Sacre bleu! Charles Dutoit is 80 years-old!

Join me this afternoon as we celebrate the Swiss-born conductor by sampling some of his very fine recordings, including music by Ravel and Roussel. We’ll also hear a piano concerto by the German romantic Felix Draeseke, on his birthday anniversary. Yo-Yo Ma turns 61 today; can’t forget him. And we’ll acknowledge Willing Billings, who was a tanner by trade, but became a composer of incendiary anthems during the American Revolution.

All that, beginning at 4:00 EDT, on WWFM – The Classical Network and at wwfm.org.

Then stick around for “Picture Perfect” at 6. This week the focus will be on music from movies about dragons. We’ve a fire in our belly today! Watch out for a more complete write-up later on this afternoon.

PHOTOS (clockwise from left): Dutoit, Billings, Draeseke, and Ma