
The Kansas City Symphony
Thursdays, 8 - 10 p.m., Sundays, 4 - 6 p.m.
91.9 Classical KC brings you magnificent performances by the Kansas City Symphony, interspersed with insightful commentary and conversation between co-hosts Dan Margolies and Kansas City Symphony Music Director Michael Stern. Each week, Maestro Stern selects the episode's musical repertoire and invites a guest from the orchestra to discuss their performance with the KCS and the week’s pieces.
Founded in 1982, the Kansas City Symphony has established itself as a major force in the cultural life of the community. Praised for performances of uncompromising standard, the orchestra is the largest in the region and enjoys a national reputation under the artistic leadership of Music Director Michael Stern.
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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."
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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.