What is Baroque?

Meet Brian O'Donnell

Ever wonder what the radio personalities you listen to on WGUC each day do when they are not in the radio studio? Or how did they landed their first radio gig? Learn more about your friends at 90.9 as we “Meet the Host” here in Clef Notes! We kick things off this month with an interview Frank Johnson did with Brian O’Donnell back in 2017. Enjoy!

Music for Valentine's Day

Today is Valentine’s Day so we thought we’d come up with a list of a few of our favorite love songs to accompany your day. Do you have a favorite love-inspired piece?

Just in Time for the Grammy Awards

The Bavarian Radio Choir has been nominated for “Best Choral Performance” for the 2019 Grammys, which air February 10 at 8 p.m. EST. Their performance of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s choral symphony, The Bells, is outstanding to say the least. It’s on a new-release from BR Klassik that also contains Rachmaninoff’s final orchestral work, the Symphonic Dances. The album was recorded live in Munich in 2016 under the direction of Bavarian Radio Symphony Chief Conductor, Mariss Jansons.

If you’ve never sat and listened to The Bells in its entirety, now’s the time to do so. Larissa Kowal-Wolk’s liner notes bring the piece to life, giving the listener an overview of what they can expect from Rachmaninoff’s masterpiece. Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s poem by the same name, the piece contains four movements – one for each of Poe’s bells. From the carefree sleigh bells of childhood, to the chiming of wedding bells, to the harsh reality of life in the sounds of alarm bells, to finally, the dreaded iron bells of death – Rachmaninoff’s setting is deeply moving, and something I believe will rattle the inner emotions of anyone who listens.

Peter Dijkstra is Chorus Master for the Bavarian Radio Choir, and they are joined by soloists Tatiana Pavlovskaya, Oleg Dolgov, and Alexey Markov for this performance. WGUC will air the work in its entirety on February 3, just after 11 p.m. EST. You can listen at 90.9, online at wguc.org, via our free mobile app, or with your smart speaker. Give it a listen, and then post your reflections. Then tune in for the 2019 Grammys to see if the Bavarian Radio Choir takes home the prize!