WVIZ Classical: A Full Day of Recorded and Live Works

Listeners in the Cleveland area can access a continuous stream of classical music through WVIZ on Thursday, November 6. The station’s programming shifts from pre-recorded orchestral works in the early morning hours to a block of live and recent concert recordings in the late afternoon. For residents with limited time, the schedule offers specific segments dedicated to shorter chamber pieces and piano solos, interspersed with longer symphonic programs.

The broadcast day began at midnight with the hour-long program "Classical Music with Peter van de Graaff." This segment focused on baroque and early classical compositions. Performances included Georg Philipp Telemann’s Twelve Harpsichord Fantasies, played by Joseph Payne, and a trio sonata by Jan Dismas Zelenka featuring Zehetmair, Holliger, Thunemann, Jaccottet, and Stoll. The hour also featured Paul Hindemith’s Symphony "Mathis der Maler," conducted by the composer himself with the Berlin Philharmonic.

Following the midnight slot, the schedule continued with more of van de Graaff’s curation. This second hour, starting at 1:00 a.m., highlighted Hector Berlioz’s works, including selections from "The Damnation of Faust" and "Roméo et Juliette." The program also included César Franck’s "Les Djinns," performed by Sviatoslav Richter with the Moscow Youth Orchestra, and Ethel Smyth’s String Trio played by the Hague String Trio.

From 3:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m., the broadcast returned to van de Graaff. The lineup featured Frederick Delius’s "Two Aquarelles" and works by the Assad sisters. A significant portion of this block was dedicated to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, specifically his Piano Concerto No. 26, known as the "Coronation," performed by Alicia de Larrocha with the English Chamber Orchestra.

The 6:00 a.m. slot transitioned to "Classical Music with Jacqueline Gerber." This program presented a diverse collection of shorter pieces, including John Barry’s theme from "Out of Africa" and Franz Liszt’s "Liebestraum No. 1." The hour also featured traditional holiday tunes such as "Sheep under the Snow" and "Apples in Winter." At 10:00 a.m., Mark Satola took over the classical programming, airing marches by John Philip Sousa and a suite from Leos Janácek’s "The Cunning Little Vixen."

At noon, the station aired "Lunchtime with the Cleveland Orchestra." The program included Antonín Dvorák’s Serenade for Strings in E and Peter Tchaikovsky’s "Romeo and Juliet" Fantasy Overture. At 1:00 p.m., John Mills hosted a block that featured Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 3 in a, a work that spans a substantial portion of the hour. The segment also included pieces by Dvorák, Prokofiev, Chopin, and Florence Price.

The afternoon schedule, hosted by Bill O’Connell from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., focused on Romantic era works. The program included Marin Marais’s "Alcyone: Chaconne" and a movement from Rachmaninoff’s Third Symphony. Other selections featured Pablo de Sarasate’s Spanish Dance No. 6 and Richard Strauss’s waltz sequence from "Der Rosenkavalier."

At 7:00 p.m., John Mills returned for "Symphony at Seven." This hour featured Ignace Jan Paderewski’s Piano Concerto in a and a suite from Handel’s opera "Il pastor fido." The final hour of the listed schedule, starting at 8:00 p.m., is "Performance Today with Valerie Kahler." This segment is distinct from the earlier hours because it features live or recently recorded performances from specific venues rather than just a curated playlist of albums.

The 8:00 p.m. program includes a performance of Mel Bonis’s "Églogue, Op. 12" by pianist Myriam Barbaux-Cohen. It also features Bohuslav Martinů’s "La revue de cuisine," performed by Music@Menlo at the Spieker Center for the Arts in Menlo Park, California. The hour concludes with a string quartet performance by the Harlem Quartet, which includes Walter Piston’s String Quartet No. 5 and a work by Guido López-Gavilán recorded at the City Opera House in Traverse City, Michigan.