WCPE Features: Peaceful Reflections






Peaceful Reflections

Gather your thoughts on Sunday evenings from 9 p.m. (Eastern) until midnight with Peaceful Reflections. It's a program designed to help you relax at the end of your weekend. Peaceful Reflections features a blend of choral and instrumental music chosen to create a calming, peaceful mood for your Sunday evening listening pleasure.

Rob Kennedy is your host. He's been a WCPE volunteer announcer since 1999 and has served as host for both Music In The Night and Great Sacred Music from time to time. A native of Montreal, Rob studied at the Royal College of Music in London. He's a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists. During daylight hours, Rob is a Sales Manager for TigerDirect. In his spare time he writes about private schools for About.com, a New York Times Company. He lives in Raleigh.

 

 

Summer Highlights:

June 6 — If you enjoy Anonymous 4 or Trio Medieval, you will adore Scotland’s contribution to the medieval music scene. Canty’s album Felix Femina features “A Scottish Ladymass.”

June 13 — Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is best known for his symphonies and operas. But his chamber music such as Adagio and Rondo for Glass Harmonica, Flute, Oboe, Viola, and Cello in C minor, K. 617, is equally delightful.

June 20 — Peter Richard Conte, organist of the Grand Court at Macy’s (formerly Wanamaker’s) in Center City, Philadelphia, is organ soloist in the 2008 performance of Joseph Jongen’s Symphonie Concertante. Written in 1926 for the inaugural of the restoration of the great organ, it was not performed on this organ until 2008 at a gala concert with the Philadelphia Orchestra. We will listen to a recording of this historic concert.

June 27 — The organ symphonies of Louis Vierne and Charles-Marie Widor are treasures in an organist’s repertoire. We’ll listen to Widor’s monumental Symphonie Romaine.

July 4 — Special Independence Day programming

July 11 — David Fray has garnered plenty of attention for his playing of Schubert. Voted Newcomer of the Year 2008 by BBC Music Magazine, Fray will play Schubert’s Moments Musicaux for us.

July 18 — Duo pianists Artur Pizarro and Stephen Coombs play several piano four-hand selections by Darius Milhaud including Scaramouche and Kentuckiana.

July 25 — Dr. Healey Willan wrote hundreds of hymnanthems for his choir at St. Mary Magdalene Church in Toronto. In the Heavenly Kingdom is on tonight’s playlist.

August 1 — Claude Debussy wrote only one string quartet. More’s the pity, as his Quartet in G minor is a masterpiece.

August 8 — Some detractors opine that a theremin sounds like a soprano with a bad cold. Hear for yourself as Clara Rockmore plays Rachmaninov’s Vocalise.

August 15 — Antonio Vivaldi was never required to write sacred music. Yet he did so rather prolifically. His Credo in E minor is featured this evening.

August 22 — Charles Valentin Alkan died when a bookcase fell on him. His piano music is fearsome. Only virtuosos need apply. We’ll sample an Étude or two.

August 29 — Giovanni Luigi da Palestrina left us some of the most suave choral settings of the Mass ever written. You can hear his grand Missa Papae Marcelli.