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
To The Finland Station, Part 2
Week of August 4, 2025
The theme of my Fifth Symphony is the making of man.” — Dmitry Shostakovich. In 1949, Shostakovich traveled to New York for the first time to perform his Fifth Symphony on the piano for 30,000 listeners at Madison Square Garden. The shy composer made this trip and concert at the request of Joseph Stalin. The theme of the making of mankind was prevalent among many artists in the 1930s, who used their creativity to respond to the tumultuous political climate of the time, sometimes composing entire symphonies in just a matter of weeks. This week marks the second part of our two-week exploration into the hidden phrases and chords of these Russian musicians. Bill will feature composers from both sides of the Iron Curtain.
MONDAY, AUGUST 4
Shostakovich, Dmitri: Scherzo for Orchestra in F-Sharp Minor, Op. 1
USSR Ministry of Culture Orchestra/Gennadi Rosdhestvenski
Orchestral Works
Melodiya 59058
5:01
Shostakovich, Dmitri: Three Fantastic Dances Op. 5
I. Andantino
Ludovic Vaillant, trumpet; Dimitri Shostakovich, piano
Piano Concertos Etc.
EMI 62646
1:14
Shostakovich, Dmitri: Three Fantastic Dances Op. 5
II. Allegretto
Ludovic Vaillant, trumpet; Dimitri Shostakovich, piano
Piano Concertos Etc.
EMI 62646
0:50
Shostakovich, Dmitri: 2 Fables of Krilov, Op. 4:
No. 2. The Donkey and the Nightingale
Lyudmila Shkirtil
Orchestral Works
Melodiya 59058
4:55
Shostakovich, Dmitri: Suite in F-Sharp Minor,
Op. 6: II. Danse fantastique
Margarete Babinsky; Holger Busch
Shostakovich: Piano Works
Capriccio 1087
2:47
Shostakovich, Dmitri: Piano Trio no. 1, op 8: Andante
Kalichstein/Laredo/Robinson
Shostakovich – The Complete Trios & Sonatas
Arabesque Z6698
12:08
Shostakovich, Dmitri: Symphony No 1 IV. Allegro molto
USSR Ministry Of Culture Symphony Orchestra/Gennady Rozhdestvensky
Dmitri Shostakovich Symphonies Nos. 1, 5, 6, 9
Melodiya 49611
10:01
Shostakovich, Dmitri: The Nose I. Introduction
Chorus and Orchestra of The Moscow Chamber Opera/Gennady Rozhdestvnsky
The Nose (excerpt)
Columbia Masterworks M2 34582
10:44
Shostakovich, Dmitri: The Nose II. "Ivan Yakovlevich’S Barber Shop"
Chorus and Orchestra of The Moscow Chamber Opera/Gennady Rozhdestvnsky
The Nose (excerpt)
Columbia Masterworks M2 34582
1:20
TUESDAY, AUGUST 5
Prokofiev, Sergei: Piano Concerto No.3 – Allegro ma non troppo
London Symphony Orchestra/Coppola
Prokofiev Plays Prokofiev (Recorded in 1932 and 1935)
Naxos 8.110670
8:37
Prokofiev, Sergei: Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major, Op. 19:
I. Andantino; II. Scherzo; III. Moderato
London Symphony Orchestra/Lovro von Matačić; David Oistrakh, violin
The Great Recordings
Warner Classics 14712
21:14
Prokofiev, Sergei: Lieutenant Kijé, Op. 60 I. “The Birth Of Kijé”
Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Claudio Abbado
Alexander Nevsky – Lieutenant Kijé – Scythian Suite
DG 447419
12:45
Shostakovich, Dmitri: Concerto for Piano,
Trumpet and Strings in C Minor, Op. 35,
IV. Allegro brio
Berlin Philharmonic/Mariss Jansons; Mikhail Rudy
Symphony No. 1 / Concerto For Piano, Trumpet & Strings
EMI 55361
6:51
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 6
Prokofiev, Sergei: Romeo and Juliet;
“Introduction,” “Juliet as a Young Girl Balcony Scene”
“The Duel “Romeo Decides to Avenge Mercutio””
USSR State Symphony Orchestra/Algis Ziuratis
Romeo & Juliet: Ballet, Op. 64
MCA Classics 2-32116
14:37
Prokofiev, Sergei: Romeo and Juliet, Suite No. 2,
Op. 64, VII. “Romeo at Juliet’s Grave”
Boston Symphony Orchestra/Serge Koussevitzky
Legendary Performers – Koussevitzky – Prokofiev: Symphonies
RCA 61657
6:43
Prokofiev, Sergei: Alexander Nevsky, Op. 78 “Russia Under The Mongol Yoke,” “The Crusaders in Pskov Arise, ” “The Crusaders”
London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus/Claudio Abbado
Alexander Nevsky – Lieutenant Kijé – Scythian Suite
