Symphonies of Iowa

Acclaimed by the New York Times as “one of the finest conductors of her generation,” JoAnn Falletta is a much-sought guest conductor and a vibrant presence on the podium. This energetic concert opens with Brahms’s lively Academic Festival Overture. Next, the virtuosic Oasis Quartet plays Bolcom’s Concerto Grosso, a masterpiece for four saxophones and orchestra. Finally, Bruckner’s monumental Fourth Symphony, his “cathedral of sound,” will take your breath away with its blazing power and majesty. Tune in Sunday, March 26th at 4 p.m.

The wcfsymphony brass section is taking over this week’s Symphonies of Iowa on Sunday, March 12th and Monday March 13th! Bask in the glorious sound of brass and organ with the wcfsymphony brass choir and guest organist Nathaniel Parrish in this special concert. Tune in Sunday, March 12th at 4 p.m. and again on Monday, March 13th at 7 p.m. for IPR’s Symphonies of Iowa broadcast!

PROGRAM

DUKAS – La Péri, Fanfare

MARCELLO – Estro poetico-armonico: Psalm 18

STRAUSS – Feierlicher Einzug

Great Russian composers are taking over this week’s Symphonies of Iowa! The Des Moines Symphony’s guest pianist Lise de la Salle is one of classical music’s most exciting young artists. Experience the thrill of hearing Rachmaninoff’s glorious, lyrical Second Piano Concerto performed by this rising star. This all-Russian program concludes with Borodin’s exhilarating Polovtsian Dances, but first, you’ll hear two contrasting portrayals of Romeo & Juliet.

Break out the glasses and butterbeer for this week’s Symphonies of Iowa! Experience John Williams’ magical music for the sensation that is Harry Potter alongside the symphonic classics that inspired him. The program also features the world premiere of composer and violist Paul Alan Price-Brenner’s electric The Conjuring Wand. That’s this Sunday at 4 p.m. and again on Monday at 7 p.m. for this magical Symphonies of Iowa broadcast!

WILLIAMS – Sorcerer’s Stone, Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban

This week’s Symphonies of Iowa broadcast on February 19th at 4 p.m. and February 20th at 7 p.m. features Orchestra Iowa’s “A Night in Prague” concert. The orchestra performs works by Janáček, Mozart, and Dvořák.

Hearty congratulations to Cedar Rapids native Michael Daugherty on winning not one but three Grammy Awards, for an album that includes a work written for Iowa and first broadcast on IPR. The album, Tales of Hemingway (Naxos 8.559798), won "Best Classical Compendium" for Daugherty and for the performers, the Nashville Symphony led by Giancarlo Guerrero.

This week’s Symphonies of Iowa broadcast on February 12th at 4 p.m. and February 13th at 7 p.m. features the Des Moines Symphony’s “A German Rhapsody” concert. The orchestra performs works by German composers including Wagner, Brahms, Mozart, and Strauss.

This week’s Symphonies of Iowa broadcast on February 5th at 4 p.m. and February 6th at 7 p.m. features the wcfsymphony’s “Four Seasons I” concert. The orchestra performs Summer and Autumn from Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, as well as German composer Max Richter’s versions of the pieces.

This week’s Symphonies of Iowa broadcast on January 29th at 4 p.m. and January 30th at 7 p.m. features Orchestra Iowa’s “Pastoral Beethoven” concert. The orchestra performs works by Mendelssohn and Mozart, as well as Beethoven’s expressive “Pastoral” Symphony.

IPR’s Symphonies of Iowa is back for the New Year! The season kicks off on Sunday, January 22nd at 4 p.m. and again on Monday, January 23rd at 7 p.m. with the Des Moines Symphony presenting their season debut concert “Beethoven’s Ode to Joy!” under Joseph Giunta with The Drake Choir, the Simpson College Chamber Singers, and the Des Moines Vocal Arts Ensemble. Soloists include flutist Kayla Burggraf, violinist Jonathan Sturm, Gregory Hand at the harpsichord, soprano Mary Ellen Giunta, alto Mary Creswell, tenor Scott Ramsay, and bass Dashon Burton.

This week’s Symphonies of Iowa encore broadcast features Orchestra Iowa’s “A Hero’s Life” concert. The orchestra performs works by Sibelius, Wagner, Dvorak, and Richard Strauss.

This week’s Symphonies of Iowa encore broadcast features the Des Moines Symphony Orchestra’s “Season Finale – All Tchaikovsky” concert. The orchestra performs three monumental works by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

This week’s Symphonies of Iowa encore broadcast features the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra’s “Symphonic Fantasies” concert. The program showcases works by Iowa composer Amy Dunker, Rachmaninoff, and Berlioz and spotlights Russian piano virtuoso Natasha Paremski.

This week’s Symphonies of Iowa encore broadcast features the Orchestra Iowa Chamber Players’ “Tricksters & Troubadours” concert. The musicians performed three duo compositions by Koetsier, Ginastera, and Vivaldi, as well as chamber works by Milhaud, Wuorinen, and Strauss. 

This Performance Iowa holiday broadcast features the wcfsymphony’s “A New Nutcracker” concert. The program includes works by Duke Ellington, Vince Guaraldi, and Leroy Anderson.

