011.

The chamber music ensemble Mistral is in its 21st season. We take a look back at a studio performance of a scaled-down version of Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons". Vivaldi:  The Four Seasons Concerto No. 1 in E major, Op. 8, RV 269, "Spring" (Gabriela Diaz, solo violin); Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 8, RV 315, "Summer" (Kristopher Tong, solo violin); Concerto No. 3 in F major, Op. 8, RV 293, "Autumn" (Yura Lee, solo violin); Concerto No. 4 in F minor, Op. 8, RV 297, "Winter" (Irina Muresanu, solo violin) Mistral: Irina Muresanu, Yura Lee, Gabriela Diaz, and Kristopher Tong, violins; Yura Lee, viola; Jan Muller-Szeraws, cello; Karl Doty, bass; Leon Schelhase, harpsichord  Recorded in a live broadcast at WGBH's Fraser Performance Studio on December 3, 2009.

Baritone Tyler Duncan sings Vaughan Williams's tribute to the open road: "Songs of Travel", set to the poetry of Robert Louis Stephenson. Ralph Vaughan Williams: Songs of Travel (texts by Robert Louis Stevenson) 1. The Vagabond 2. Let Beauty Awake 3. The Roadside Fire 4. Youth and Love 5. In Dreams 6. The Infinite Shining Heavens 7. Whither Must I Wander? 8. Bright is the ring of words 9. I have trod the upward and the downward slope Tyler Duncan, baritone; Erika Switzer, piano Recorded in a live broadcast at WGBH's Fraser Performance Studio on January 10, 2008.

Cellist Alisa Weilerstein has been acclaimed world-wide since she performed in our studio back in 2008. We revisit that perfromance with Inon Barnatan, in honor of her appearance with the BSO at Tanglewood on August 11th, 2017. Chopin:  Sonata for Piano and Cello in G minor, Op. 65 Alisa Weilerstein, cello; Inon Barnatan, piano Recorded at WGBH's Fraser Performance Studio on May 1st, 2008.

Looking forward to the Boston Early Music Festival, June 11-18, 2017, we remember three great performances from past festivals. Handel: Fuga in D; and Sweelink: Pavana Lacrimae, with the Flanders Recorder Quartet, (June 14, 2009). J.S. Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D Major, BWV 1050, with the Boston Early Music Festival Chamber Ensemble, Paul O’Dette and Robert Mealy, directors; Sandra Miller, baroque flute; Robert Mealy baroque violin; Kristian Bezuidenhout, harpsichord (June 11, 2009). Purcell: Sweeter than Roses, with Carolyn Sampson, soprano; Elizabeth Kenny, lute; Paul O’Dette, theorbo; Stephen Stubbs, Baroque guitar (June 14, 2007). Recorded at NEC's Jordan Hall, Boston.