DG 447419
11:56
Prokofiev, Sergei: Alexander Nevsky, Op. 78; “Ye Russian People The Battle On The Ice,” “Alexander’s Entry Into Pskov”
London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus/Claudio Abbado
Alexander Nevsky – Lieutenant Kijé – Scythian Suite
DG 447419
16:42
THURSDAY, AUGUST 7
Shostakovich, Dmitri: Symphony No. 5 in D Minor,
Op. 47 III. Largo
USSR Ministry Of Culture Symphony Orchestra/Gennady Rozhdestvensky
Symphony No 5 In D Minor Op 47, Symphony No 9 In E Flat Op 70
Olympia OCD 113
14:11
Shostakovich, Dmitri: Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 47
IV. Allegro Non Troppo
Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra/Yevgeny Mravinsky
Symphony No. 5, Op. 47
Erato 2292-45752-2
10:54
Shostakovich, Dmitri: Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 47
IV. Allegro non troppo
New York Philharmonic/Leonard Bernstein
Shostakovich 5th Symphony
CBS 57218
1:33
Shostakovich, Dmitri: Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 47
IV. Allegro Non Troppo
Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra/Yevgeny Mravinsky
Symphony No. 5, Op. 47
Erato 2292-45752-2
0:43
Prokofiev, Sergei: Symphony No. 5 in B Flat, Op. 100
I. Andante; IV. Allegro Giocoso
London Symphony Orchestra/Valery Gergiev
The Complete Symphonies
PHI 4757655
21:23
FRIDAY, AUGUST 8
Shostakovich, Dmitri: Piano Trio No.2 in E minor , Op.67
III. Largo; IV Allegretto
Beaux Arts Trio
Shostakovich: Piano Trios, 7 Romances
Warner 62514
16:18
Yevtushenko, Yevgeny: Babi Yar
Antony Hopkins, narrator
Symphony No. 13 ‘Babi Yar’
London 444791
3:48
Shostakovich, Dmitri: Symphony No.13 in B-Flat Minor,
Op. 113, “Babi Yar,” 1. Adagio “Babi Yar”
Chicago Symphony Orchestra & Chorus/Georg Solti; Sergei Alexashkin
Symphony No. 13 ‘Babi Yar’
London 444791
15:59
Shostakovich, Dmitri: Symphony No.15 A-Dur, Op.141
IV. Adagio. Allegretto
Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra/Evgeny Mravinsky
Mravinsky Edition Volumes 1-10
Melodiya/BMG 25192
13:52
Shostakovich, Dmitri: Viola Sonata
Kim Kashkashian
Shoshtakovich Viola Sonata
ECM 2375
16:18
Haydn Symphonies
Week of August 11, 2025
Dear old Papa Haydn, as he was known in eighteenth-century Vienna, was a fatherly figure to the finest musicians of his day. He is also the father of the symphonic form. This week we will sample some of his 104 symphonies, following their development from modest orchestral pieces to expressions of wit, humor, and drama. We will listen to the Orchestra of St. Luke’s conducted by Charles Mackerras, the Pittsburgh Symphony under the direction of André Previn, and Leonard Bernstein with the Vienna Philharmonic, among other ensembles performing Haydn's symphonies.
Top Shelf, Part I
Week of August 18, 2025
Closing in on twenty years, Bill has been collecting and programming music for Exploring Music. However, many of his favorite recordings don’t find their way into a thematic week of EM and end up orphaned on a top shelf in his back room. These are special recordings that wait and wait for the right theme, and it begins to feel like they become a character in Samuel Beckett’s play Waiting for Godot. This week Bill pulled down these CDs and they became the theme – colorful, great performances of music that Bill adores.
Week of August 25, 2025
Bach Sleeps in on Sundays
Johann Sebastian Bach dedicated most of his life to serving God and the Lutheran Church. As noted by Bill, “Bach family members worked as church musicians from Martin Luther to Otto von Bismarck…nearly 400 years.” However, Bach also composed remarkable and enduring secular music, particularly during the five years (1717-1722) he spent working for Prince Leopold. During this time, he created the cello suites, violin sonatas and partitas, and the Brandenburg Concertos. Bill chronicles this intensely creative period in the life of JS Bach.
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