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
What Else Ya Got?
Week of May 18, 2026
Have you ever wondered about those composers who succeeded in writing one smashing piece but were otherwise forgotten? This week, we’ll get to know some of these immortals and their other compositions, including Pachelbel’s Suite in G Major and Dukas’ Symphony in C Major. The program also presents Hermann Baumann in a rare performance of Glière's Horn Concerto in B-flat Major, Op. 91.
MONDAY, MAY 18
Pachelbel, Johann: Canon in D
Paillard Chamber Orchestra/Paillard
Canon – 2 Suites For Strings / Concerto For Trumpet – 2 Symphonies
Erato 98475
7:12
Pachelbel: Suite in G Major
Paillard Chamber Orchestra/Paillard
Canon – 2 Suites For Strings / Concerto For Trumpet – 2 Symphonies
Erato 98475
3:53
Albinoni, Tomaso: Oboe Concerto in Bb Major, Op. 9 No. 11
I Solisti Italian; Schellenberger, oboe
Italian Baroque Oboe Concerti
Denon 75338
9:38
Albinoni: Adagio in G Minor
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
DG 429390
7:20
Albinoni: “Stelle Ingrate”
Accademia Bizantina/Dantone; Scholl, clarinet
All of Me
Decca 530002
3:14
Gliére, Reinhold: Horn Concerto in Bb Major, Op. 91, II & III
Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra/Masur; Baumann, horn
Horn Concerto
Phi 416380
11:39
Gliére: The Red Poppy
"Russian Sailor’s Dance"
Philadelphia Orchestra/Ormandy
The Fantastic Philadelphians
RCA 63313
3:50
Pachelbel: Canon in D
Paillard Chamber Orchestra/Paillard
Canon – 2 Suites For Strings / Concerto For Trumpet – 2 Symphonies
Erato 98475
1:35
TUESDAY, MAY 19
Dukas, Paul: La Péri Fanfare
ORTF Nat’l Orchestra/Slatkin
Symphony in C Major / L’apprenti sorcier / La Peri
Naxos 8.573296
2:10
Dukasl: Villanelle
Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra/Masur; Baumann, horn
Horn Concerto
Phi 416380
6:01
Dukas: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Berlin Philharmonic/Levine
»Orgel-Symphonie« Symphony No. 3 »Organ« »Avec Orgue« / L’Apprenti Sorcier
DG 419617
10:40
Dukas: Symphony in C Major, II
BBC Philharmonic/Tortelier
The Essential Paul Dukas
Chandos 24132
14:52
Chabrier, Emmanuel: Dix Piecès Pittoresques “Idylle”
Angela Hewitt, piano
Piano Music
Hyp 67515
3:51
Chabrier: “Chanson pour Jeanne”
Barabara Hendricks, soprano; Michel Dalberto, piano
Mélodies Françaises
Warner Classics 9463651005
3:30
Chabrier: "España"
Philadelphia Orchestra/Ormandy
The Fantastic Philadelphians
RCA 63313
6:57
Chabrier: "Habanera"
Toulouse Capitole Orchestra/Plasson
Œuvres Pour Orchestre
EMI 74336 2
3:53
WEDNESDAY, MAY 20
Ponchielli, Amilcare: Capriccio for Oboe and Orchestra
Berlin Symphony Orchestra/Flor; Glaetzner, oboe
Romantic Oboe Concertos
Capriccio 10281
3:35 (excerpt)
Ponchielli: La Gioconda
“Cielo e Mar”
RCA Victor Orchestra; Jussi Björling, tenor
L’Africana-O Paradiso! / La Gioconda-Cielo E Mar!
