Labor Day Weekend Means A Great Classical Playlist

Labor Day Weekend is the “in-between” season for classical music lovers.

The summer music festivals (20 this year) are generally over but the main performing organizations haven’t yet kicked off their new seasons. So there’s not much live classical music to go see.

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 2 p.m. Thursday 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. It’s one essential after another for over 100 straight hours!

Scroll down for a taste of what you can expect this weekend. Or, for more Labor Day listening options, try one of our podcasts. Explore the music of Mozart, Leonard Bernstein and Sergei Rachmaninoff in our Great Composers podcast, or check out an episode of Centennial Sounds, featuring Colorado performances of music by 21st-century composers.

Thursday highlights:

• Beethoven: Symphony No. 1
• Rossini: William Tell Overture
• Dvorak: Symphony No. 9 “From the New World” (performed by the Colorado Symphony)

Friday highlights:

• Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 “Pastoral”
• Mozart: Symphony No. 25
• Gershwin: An American in Paris
• Vaughan Williams: The Lark Ascending
• Opera favorites from Bizet’s “Carmen”, Bellini’s “Norma”, Puccini’s “Gianni Schicchi” and more.

Saturday highlights:

• Mozart: Clarinet Quintet
• Handel: Music for the Royal Fireworks
• Johann Strauss II: Blue Danube Waltz
• Debussy: La Mer
• Brahms: Symphony #4
• Elgar: Cello Concerto

Sunday highlights:

• Mozart: Coronation Mass
• Faure: Requiem
• Bach: Brandenburg Concerto #6
• Schubert: Piano Quintet “Trout”
• Beethoven: Symphony No. 5
• Copland: Appalachian Spring

Monday highlights include:

• Brahms: Violin Concerto
• Mozart: Symphony #38 “Prague”
• Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
• Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez
• Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 “Choral” (performed by the Colorado Symphony)