Dan Margolies
Co-host, The Kansas City Symphony on Classical KCAs a reporter covering breaking news and legal affairs, I want to demystify often-complex legal issues in order to expose the visible and invisible ways they affect people’s lives. I cover issues of justice and equity, and seek to ensure that significant and often under-covered developments get the attention they deserve so that KCUR listeners and readers are equipped with the knowledge they need to act as better informed citizens. Reach me by email at dan@kcur.org or on Twitter @DanMargolies.
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This week we'll hear the Kansas City Symphony in a recent performance of George Gershwin's perennial favorite, "Rhapsody in Blue," alongside a 21st century Saxophone Concerto written by composer and jazz pianist Billy Childs. We'll also hear a fanfare by Paul Dukás and two works from the under-appreciated Austrian composer Alexander Zemlinsky: his setting of Psalm 23 and a massive symphonic tone poem based on Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid." -
Co-hosts Michael Stern and Dan Margolies celebrate the birthdays of composers Dmitri Shostakovich and Gustav Holst. We'll hear violinist Mayu Kishima bring warmth to Shostakovich's searing A minor Violin Concerto and Michael Stern conduct's Holst's "Walt Whitman" Overture. Also, guest conductor Teddy Abrams leads the Kansas City Symphony and Symphony Chorus in a recent performance of Holst's celestial audience favorite: "The Planets."
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Hear the Kansas City Symphony perform works by Joseph Haydn and Dmitri Shostakovich. Co-hosts Michael Stern and Dan Margolies clear up the myth of Haydn's "Miracle" Symphony No. 96 and explore the emotional depth of Shostakovich's String Quartet No. 8 in C minor as arranged for string orchestra. We'll also hear a recent performance of his searing Symphony No. 5 in a performance led by guest conductor Joshua Weilerstein.
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In a celebration of Antonín Dvořák's music, co-hosts Michael Stern and Dan Margolies highlight his Symphony No. 6 and his celebrated B minor Cello Concerto featuring famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma. We'll also hear a fun overture from Mozart and an homage to nature and Beethoven titled "Every Tree Speaks" by Iranian-Canadian composer Iman Habibi.
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This week we'll hear three violin concertos from three different centuries. Geneva Lewis solos on Mozart's third concerto, Jennifer Koh takes on Missy Mazzoli's modern concerto and Augustin Hadelich shines in the only violin concerto that Jean Sibelius ever wrote. We'll also explore Hollywood's highest hill with "The Observatory" by Pulitzer Prize winner Caroline Shaw.
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This week's performances will take you on a musical tour of Italy with music from Giacomo Puccini alongside Ottorino Respighi's "Fountains of Rome" and "Pines of Rome." We'll also tour Silicon Valley with Mason Bates' "Garages of the Valley," and hear Jennifer Higdon's "On a Wire:" a concerto featuring the modern chamber group Eighth Blackbird.
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This week, Michael Stern and Dan Margolies continue to celebrate the life and work of Leonard Bernstein. We'll hear his Suite from "On the Waterfront," "Three Meditations from Mass" and "Chichester Psalms." We'll also hear Alexander Glazunov's Violin Concerto in A minor and the rollicking "Academic Festival Overture" by Johannes Brahms.
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Join co-hosts Michael Stern and Dan Margolies for a birthday celebration of Leonard Bernstein and Claude Debussy. We'll hear Bernstein's enduring Symphonic Dances from "West Side Story," and Symphony No. 2: "The Age of Anxiety" along with Debussy's "Prelude to the Afternoon of the Faun" and "En blanc et noir." Plus, we'll hear a fun work from contemporary American composer Jonathan Leshnoff called "Starburst."
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Get comfy and enjoy Mahler's epic third symphony - the longest in the standard repertoire. Co-hosts Dan Margolies and Michael Stern explore Mahler's musical and emotional journey. We'll also hear from mezzo-soprano soloist, Kelley O'Connor.
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This week, compare and contrast the seventh symphonies of Jean Sibelius and Gustav Mahler: two of the 20th century's great symphonists. Sibelius' work is concise and direct while Mahler's is sprawling and vast. Co-hosts Michael Stern and Dan Margolies will explore the reasons behind each composers approach.
