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Leah Sosland

Classical KC Intern

Leah Sosland is a native of Kansas City. Before joining KCUR as Classical KC's first intern, she hosted the Historic Performances program for Harvard Radio Broadcasting.

  • British conductor and impresario Sir Thomas Beecham (1879-1961) was one of the world’s greatest conductors. He brought music to life in ways that very few conductors could. Adored by the musicians who played for him and by his audiences, he pretended in interviews that he was very casual but, in fact, he was intensely devoted to music. In this first program, we’ll hear some of his specialties with music by Berlioz, Delius, Gounod, Massenet and Handel.
  • German composer Richard Strauss wrote a wide range of music, some charming and some shocking. We’ll hear examples of both in this week’s show with a showpiece for organ and orchestra, two diverse works for winds, an homage to his hometown of Munich, and finally a dramatic scene that’s been described as the most appalling moment in all of opera. It’s one peek into the world of music Strauss composed in his long career.
  • Richard Strauss was one of the most influential composers of the late 19th and early 20th century with incredible tone poems that eclipsed those of the great Franz Liszt. Also a major conductor of operas, Strauss knew how to tell a story, and in 1915 he completed his most epic tone poem, his Alpine Symphony. It’s a glorious and cinematic work that doesn’t often get radio airplay, so we will enjoy it in one of the finest recordings ever.
  • One of the most iconic and popular works of all classical repertoire is Antonio Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. But it’s not the only music inspired by the seasons of the year. English composer Frederick Delius wrote the hauntingly beautiful “On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring” and we’ll hear a remarkable performance of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons incorporating the original sonnets written to accompany each of the four concerti, read masterfully by Sir Patrick Stewart. Combined, it’s a remarkable musical experience.
  • Some of the greatest and most beloved music for concert band was written by British composers, and this week we showcase another batch. We have virtuoso performances of original music for concert band by Vaughan Williams, Holst, Walton and also by Haydn Wood and Gordon Jacob, all performed by “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band. In addition to the Marine Band’s conductors, we have guest conductors Dr. Frederick Fennell and two music directors of Her Majesty’s Royal Marine Bands.
  • Metropolitan Opera Radio Broadcast
  • No composer wrote more effectively or beautifully for strings than Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky. We’ll hear his beloved Serenade for Strings, Op. 48 in a terrific recording that will be new to most of you and truly captures the spirit of the music. We also feature two other excellent Tchaikovsky string works, one of which is guaranteed to surprise you — in a good way.
  • We’re just days after Christmas and, in the spirit of the 12 days of Christmas, we have a sleigh full of great music from Tchaikovsky to Tiomkin to delight and entertain you. We’ll hear a fabulous recording of music from The Nutcracker, as well as music by Bach, Humperdinck, Rimsky-Korsakov and selections from the immortal film score to “It’s a Wonderful Life.”
  • Beethoven’s 250th birthday occurs days before this show airs, so we devote the entire program to his music. We open with his stirring and noble “Consecration of the House” overture and the main course of our Beethoven buffet is his magnificent Septet in E-flat, Op. 20 in a classic recording by the Boston Symphony Chamber Players. Both recordings show Beethoven at his best, as well as at his most bombastic and most intimate.
  • Surprise symphonies are high quality works that may have escaped your attention, so we showcase them on “From the Archives.” This show features two youthful symphonies by Norwegian composer Johan Svendsen and German operatic dynamo Carl Maria von Weber. It only makes us wish that they had each composed more symphonies.