Good morning. I'm on holidays. The broadcast resumes, and in a new easterly direction, on January 6th.

I've received complaints that I play too much B minor. This week we spend time in A, venturing as far as F. F n' A. That about sums it up.

Set #1 - 8:00am - 9:00am

1. Franz Schubert: String Quartet No.13 in A minor "Rosamunde" (1824)
Amadeus Quartet: Norbert Brainin - violin, Siegmund Nissel - violin, Peter Schidlof - viola, Martin Lovett - cello
The Legendary Amadeus Quartet: Recordings 1951-1957
Brilliant Classics, 93807
30:51

2. Béla Bartók: String Quartet No.1 in A minor (1908-09)
Emerson String Quartet: Eugene Drucker - violin, Philip Setzer - violin, Lawrence Dutton - viola, David Finckel - cello
Deutsche Grammophon, 423 657-2
29:03

Set #2 - 9:00am - 10:00am

3. Joseph Haydn: Symphony No.59 in A major "Fire" (1767?)
Trevor Pinnock - conductor, The English Concert
Archiv Produktion, 427 661-2
17:05

4. Joseph Haydn: Symphony No.40 in F major (1763)
Adam Fischer - conductor, Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra
Haydn: The Symphonies Vol.3
Nimbus Records, NI 5530/34
17:17

Set #3 - 10:00am - 11:00am

5. Jean Sibelius: Symphony No.4 in A minor (1910-11; rec. 10 Dec. 1937)
Thomas Beecham - conductor, London Philharmonic Orchestra
Naxos, 8.110867
32:37

6. J. S. Bach: Partita No.1 in B minor BWV 1002 (1720)
James Ehnes - violin
Analekta, AN 2 2018-9
30:43

Attack of the killer behemoth bi-Bösendorfers in music by Brahms, Bartók, Bolcom, and Britten.

Set #1 - 8:00am - 9:00am

1. Johannes Brahms: Symphony No.4 in E minor op.98 (1885)
Arranged by Johannes Brahms
Silke-Thora Matthies & Christian Köhn - pianos
Brahms: Four Hand Piano Music Vol.15
Naxos, 8.557685
40:33

2. Johannes Brahms: Variations on a Theme by Haydn for Two Pianos op.56b (1873)
Emanuel Ax & Yefim Bronfman - pianos
Brahms: Music for 2 Pianos
Sony Classical, SK 89868
17:45

Set #2 - 9:00am - 10:00am

3. Béla Bartók: The Miraculous Mandarin (1918-24)
Arranged by Béla Bartók (1921)
Le Duo Ouellet/Murray: Claire Ouellet & Sandra Murray - pianos
CBC Records, MVCD1094
31:31

4. Béla Bartók: Sonata for Two Pianos & Percussion (1937)
Linea Ensemble: Ulrike Minkoff & Sébastien Risler - pianos, William Blank & Yves Brustaux - percussion
Pyramid Records, 13504
25:27

Set #3 - 10:00am - 11:00am

5. William Bolcom: Frescoes (1971)
Elizabeth & Marcel Bergmann - pianos, harmonium & harpsichord
Bolcom: Music for Two Pianos
Naxos, 8.559244
28:18

6. Benjamin Britten: Introduction & Rondo alla Burlesca (1940)
9:21

7. Benjamin Britten: Mazurka elegiaca (1941)
7:12

Tracks 6-7
Sviatoslav Richter & Vassili Lobanov - pianos
Philips, 420 157-2

100% Armenian music, including the world premiere broadcast of three works by Alan Hovhaness with pianist Paul Hersey.

