Sadly, the past week has left us short of two fine musicians.
Pianist Hamish Milne died on Wednesday at the age of 80, and conductor and pianist Reinbert de Leeuw died on Valentine’s Day at 81.
This afternoon on The Classical Network, we’ll celebrate both artists with selections from their recorded legacies.
Milne will be represented by one of his many performances of Nikolai Medtner – a friend and contemporary of Sergei Rachmaninoff – whose music was something of a specialty. We’ll also hear Milne as soloist in a Romantic piano concerto, to be announced.
De Leeuw will conduct Steve Reich’s “Tehillim,” vibrant settings of Hebrew Psalms. He’ll also sit down at the keyboard for a highly individual performance of Erik Satie’s “Gymnopédies.”
First, on today’s Noontime Concert, Piffaro, The Renaissance Band will present a program titled “Burgundian Beginnings & Beyond,” a Franco-Flemish feast of instrumental works by Guillaume Dufay, Robert Morton, Antoine Busnois, Josquin des Prez, Pierre de la Rue, and Nicholas Gombert. Directors Joan Kimball and Robert Wiemken will join host David Osenberg for this Early Music concert at 12 p.m.
I’ll be along around 1:40. Settle in for a heymish afternoon with Hamish Milne and “Tehillim,” from 2 to 4 p.m. EST, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.
