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The Royal Albert Hall, London
A front row seat to some of the world's best orchestras
Journey around the world with WFMT on an exploration of some of the greatest ensembles on the planet. Episodes highlight the unique programming and superlative playing of top-tier orchestras like the London Symphony Orchestra, the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and more.
Don Juan & Beethoven Piano
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra | November 30, 2023
Roderick Cox conducts the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and pianist Inon Barnatan in music by Richard Strauss, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Jean Sibelius.
Stephen Hough Plays Rachmaninoff
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra | November 23, 2023
Star pianist Stephen Hough takes the stage to perform Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto.
Water Festival: Smetana, Hailstork, Takemitsu, Debussy
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra | November 16, 2023
Music director Ken-David Masur leads water-inspired music by Smetana, Hailstork, Takemitsu, Debussy, and David Ludwig.
Water Festival: Rameau, Vivaldi, Handel
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra | November 9, 2023
Nicholas McGegan conducts a program inspired by water and Milwaukee’s relationship with it.
Fresh Air & Beethoven’s Eroica
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra | November 2, 2023
Tension, energy, and triumph abound in Beethoven’s history-changing Eroica Symphony. In contrast, Sebastian Currier’s delicate and mesmerizing Aether evokes “the air the gods breathe.”
Ravel & Chopin
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra | October 26, 2023
Pianist Orli Shaham and conductor David Robertson, who are married, take the stage to perform music by Maurice Ravel, Frédéric Chopin, and Olivier Messiaen.
Every Tree Speaks: Habbi, Brahms, & Schumann
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra | October 19, 2023
In an ode to the wonder of our natural world, this program ponders fate, resolve, and reverence.
James Ehnes Plays Prokofiev
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra | October 12, 2023
Violinist James Ehnes takes center stage in a performance of Prokofiev’s Second Violin Concerto. Music by Jessie Montgomery, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky rounds out the performance.
Season Premiere: Marsalis, Strauss, Gershwin
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra | October 5, 2023
The series premiere conducted by Ken-David Masur.
Season Finale: Dudamel Conducts Mozart
LA Phil | September 28, 2023
Mitsuko Uchida, one of the world's great Mozart pianists, joins Dudamel for a sublime program.
Dudamel Leads Beethoven and Smith
LA Phil | September 21, 2023
Experience the exhilaration of Beethoven’s dance Symphony, his Seventh, and a new cello concerto by Gabriella Smith.
Beethoven & Strauss
LA Phil | September 14, 2023
Pierre-Laurent Aimard plays Beethoven’s Fourth Concerto, and Finnish conductor Eva Ollikainen concludes with the waltz-filled Der Rosenkavalier Suite.
Dvořák and Bruckner
LA Phil | September 7, 2023
LA Phil's Principal Concertmaster performs the great Dvořák concerto, and the Music Director of the Vienna State Opera leads Anton Bruckner’s epic 7th Symphony.
Elim Chan & Leila Josefowicz
LA Phil | August 31, 2023
Josefowicz takes on Thomas Adès’ “Concentric Paths” Violin Concerto. The high-powered Elim Chan leads music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Clarice Assad.
Tianyi Lu & Sunwook Kim
LA Philharmonic | August 24, 2023
Sunwook Kim is the soloist in Robert Schumann’s Piano Concerto. Conductor Tianyi Lu rounds out the program with works by Anna Clyne and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.
Payare & Röschmann
LA Philharmonic | August 17, 2023
Guest conductor Rafael Payare leads music by William Grant Still and Johannes Brahms before welcoming German soprano Dorothea Röschmann to perform Richard Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder.
Dalia Stasevka & Randall Goosby
LA Philharmonic | August 10, 2023
Two fast-rising stars, conductor Dalia Stasevska and violinist Randall Goosby, team up for a performance of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto. We also hear works by Jean Sibelius and contemporary Swedish composer Andrea Tarrodi.