Set #1 - 8:00am - 9:00am

1. Arno Babadjanian: Piano Trio (1952)
Trio Con Brio: Sergej Azizjan - violin, Hege Waldeland - cello, Paul Rosenbaum - piano
Scandinavian Classics, 220518-205
21:10

2. Gomidas Vartabed: Keler tsoler (Striding, Beaming)
4:02

3. Gomidas Vartabed: Gakavi yerke (Song of the Partridge)
0:55

4. Gomidas Vartabed: Dzirani dzar (Apricot Tree)
3:57

5. Gomidas Vartabed: Karoona (Spring)
3:16

6. Gomidas Vartabed: Groong (The Crane)
4:56

Tracks 2-6 (rec. Yerevan, Armenia Aug.-Sep. 2005)
Arranged by Serouj Kradjian
Isabel Bayrakdarian - soprano, Eduard Topchjan - conductor, Chamber Players of the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra
Isabel Bayrakdarian: Gomidas Songs
Nonesuch, 511487-2

7. Traditional: Akh im champen (Ah, My Road)
3:42

8. Traditional: Es gisher, lusnak gisher (Tonight the Moon Is Full)
3:56

9. Traditional: Kali yerg (Harvest Song)
5:36

Tracks 7-9 (rec. Yerevan, Armenia 1996)
Gevorg Dabagian - duduk, Grigor Takushian & Eduard Harutunian - duduk dam [drone], Kamo Khachaturian - dhol
The Music of Armenia Vol.3: Duduk
Celestial Harmonies, 13117-2
("[Dabagian's] performances of traditional Armenian folk music are considered by purists to be free of foreign influence." Now for some foreign influence...)

Set #2 - 9:00am - 10:00am

10. Djivan Gasparyan & Michael Brook: Forbidden Love (1998)
Djivan Gasparyan - duduk & vocals, Michael Brook - guitar
Black Rock
Realworld, 7243 8 46230 2 9
5:39
(...which I had to restrain myself from fading out. You get the idea of how not to do world music.)

11. Aram Khachaturian: The Valencian Widow Suite (1940)
24'

12. Loris Tjeknavorian: Danses fantastiques (1961)
18'

Tracks 11-12
Loris Tjeknavorian - conductor, Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra
ASV, CD DCA 884

Set #3 - 10:00am - 11:00am

13. Alan Hovhaness: Poseidon Sonata op. 191 (1957)
10:52

14. Alan Hovhaness: Sonatina op. 120 (1962)
6:09

15. Alan Hovhaness: Three Haikus Op. 113 (1965)
5:16

Tracks 13-15
Paul Hersey - piano
Hovhaness: Solos, Duos, Trios
OgreOgress productions, 884502 299595

16. Alan Hovhaness: Symphony No.60 "To the Appalachian Mountains" op. 396 (1985)
Gerard Schwarz - conductor, Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra
Naxos, 8.559294
34'

Get set to slum around the 19th century. Visit the Republic of MacDowell. Go dunk your head in the Bosphorus with Lord Byron, or is that Sir Richard Burton?

Set #1 - 8:00am - 9:00am

1. Franz Liszt: Excelsior!: Preludio to the Bells of Strasburg Cathedral (1874)
Leslie Howard - piano
Liszt: The Complete Music for Solo Piano 36: Excelsior! & Other Rare Original Works
Hyperion Records, CDA66995
3:41
(You'd be crazy to climb to façade of Strasburg Cathedral.)

2. Edward MacDowell: Woodland Sketches (1896)
Arranged by Lucas Asselbergs
The Beau Hunks: Ilona de Groot - violin, Tineke de Jong - violin, Charles Mutter - viola, Eelco Beinema - cello, Ronald Jansen Heijtmajer - clarinet & bass clarinet, Leendert de Jonge - flute & alto flute
Basta, 30-90382
20:12

3. Edward MacDowell: Woodland Sketches (1896)
Alan Mandel - piano
Piano Works of Edward MacDowell
Phoenix USA, PHCD 148
19:56

4. Edward MacDowell: Two Fragments after the Song of Roland (1891)
10:20
(Right, oh what a lovely war. The death of Roland at the Battle of Roncevaux Pass, 778.)

Set #2 - 9:00am - 10:00am

5. Edward MacDowell: Hamlet/Ophelia (1885)
17:20

6. Edward MacDowell: Lancelot und Elaine (1888)
18:27

7. Edward MacDowell: Lamia (1887-88)
17:33

Tracks 4-7
Karl Krueger - conductor, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Edward MacDowell: The Symphonic Poems
Bridge Records, 9089

Set #3 - 10:00am - 11:00am

8. Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Manfred Symphony (1885)
Maurice Abravanel - conductor, Utah Symphony Orchestra
MMG/Vox Prima, MWCD 7123
52:37