Bill McGlaughlin
About Exploring Music
Weekdays at 9pm
Bill McGlaughlin guides listeners through a new musical theme each week, devoting five nights to a single topic. McGlaughlin’s in-depth knowledge of and deep passion for classical music gives the series his customary enthusiasm, imagination, and spontaneity. He is a Peabody Award-winning broadcaster, conductor, and composer.
Program Schedule
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Week of March 30
German composer Felix Mendelssohn is at the center of this week of Exploring Music. He has been hailed as one of the greatest musical minds of all time. We trace his journey from his precocious youth to his early death. His great body of work is still in the repertoires of chamber groups and orchestras. And it’s the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto that is loved by all. We will enjoy this same love and devotion in a performance featuring the Guarneri and Orion String Quartets, who will play the Octet for Strings.
MONDAY, MARCH 30
Mendelssohn, Felix: Concerto for Violin
and Orchestra in E Minor, Op. 64
Concertgebouw/Haitink; Perlman, violin
Violin Concerto No. 1
EMI 69863
2:30 (excerpt)
Mendelssohn, Felix: String Symphony No. 3 in E Minor, I.
English String Orchestra/Boughton
Complete String Symphonies Volume 1
Nimbus 5141
3:05 (excerpt)
Mendelssohn, Felix: Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 11, III.
London Symphony Orchestra/Abbado
Mendelssohn: Symphonies 1 & 5 / Abbado, LSO
DG 445596
6:40
Mendelssohn, Felix: Overture for Wind Instruments in C Major
London Symphony Orchestra/Abbado
Overtures
DG 423104
9:41
Mendelssohn, Felix: Octet for Strings, I.
Guarneri and Orion String Quartets
String Quartet No. 3; Octet
Arab 6714
14:14
Mendelssohn, Felix: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Overture
Berlin Philharmonic/Abbado
Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Symphony No 4 / Abbado
Sony 62826
11:40
Mendelssohn, Felix: Seven Characteristic Pieces for Piano, Op. 7, No. 2
Martin Jones, piano
Complete Piano Works, Songs Without Words II
Nimbus 5074
1:50
TUESDAY, MARCH 31
Mendelssohn, Felix: Octet for Strings, II. Scherzo
Guarneri & Orion String Quartets
String Quartet No. 3; Octet
Arab 6714
4:27
Bach, JS: St. Matthew Passion
Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Solti
Matthäus- Passion
Decca 421 177
2:10 (excerpt)
Mendelssohn, Felix: String Quartet in E-Flat Major, Op. 12, I.
Juilliard String Quartet
Mendelssohn: String Quartets No 1 & 2 / Juilliard Quartet
Sony 60579
8:04
Mendelssohn, Felix: Hebrides Overture, in B Minor, Op. 26, “Fingal’s Cave”
Cleveland Orchestra/Szell
Mendelssohn: Symphonies Nos. 3 “Scottish” & 4, “Italian” / Szell, Cleveland Orchestra
Sony 46536
10:50
Mendelssohn, Felix: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 1 in G Minor
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields/Marriner Perahia, piano
Piano Concertos No. 1 & No. 2
CBS 42401
20:02
Mendelssohn, Felix: “Frühlingsglaube”
Quasthoff, baritone; Zeyen, piano
Thomas Quasthoff: A Romantic Songbook
DG B0002192
1:43
Mendelssohn, Felix: “Auf Flügeln des Gesanges”
Quasthoff, baritone; Zeyen, piano
Thomas Quasthoff: A Romantic Songbook
DG B0002192
2:02
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1
Mendelssohn, Felix: Quintet for Strings No. 1 in A major, Op. 18
II. Intermezzo
L’Archibudelli
Mendelssohn: String Quintets / L’Archibudelli
Sony 60766
7:45
Mendelssohn, Felix: Songs Without Words, Op. 19b (excerpt)
Glen Gould, piano
Glenn Gould Edition – Chopin, Mendelssohn, Scriabin, Et Al
Sony 52622
2:13
Mendelssohn, Felix: Symphony No. 5 in D Major, Op. 107, "Reformation"
I (excerpt), Finale
London Symphony Orchestra/Abbado
Mendelssohn, 5 Symphonien, Abbado, London Symphony
DG 415353
0:28; 9:04
Mendelssohn, Felix: Symphony No. 4 in A Major, Op. 90, "Italian"
Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Solti
Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3 ‘Scottish’; Symphony No. 4 ‘Italian’
Lon 414 665-1
0:29
Mendelssohn, Felix: Symphony No. 5
in D major, Op. 107, Reformation, IV. (excerpt)
London Symphony Orchestra/Abbado
Mendelssohn, 5 Symphonien, Abbado, London Symphony
DG 415353
1:15
THURSDAY, APRIL 2
Mendelssohn, Felix: St. Paul
Leipzig Radio Chorus & Gewandhaus Orchestra/ Masur
Mendelssohn: Paulus / Masur, Janowitz, Lang, Blochwitz, Adam
Phil 420212
11:21 (excerpt)
Mendelssohn, Felix: Trio for Piano and Strings No. 1 in D minor, Op. 49, I.