This Performance Iowa broadcast features Orchestra Iowa’s 2015 “Holiday Spectacular” concert. The festive program includes holiday favorites and works by Bach, Corelli, Vaughan Williams, and more!

This week’s Symphonies of Iowa encore broadcast features the wcfsymphony’s “Elgar’s Bike” concert. The program includes works by Josef Strauss, Timo Andres, and Edward Elgar.

This week’s Symphonies of Iowa encore broadcast features Orchestra Iowa’s Missa Solemnis concert. Orchestra Iowa presents Beethoven’s Mass in D, Op. 123 “Missa Solemnis”, performed with the Simpson College Chamber Singers, the Simpson College Choir, the Des Moines Vocal Arts Ensemble, and guest vocal soloists Mary Wilson, Beth Lytwynec, Eric Barry, and Sumner Thompson.

This week’s Symphonies of Iowa encore broadcast features the Quad City Symphony Orchestra’s “Masterworks II: Bach, Brahms, and Shostakovich” concert. The program includes works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms, and Dmitri Shostakovich, and features violinist Naha Greenholtz and cellist Hannah Holman.

This week’s Symphonies of Iowa encore broadcast features the wcfsymphony’s “Bach II” concert. The program focuses on music by master composer Johann Sebastian Bach.

Listen as the wcfsymphony performs two of Baroque music’s most famous instrumental works: Bach’s sparkling Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 and beloved Suite No. 2. The performance features a beautiful 1970 Tom Pixton harpsichord recently acquired by the ensemble. Tune in on Monday, November 14 at 7 p.m. for this Symphonies of Iowa encore broadcast!

Program

This week’s Symphonies of Iowa encore broadcast features the Des Moines Symphony Orchestra’s “The Moldau, Don Juan & Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto” concert. It includes music composed by Richard Strauss, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Bedřich Smetana and features young pianist extraordinaire Charlie Albright.

This week’s Symphonies of Iowa encore broadcast features Orchestra Iowa’s “New Frontiers” concert. It includes music composed by Milhaud, Mozart, and Schumann and features bassoonist Matthew Ransom.

This week’s Symphonies of Iowa encore broadcast presents the wcfsymphony’s “Firebird” concert on Monday evening, October 24 at 7 p.m. It features new music composed by Avner Dorman and Igor Stravinsky’s iconic Firebird suite.

Join us as the wcfsymphony presents a new composition by Avner Dorman showcasing the exhilarating percussion duo Maraca2. The duo is comprised of percussionists Jason Huxtable and Tim Palmer. Due to an injury, UW-Madison doctoral student Garrett Mendelow substituted for Tim during this performance.

This week’s Symphonies of Iowa encore broadcast presents the Des Moines Symphony Orchestra’s “Romeo & Juliet and The King of Instruments” concert on Monday night, Octboer 17 at 7 p.m. It features music composed by Hector Berlioz, Francis Poulenc, and Camille Saint-Saëns.

This week’s Symphonies of Iowa encore broadcast on Monday, October 10 at 7 p.m. presents Orchestra Iowa’s “Stirring Fantasies” concert. It features music composed by Vaughan Williams, Tchaikovsky, and Bizet.

This week’s Symphonies of Iowa encore broadcast presents the wcfsymphony’s “Bach I” concert on Monday evening, October 3 at 7 p.m. It features music composed by the illustrious Johann Sebastian Bach.

Join the symphony for a musical journey into J.S. Bach’s incredible creativity with some of Baroque music’s most beloved works. Tune in on Monday, October 3 at 7 p.m. for this Symphonies of Iowa encore broadcast!

PROGRAM

BACH – Suite No. 1

BACH – Sinfonia from Cantata, BWV 174

BACH – Brandenburg Concerto No. 1

This week's Symphonies of Iowa encore broadcast on Monday, September 26 at 7 p.m. presents Orchestra Iowa's "OI Chamber: French Kiss" concert. It features music by French composers François Couperin, Camille Saint-Saëns, and César Franck.

The Orchestra Iowa Chamber Players present French chamber music spanning three centuries. The Baroque harpsichord and the modern trumpet join the orchestra’s principal strings for this romantic concert. Tune in on Monday, September 26 at 7 p.m. for this Symphonies of Iowa encore broadcast!

PROGRAM

This week’s Symphonies of Iowa encore broadcast features the Des Moines Symphony’s “Gerard Schwarz conducts Brahms” concert. Tune in on Monday, September 19 at 7 p.m. for this Symphonies of Iowa encore broadcast! The program includes music by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Dmitri Shostakovich, and Johannes Brahms.

This week’s Symphonies of Iowa encore broadcast presents the wcfsymphony’s “Star Wars” concert. It features music from John Williams’ Star Wars score as well as selections from The Planets, On the Town, Swan Lake, The Ring, and The Rite of Spring.

This encore broadcast of Iowa Public Radio’s Symphonies of Iowa features Orchestra Iowa’s “The Fifth Season” concert. The concert includes pieces by Finzi, Piazzolla, and Tchaikovsky, and features guest violinist, Lara St. John.