This week's broadcast honors the memory of the orchestra's dear friend Alexander Kaplen, with works including Ralph Vaughan‐Williams' Fantasia on Greensleeves, the Adagietto from Mahler's Symphony No. 5, Claude Debussy's La Mer, and Dream of a Witches' Sabbath from Hector Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique.

Marin Alsop, chief conductor of the Ravinia Festival, leads the CSO in a program celebrating American composers. Featured works are Aaron Copland’s Suite from Appalachian Spring, James P. Johnson’s Charleston, Samuel Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915 with soprano Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha, and George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, featuring pianist Michelle Cann.

Simon Rattle leads the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra is joined by Kirill Gerstein in Francisco Coll’s vibrant Piano Concerto. The progam also includes Roberto Gerhard’s Dances from Don Quixote, the jazz influences of Poulenc’s Les Biches, and Debussy’s shimmering seascape, La Mer.

Each week Bill explores a different theme in classical music with illuminating commentary and musical examples, over the course of time sampling from all genres and eras of classical music. This week: "Symphony Part IV" - The symphonic form at its Romantic apex, with composers Anton Bruckner, Gustav Mahler and Edward Elgar.