John Harbison looks back

Today, we'll enter the world of dreams with highlights from Sergei Prokofiev's ballet, Cinderella. Conductor Elim Chan leads the Basel Symphony Orchestra in a suite she arranged herself, capturing the poetic romance at the heart of this timeless story.

Cellist Alban Gerhardt grew up inspired by the warmth of his mother’s soprano voice, yet he finds his own vocal expression in the strings of his cello. Join us today to hear Gerhardt perform Mieczyslaw Weinberg’s Cello Concerto with the RTVE Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Delyana Lazarova.

In 1946, Howard Hanson sent Margaret Nelson a musical gift while she was considering his marriage proposal: a recording of a new work dedicated to her. The gesture won her over, and they enjoyed thirty-five years of happy marriage. On today’s show, we’ll hear Howard’s musical “proposal” to Margaret | Robert Manno conducts the Windham Festival Chamber Orchestra in Howard Hanson’s Serenade for Flute, Harp, and String Orchestra.

Despite the English horn’s misleading name—it’s neither English nor a horn—the instrument produces a famously "angelic" sound that takes center stage in Hector Berlioz’s Roman Carnival Overture. Berlioz originally composed the music for his opera Benvenuto Cellini. Though the opera flopped, he salvaged its best melodies to create an orchestral centerpiece. In today's episode, Andrés Orozco-Estrada leads the RAI National Symphony Orchestra in a concert performance of the Roman Carnival Overture.

In the 1990s, composer Starr Parodi had a frightening encounter with a South Pacific riptide. She drew an inspirational parallel from that experience to a much more recent tragedy: the 2025 Pacific Palisades fire that destroyed her home and studio. Through both events, she discovered that resilience often comes from letting go rather than fighting the flow. On today's show, Delyana Lazarova conducts the ensemble ROCO in Starr Parodi's meditation on surrender, Riptide.

American composer Adolphus Hailstork has a series of pieces called his "cathedral series," which emphasize the sense of centeredness and calm found within sacred spaces. Join us for a moment of stillness with Hailstork's meditative work, Sanctum: Rhapsody for Viola & Piano, from a concert presented by Spivey Hall at Clayton State University, just south of Atlanta in Morrow, Georgia.

Despite the English horn’s misleading name—it’s neither English nor a horn—the instrument produces a famously "angelic" sound that takes center stage in Hector Berlioz’s Roman Carnival Overture. Berlioz originally composed the music for his opera Benvenuto Cellini. Though the opera flopped, he salvaged its best melodies to create an orchestral centerpiece. In today's episode, Andrés Orozco-Estrada leads the RAI National Symphony Orchestra in a concert performance of the Roman Carnival Overture.

Violinist James Ehnes says Dvořák's Violin Concerto can surprise listeners. Many violin concertos emphasize high, soaring notes, but Dvořák’s work highlights the rich, warm colors of the violin’s lower register. Join us today to hear Dvořák's concerto performed by James Ehnes and the Minnesota Orchestra, with Edward Gardner conducting.

Recently, composer and pianist Michael Stephen Brown found inspiration in Alfred Lord Tennyson’s poem "The Lotos-Eaters." He was struck by its vivid imagery and felt compelled to express it in his own way. On today's show, we'll hear Brown's "The Lotos-Eaters" performed by the composer (and others) at a concert presented by ChamberFest Cleveland.

Inspired by Goethe’s poem about a lab assistant who loses control of his magic, Paul Dukas’s The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is one of the most famous examples of musical storytelling. Originally a concert staple, the work became forever linked to Mickey Mouse when it was featured in the 1940 Disney film Fantasia. On today's show, Lionel Bringuier conducts the Liège Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in a performance recorded in Belgium.