Mehta Conducts Crumb & Berlioz
LA Philharmonic | August 3, 2023
LA Phil conductor emeritus Zubin Mehta conducts the orchestra, soprano Sophia Burgos, and boy soprano Sebastian Dolinar in music by George Crumb and Hector Berlioz.
Lamsma Plays Bruch
LA Philharmonic | July 27, 2023
Simone Lamsma joins the LA Phil and guest conductor Otto Tausk to play Bruch’s landmark first violin concerto. We also hear a world premiere LA Phil commission by Helen Grim and a Brahms staple.
Roderick Cox Conducts Ravel, Dawson, Prokofiev
LA Philharmonic | July 20, 2023
Roderick Cox welcomes guest artist violinist Karen Gomyo to perform Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 1.
Gimeno & Perianes
LA Philharmonic | July 13, 2023
Gustavo Gimeno, the music director designate of Teatro Real leads the LA Phil and guest pianist Javier Perianes in music by Francisco Coll García, Camille Saint-Saëns, and Dmitri Shostakovich.
Dudamel Conducts Adams, Mozart, and Orbón
LA Philharmonic | July 6, 2023
Season Premiere: Music director Gustavo Dudamel leads the Los Angeles Philharmonic in a program showcasing the orchestra’s principal flutist, Denis Bouriakov, and principal harpist Emmanuel Ceysson.
Aimard Plays Bartók
San Francisco Symphony | June 29, 2023
Season Finale: Music by Boccherini, Bartók, Montgomery, and Respighi conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen.
Ólafsson plays Adams
San Francisco Symphony | June 22, 2023
Vikingur Ólafsson plays John Adams' Must the Devil Have All the Good Tunes? under the baton of music director Esa-Pekka Salonen.
Nathalie Stutzmann
San Francisco Symphony | June 15, 2023
The Atlanta Symphony’s new music director Nathalie Stutzmann conducts music by Brahms and Tchaikovsky.
Dudamel Conducts Mozart & Mahler
San Francisco Symphony | June 8, 2023
Los Angeles Philharmonic’s charismatic music director Gustavo Dudamel visits Northern California to lead the SF Symphony in music by Mozart and Mahler.
Josefowicz Plays Stravinsky
San Francisco Symphony | June 1, 2023
Music director Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts the SF Symphony and violinist Leila Josefowicz in music by Stravinsky and Ogonek.
Wang Plays Liszt
San Francisco Symphony | May 25, 2023
Superstar pianist Yuja Wang performs Franz Liszt’s First Piano Concerto under the baton of Michael Tilson Thomas.
Clyne’s ‘Sound and Fury’ & Beethoven 9
San Francisco Symphony | May 18, 2023
Daniel Stewart conducts the San Francisco Symphony and Chorus plus soloists Michelle Bradley, Jennifer Johnson Cano, Mario Chang, and Rod Gilfry.
Morlot Conducts Ravel and Higgins
San Francisco Symphony | May 11, 2023
Ludovic Morlot conducts Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite and the world premiere of a concerto written by and starring Timothy Higgins, the orchestra’s principal trombonist.
Demarre McGill
San Francisco Symphony | May 4, 2023
Chicago-born flutist Demarre McGill joins music director Esa-Pekka Salonen and the SF Symphony to perform Notturno by the orchestra’s former music director, Michael Tilson Thomas.
Salonen & Bronfman
San Francisco Symphony | April 27, 2023
Esa-Pekka Salonen leads works by Richard Strauss, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Anders Hillborg in a recital featuring pianist Yefim Bronfman.
Pekka Kuusisto
SF Symphony | April 20, 2023
Music director Esa-Pekka Salonen leads the SF Symphony and guest artist Pekka Kuusisto, violin in music by Ludwig van Beethoven, Bryce Dessner, and Franz Schubert.
Jeremy Denk & Claire Chase
SF Symphony | April 13, 2023
Music director Esa-Pekka Salonen leads the SF Symphony and guest artists Jeremy Denk, piano, and Claire Chase, flute in music by Claude Debussy, Olivier Messiaen, and Kaija Saariaho.
