UPDATE: WKCR regrets that Beethoven's Ninth Symphony was cut short during the Kurt Masur Memorial Broadcast. In light of this incident, we have decided to broadcast the entire recording during Cereal Music on Monday morning at approximately 9:30 AM. Once again, we apologize and thank you for your understanding. WKCR will preempt all regular programming from 9:00 PM Saturday, December 19th until 11:59 PM Sunday, Decemceber 20th in honor of one of Germany's most famous conductors, Kurt Masur, who passed away at 88 years of age on December 19th. Maestro Masur's almost 60 year long career as a conductor and music director saw him as the leader of such acclaimed orchestras as the Dresden Philharmonic, the Leipzig Gewandhaus orchestra, the New York Philharmonic and most recently, the London Philharmonic and the Orchestre National de France. His contributions to classical music, including elevating the New York Philharmonic in a time of artistic decline, have earned Maestro Masur numerous awards and honorary titles, and his loss will be heavily felt in both the U.S. and international music spheres. Please join us as we remember, honor, commemorate, and celebrate the remarkable life, music, and work of Kurt Masur with 27 continuous, uninterrupted hours of only his music. Highlights include:
- 9:00 PM to 12:30 AM -- Strauss, Ariadne auf Naxos & Mahler, Songs of a Wayfarer & Mahler, Symphony #1
- 12:30 AM to 2:00 AM -- Britten, War Requiem
- 2:00 AM to 5:45 AM -- Contemporary Recordings
- 5:45 AM to 7:45 AM -- Bruckner, Symphony #5
- 7:45 AM to 9:00 AM -- Beethoven, Violin Concertos
- 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM -- Beethoven, Full Cycle of Symphonies
- 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM -- Brahms, Full Cycle of Symphonies
- 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM -- Bruckner, Symphony #7
- 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM -- Tchaikovsky, Symphony #2, Romeo & Juliet, and Symphony #3
- 9:00 PM to 10:20 PM -- Shostakovich, Symphony #13
- 10:20 PM to 11:30 PM -- Schumann, Symphonies #2 and #3
- 11:30 PM to 11:59 PM -- Strauss, Vier Letzte Lieder (Four Last Songs)
Photo credit: http://en.dresdnerphilharmonie.de/ehrendirigent