WQXR to Launch New Summer Series MICHAEL FEINSTEIN'S AMERICAN POPS, 7/9

By: Jul. 02, 2014
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Starting on Wednesday, July 9, 2014 at 10pm, WQXR will launch "Michael Feinstein's American Pops," a new series of one-hour shows that explores a chapter of twentieth-century music that is popular for seasonal concerts, but not conventionally considered part of the classical cannon.

In 1924 George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" was like a shot heard 'round the world: proof that composers could draw from Western Classical and popular music to make something unique, bristling with the snap and swagger of the American spirit. In "Michael Feinstein's American Pops," listeners will get a chance to hear the sounds that emerged over the twentieth century that we now know as "Pops." Some of the featured composers are very well known - George Gershwin, Leroy Anderson, Richard Rodgers - but others will be new even to die-hard fans. Michael Feinstein is a dedicated collector who has unearthed works that have not been heard in decades by Jacques Press, David Raksin and Morton Gould. Feinstein is also a natural raconteur who shares the lore behind the music, opening a door to some of the most colorful characters in America's cultural history.

The series kicks off on Wednesday, July 9 at 10pm on WQXR 105.9 FM and WQXR.org and continues every Wednesday at 10pm for six weeks until August 13. A special preview of the first episode will be broadcast at 10pm on Friday, July 4th.

"I'm excited for this new opportunity to share American Pops with the WQXR audience," said Feinstein. "I've always been an advocate for American music and a longtime collector of pops rarities, and now I have the chance to share these recordings and stories with listeners who can appreciate them as unique documents of the 20th-century American experience."

Schedule of "Michael Feinstein's American Pops"

Wednesday, July 9
Lost and Found in America
Rarities from the American Pops catalogue, including Jacques Press's "Disconcerto" and Paul Whiteman's performance of "Cuban Overture" by George Gershwin.

Wednesday, July 16
American Moderns
The sounds of modernism refracted through popular music in the works of Jerome Moross, Leroy Anderson, Oscar Levant and more.

Wednesday, July 23
Pops Goes Dancing-
Ballet music and more as the pops orchestra dances along with music by Previn, Gershwin, Raksin and others.

Wednesday, July 30
The Jazz Beat
How the rhythms and melodies of jazz infused every part of American music, even in the concert hall, with examples from Duke Ellington and an exceedingly rare "Swing Sinfonietta" by Morton Gould.

Wednesday, August 6
Pops at the Picture Show
Demonstrating the ways the pops sound developed in Hollywood thanks to composers like Bernard Hermann, Johnny Green and Erich Korngold.

Wednesday, August 13
Pops Concert Icons
Some of the greatest hits and greatest composers of the pops repertoire, including Henry Mancini, Morton Gould and Leroy Anderson.

WQXR 105.9 FM, which streams live at www.wqxr.org, is New York City's only all-classical music station, immersing listeners in the city's rich musical life. WQXR presents new and landmark classical recordings as well as live concerts from Carnegie Hall, Metropolitan Opera, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and the New York Philharmonic, among other venues. WQXR also broadcasts essential destination programs including the Metropolitan Opera Radio Saturday Matinee Broadcasts, New York Philharmonic This Week, and the McGraw-Hill Companies Young Artists Showcase. For listeners in search of the new, WQXR operates Q2 Music, an online music stream dedicated to contemporary classical composers, cross-genre adventures, and performances from New York City's edgier venues. Operavore is WQXR's opera site featuring news, interviews, and commentaries from the world of opera, as well as a 24/7 all-opera stream. WQXR.org provides essential playlist information and online listening, as well as original content, host blogs, NYC cultural news, videos, and a free app allows listeners to take WQXR with them wherever they go.



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