Music by Kendall, Chin, Beethoven
SF Symphony | April 6, 2023
Season Premiere: Music director Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts the San Francisco Symphony in works by Hannah Kendall, Unsuk Chin, and Ludwig van Beethoven.
Petr Popelka & Leif Ove Andsnes
Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra | March 30, 2023
Petr Popelka welcomes acclaimed pianist Leif Ove Andsnes to perform Mozart‘s 20th Piano Concerto, also conducting works by Sergei Rachmaninoff and György Kurtág.
John Storgårds & Christian Tetzlaff
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra | March 23, 2023
John Storgårds welcomes violinist Christian Tetzlaff for the program's marquee work: Sibelius' Violin Concerto.
Marie Jacquot & Gautier Capuçon
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra | March 16, 2023
Marie Jacquot leads the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in music by Edward Elgar, Richard Strauss, and contemporary Scottish composer David Horne.
Hobart Earle & Tamara Stefanovich
Odessa Philharmonic Orchestra | March 9, 2023
Earle, a People's Artist of Ukraine recipient, conducts the Odessa Philharmonic Orchestra in music by Ukrainian composers.
Marin Alsop & Benjamin Grosvenor
Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra | March 2, 2023
In the orchestra's first-ever appearance at the BBC Proms, Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra principal conductor Marin Alsop leads the ensemble and pianist Benjamin Grosvenor in a varied concert.
Dima Slobodeniouk & Baiba Skride
Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra | February 23, 2023
Dima Slobodeniouk leads the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra and violinist Baiba Skride in music by Scandinavian composers: Carl Nielsen of Denmark and Jean Sibelius of Finland.
Marta Gardolińska & Vadym Kholodenko
Danish National Symphony Orchestra | February 16, 2023
Ascendant artist Marta Gardolińska conducts the Danish National Symphony Orchestra and pianist Vadym Kholodenko in music by Lili Boulanger, Sergei Rachmaninoff, and Antonín Dvořák.
Alain Altinoglu & Renaud Capuçon
Frankfurt Radio Symphony | February 9, 2023
Welcoming fellow Frenchman — Renaud Capuçon, violin — Frankfurt Radio Symphony music conductor Alain Altinoglu conducts an all-French program.
Ariane Matiakh & Pekka Kuusisto
Frankfurt Radio Symphony | February 2, 2023
French conductor Ariane Matiakh leads a mixed-rep program of music by contemporary voices, lesser-known 19th and 20th century composers, traditional music, and symphonic giants.
Thomas Dausgaard & Jörg Widmann
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra | January 26, 2023
Music by Carl Nielsen and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Stephen Hough & Alpesh Chauhan
BBC Symphony Orchestra | January 19, 2023
Düsseldorfer Symphoniker principal guest conductor Alpesh Chauhan leads music by Richard Baker, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Ignacy Jan Paderewski, and Anton Bruckner.
Nicole Cabell & Sir Simon Rattle
London Symphony Orchestra | January 12, 2023
Renowned soprano Nicole Cabell joins Sir Simon Rattle and the London Symphony Orchestra to perform music by George Walker. We also hear selections by Antonín Dvořák, Xavier Montsalvatge, and Robert Schumann.
Julia Fischer & Vladimir Jurowski
London Philharmonic Orchestra | January 5, 2023
Conductor Vladimir Jurowski leads the London Philharmonic Orchestra and superstar violinist Julia Fischer in music by Edward Elgar, Valentin Silvestrov, and George Enescu.
Aizuri Quartet & Beethoven 9
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra | December 29, 2022
Season Finale: Ken-David Masur conducts a varied program that begins with John Adams‘ Absolute Jest for String Quartet and Orchestra and culminates in Ludwig van Beethoven‘s Ninth Symphony.
Awadagin Pratt
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra | December 22, 2022
Pianist Awadagin Pratt joins Ken-David Masur and the MSO to perform Jessie Montgomery‘s Rounds. Masur also conducts works by Richard Strauss, Felix Mendelssohn, and Robert Schumann.