RCA Victor Red Seal 12150
4:54
Ponchielli: La Gioconda
“Dance of the Hours”
Philadelphia Orchestra/Ormandy
Carmen Suites • L’Arlésienne Suites • Dance Of The Hours From “La Gioconda”
RCA 63313
10:32
Leoncavallo, Ruggero: Pagliacci Prologue
Concertgebouw Orchestra/Chailly
Pagliacci
Decca 24602
2:38
Leoncavallo: Pagliacci
La Scala/Ghione; Gigli, tenor
Cavalleria Rusticana
Nimb 7843
3:27 (excerpt)
Leoncavallo, Ruggero: La Bohème
La Fenice Orchestra/Koenig
La Bohème
Nuova Era 7300
7:25; 0:24 (excerpt)
Puccini, Giacomo: La Bohème
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra/Karajan
La Bohème
Decca 421049
9:41 (excerpt)
Leoncavallo, Ruggero: “Mattinata”
Orchestra; Pavarotti, tenor
Pavarotti Mattinata
EMI 65806
1:56
Sherman, Allan: “Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah”
Allan Sherman
Smile Comedy Greats through the Years
Mach60 Music
2:07
THURSDAY, MAY 21
Mouret, Jean-Joseph: Rondeau
Läubin Brothers, trumpets; Preston, organ
Awake the Trumpet’s Lofty Sound
DG 419245
1:53
Mouret: Andromède et Persée
Arion Ensemble
Un concert en Nouvelle-France
Radio Canada 1081
3:20 (excerpt)
Catalani, Alfredo: Scherzo
La Scala Philharmonic/Muti
Puccini Catalani e Ponchielli per Orchestra
Sony 63025
4:44
Catalani: La Wally
“Ebben… Ne Andrò Lontana”
London Philharmonic Orchestra/Mackerras
Fleming, soprano
Renée Fleming
London 467049
5:04
Catalani: Loreley
“Nel Verde Maggio”
Philharmonia Orchestra; Cura, tenor
Verismo
Erato 27317
2:08
Gounod, Charles: Faust
Soldier’s Chorus
London Symphony Orchestra/Hickox
Regis 1137
3:00
Gounod: Symphony No. 1 in D Major, I.
Academy of St. Martin in-the-Fields/Marriner
Gounod: The 2 Symphonies; Faust Ballet Music
Phil 462125
6:31
Bizet, Georges: Symphony No. 1 in C Major, I.
St. Paul Chamber Orchestra/Wolff
Symphonies Nos. 1
Teldec 77309
7:10
Bizet: Carmen Suite No. 1
NBC Symphony/Toscanini
Orchestral Music – Bizet, G. - Donizetti, G. Verdi, G.
RCA 6205
12:36
Catalani, Alfredo: Tempo di Walzer (alla tedesca)
Spada & Cozzolino, pianos
String Quintet In C
ASV 956
1:43
FRIDAY, MAY 22
Holst, Gustav: The Planets
"Mars"
Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Levine
The Planets
DG 429730
7:18
Holst: "Ave Maria," Op. 9b
Finzi Singers/Spicer
Choral Music
Chan 9425
3:48
Holst: Suite in Eb Major, Op. 28 No. 1
London Wind Orchestra/Wick
Holst: Suites No. 1 & 2, Hammersmith –
Vaughan Williams: English Folk Song Suite, Toccata marziale
Resonance 3006
9:35
Holst: "The Hymn of Jesus," I. II.
London Symphony Orchestra/Hickox
Adolf Busch – The Berlin Recordings
Chan 2406
19:08
Holst: The Planets
“Jupiter”
Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Levine
The Planets
DG 429730
7:31
Holst: "Brook Green Suite"
City of London Sinfonia/Hickox
Orchestral Works
Chan 9270
0:51 (excerpt)
Toselli, Enrico: Serenade
Orch; Gigli, tenor
4:14; 1:15
32 Beethoven Piano Sonatas
Week of May 25, 2026
Pathétique. Moonlight. Appassionata. Hammerklavier. Ludwig van Beethoven wrote his first piano sonata at the age of 25 and his last at 52, and together these 32 sonatas have been called "The New Testament" of music. Artur Schnabel was the first pianist to record a complete set, and since then this feat has been achieved by Daniel Barenboim, Alfred Brendel, Claude Frank, Maurizio Pollini, and Claudio Arrau - twice! We’ll sample as many as we possibly can, and we hope you will share in our wonder and amazement at Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas.
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