Schneider, violin; Casals, violoncello; Horszowski, piano
Casals Edition – Brahms, Mendelssohn: Piano Trios / Hess
Sony 66571
9:54
Mendelssohn, Felix: Symphony No. 3, “Scottish” I. II.
Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Solti
Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3 ‘Scottish’; Symphony No. 4 ‘Italian’
Lon 414 665-1
20:10
Mendelssohn, Felix: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Scherzo
Berlin Philharmonic/Abbado
Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Symphony No 4 / Abbado
Sony 62826
4:22
Mendelssohn, Felix: Symphony No. 3, “Scottish,” II.
Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Solti
Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3 ‘Scottish’; Symphony No. 4 ‘Italian’
Lon 414 665-1
1:13 (excerpt)
FRIDAY, MARCH 3
Mendelssohn, Felix: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in E Minor, Op. 64
Concertgebouw/Haitink; Perlman, violin
Mendelssohn, Bruch: Violin Concertos / Perlman, Previn, London Symphony Orchestra
EMI 69863
28:57
Mendelssohn, Felix: Elijah (middle section)
London Symphony Orchestra/Hickox
Mendelssohn: Elijah / Hickox, White, London Symphony Orchestra & Chorus
Chan 8774
8:56
Mendelssohn, Felix: String Quartet in F Minor, Op. 80 (excerpts)
Ysaye Quartet
Mendelssohn: Complete String Quartets
Lon 436325
1:42; 1:00
Mendelssohn, Felix: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Nocturne & Finale
Berlin Philharmonic/Abbado; Branagh, narrator
Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Symphony No 4 /Abbado
Sony 62826
10:54
Mendelssohn, Felix: String Quartet in F Minor, Op. 80
IV. Finale
Ysaye Quartet
Mendelssohn: Complete String Quartets
Lon 436325
1:37
Homage
Week of April 6
The gift of immortality through the hands of great composers. How would you like to be the subject of a composition by Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, or Mozart? In many cases, the fame of the music has outlasted that of its honoree, but we’ll explore some of these heartfelt gestures and the composers who made them. Works include Handel’s Water Music and Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition.
Shh, it’s a Secret: Musical Cryptograms
Week of April 13, 2026
Musicians have long been told that their minds are similar to those of mathematicians. This week, we'll discover and decipher codes, messages, and meanings hidden within pieces of classical music. Some of these messages were encoded for the fun of the puzzle, while others held deep, painful meanings. Composers such as JS Bach, Edward Elgar, and Alban Berg delighted in tucking these musical enigmas into their masterpieces.
The Russian Five
Week of April 20, 2026
This group, also known as The Mighty Handful, includes Mily Balakirev, Modest Mussorgsky, César Cui, Alexander Borodin, and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Led by Balakirev, they helped create the Russian National School of Composers in Saint Petersburg from 1856 to 1870. In these programs, Bill will introduce each composer and share important works performed by renowned musicians, including the USSR Symphony Orchestra and the Borodin Quartet
A Visit with Richard Stoltzman
Week of April 27, 2026
Bill shares an interview with the legendary clarinetist Richard Stoltzman, whose career spans over 50 years as a concerto soloist, chamber musician, recitalist, jazz performer, arranger, and recording artist. Stoltzman’s welcoming spirit has introduced us to new musicians and fresh takes on music by Messiaen, Takemitsu, and Copland, and he has commissioned works from many, many composers. As you listen to his stories about his parents, Benny Goodman, Rudolf Serkin, and his teachers and friends, you quickly understand his dedication to a lifetime spent getting it right.
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