Alessio Bax
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra | December 15, 2022
Guest conductor Ruth Reinhardt leads music by Lotta Wennäkoski and Antonín Dvořák before welcoming pianist Alessio Bax to play Johannes Brahms‘ Second Piano Concerto.
John Brancy & Kelley O’Connor
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra | December 8, 2022
Baritone John Brancy and mezzo-soprano Kelley O’Connor perform Maurice Duruflé’s Requiem under the baton of Ken-David Masur. The MSO music director also conducts music by Tōru Takemitsu, Joseph Canteloube, Jacques Ibert, Misato Mochizuki, and Maurice Duruflé.
Thomas Wilkins
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra | December 1, 2022
Conductor Thomas Wilkins leads music by unsung 20th-century composers Roy Harris , Erwin Schulhoff, Howard Hanson. Plus, Ken-David Masur leads a work by William Bolcom and Yaniv Dinur conducts a piece by Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson.
Jorge Federico Osorio
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra | November 24, 2022
Friend of WFMT Jorge Federico Osorio, piano, joins the MSO and music director Ken-David Masur to play Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart‘s Piano Concerto No. 23 in a program that also features Anton Bruckner’s Seventh Symphony.
Edo de Waart Returns
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra | November 17, 2022
MSO music director laureate Edo de Waart leads music by Delius, Elgar, and Beethoven.
Aaron Diehl Plays Price and Gershwin
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra | November 10, 2022
Pianist Aaron Diehl takes the stage to play Florence Price’s Piano Concerto in One Movement and George Gershwin’s Second Rhapsody. Music by Charles Ives and Samuel Barber rounds out this all-American program. Ken-David Masur conducts.
Augustin Hadelich
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra | November 3, 2022
Famed violinist Augustin Hadelich joins the MSO and conductor Ken-David Masur to play Benjamin Britten‘s First Violin Concerto.
Karen Gomyo
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra | October 27, 2022
Violinist Karen Gomyo joins guest conductor William Eddins to perform Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No. 1.
Olga Kern
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra | October 20, 2022
Pianist Olga Kern joins the MSO and guest conductor Andreas Delfs to play Edvard Grieg‘s famed Piano Concerto. Then, the orchestra plays moody and mythical works by Richard Wagner, Engelbert Humperdinck, and Sarah Kirkland Snider.
Chee-Yun
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra | October 13, 2022
Violinist Chee-Yun joins Ken-David Masur and the MSO to perform Édouard Lalo’s Symphonie espagnole. Works by Emmanuel Chabrier, Maurice Ravel, Gabriela Lena Frank, and Manuel de Falla round out the program.
Aaron Diehl Plays Gershwin and Ellington
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra | October 6, 2022
Season Premiere: Pianist Aaron Diehl joins Ken-David Masur and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra to perform music of George Gershwin and Duke Ellington. We also hear music by Eric Nathan, James B. Wilson, and Igor Stravinsky.
Yaniv Dinur & Joyce Yang
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra | December 7, 2023
Pianist Joyce Yang performs Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 24 under the baton of conductor Yaniv Dinur, who also leads works by Dvořák and Lutosławski.
Aaron Diehl Trio
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra | December 14, 2023
Music director Ken-David Masur welcomes the Aaron Diehl Trio for Mary-Lou Williams's Zodiac Suite before conducting the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and the Milwuakee Symphony Women's Chorus in Holst's seminal The Planets.
Brahms, Strauss, Mozart
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra | December 21, 2023
Seminal orchestral works by Johannes Brahms, Richard Strauss, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart make up this performance led by music director laureate Edo de Waart.
Mahler & Britten
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra | December 28, 2023
Season Finale: We conclude the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra broadcast season in triumphant fashion, with an excerpt from Britten’s Peter Grimes and Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony. Ken-David Masur conducts, and soprano Jessia Rivera, mezzo-soprano Anna Larsson, and the Milwaukee Symphony Chorus are featured.
