Host, educator, conductor and composer Rob Kapilow welcomes pianist Orli Shaham to bring the mazurkas, nocturnes and Polonaises of Chopin into the spotlight on this encore presentation.

American jazz clarinetist and bandleader Benny Goodman—known as the "King of Swing”—appeared with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on several occasions in the 1960s and also recorded concertos by Weber and Nielsen with the ensemble under Jean Martinon and Morton Gould for RCA. Hear these recordings on this week's broadcast, as well as Nielsen's Helios Overture and Weber's Invitation to the Dance.

On this week's broadcast, Lorin Maazel leads the orchestra in Beethoven's seventh symphony, Messiaen's 'Les Offrandes oubliées,' and Mendelssohn's violin concerto with soloist Maxim Vengerov.

From the BBC Proms! Thomas Søndergård leads the Royal Scottish National Orchestra in Shostakovich’s powerful Eleventh Symphony — a cinematic and deeply emotional portrait of revolution, resilience, and remembrance. Also on this program, Kirill Gerstein is the soloist in Rachmaninov’s glittering Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, and Oliver Knussen pays tribute to Stravinsky in his gilded fanfare, Flourish with Fireworks. 

We are excited to welcome Peter van de Graaff as the new host for Exploring Music beginning August 24. The trumpet takes center stage this week on Exploring Music as Peter follows its story, which stretches back thousands of years and spans many cultures. We’ll listen to the Shofar, a ram’s horn from biblical times, and the ancient trumpets found in Tutankhamun's tomb; and savor the modern trumpet’s bright sound in music by Bach and Vivaldi, and in the rich and complex symphonic music of Mahler, Ravel, and Stravinsky. Join Peter weeknights at 7 pm.