Essential Classics Weekend Returns For Labor Day 2017

Photo collage: CPR/Brad Turner

Labor Day Weekend can be a dull time for classical music lovers. Most summer music festivals have wound down, and other classical organizations haven't yet kicked off their new seasons. 

We're here to help. This Labor Day Weekend, enjoy another one of our Essential Classics Weekend on CPR Classical.

Listen all weekend starting at 3 p.m. Friday for the most enduring pieces by some of history's greatest composers. We'll play music from giants like Bach, Mozart and Beethoven.  

We'll share favorites by American composers like Aaron Copland, George Gershwin and Leonard Bernstein. And we'll play some newer works by composers writing some of today's most essential pieces. 

Scroll down for a taste of what you can expect this weekend. Or, for more Labor Day listening options, try one of our podcasts. Hear a preview of our new Great Composers podcast and check out recent episodes of Centennial Sounds, featuring Colorado performances of music by 21st-century composers.

Friday highlights:

• Copland: Rodeo
• Haydn: Trumpet Concerto
• Bach: Toccata and Fugue in d minor
• Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake Suite

Saturday highlights: 

• Mussorgsky: Night on Bald Mountain
• Mozart: Symphony No. 41, "Jupiter"
• Grieg: Piano Concerto
• Debussy: String Quartet
• Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4
• Dvorak: Cello Concerto

Sunday highlights:

• Mozart: Requiem
• Bach: Goldberg Variations
• Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 4, "Italian"
• Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf
• Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 14, "Moonlight"
• Brahms: Symphony No. 4

Monday highlights include:

• Handel: Harp Concerto
• Bach: Double Violin Concerto
• Rossini: William Tell Overture
• Dvorak: Symphony No. 9, "From the New World"
• Mozart: Serenade "Gran Partita"
• Beethoven: Symphony No. 5
• Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto
• Beethoven: Symphony No. 3

What makes classical music essential in your life? Let us know in the comments section below, or leave a voicemail at 303-952-7840! We may use your comments on air.