Max Derrickson
musicprogramnotes.bsky.social
Max Derrickson
@musicprogramnotes.bsky.social
I am a music researcher, program note writer, music program annotator - find out more from my website: www.MusicProgramNotes.com . Each day, I also post music of lesser-known composers and lesser-known works by the great composers. Open for work, too.
Celebrating the Music of Johann Georg Albrechtsberger!
(February 3, 1736 – March 7, 1809)
Austrian composer, organist and theorist. His talent for melody and rich orchestration is evidenced here by the delightful Benedictus in Coronation Mass: youtu.be/JH8BDUOD1_I?...
Johann Georg Albrechtsberger (1736-1809) - Missa in C pro coronatione (1792)
YouTube video by Pau NG
youtu.be
February 5, 2026 at 7:37 PM
Celebrating the Music of Yrjö Kilpinen!
(February 4, 1892 – March 2, 1959)
Finnish composer, known as the "Arctic puritan.” Here is deeply moving Lieder um den Tod (Songs About Death), Op. 62: No. 6. Unverlierbare Gewahr (Inviolable Guarantee): www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbAd...
Lieder um den Tod (Songs About Death) , Op. 62: No. 6. Unverlierbare Gewahr (Inviolable Guarantee)
YouTube video by Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra - Topic
www.youtube.com
February 4, 2026 at 8:32 PM
Celebrating the Music of Luigi Dallapiccola!
(February 3, 1904 – February 19, 1975)
Italian composer, pianist and teacher. Here is a haunting thing of night beauty, his Piccola Notturna Musica (1954): www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Asa...
Luigi Dallapiccola: Piccola Musica Notturna (1954)
YouTube video by TheWelleszCompany
www.youtube.com
February 3, 2026 at 8:04 PM
Celebrating the Music of Felix Mendelssohn!
(February 3, 1809 – November 4, 1847)
Here is one of two masterpieces that put Mendelssohn on the musical map… written amazingly early in his life at age 17 – his Midsummer Night’s Dream Overture: www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0gH...
Mendelssohn - A Midsummer Night's Dream: Overture (Abbado)
YouTube video by ArtyClassical
www.youtube.com
February 3, 2026 at 7:55 PM
Celebrating the Music of Guillame Lekeu!
(January 20, 1870 – January 21, 1894)
Belgian composer. Here is Lekeu’s mystical and lush Adagio pour Quatuor d'Orchestre (1891, written at the age of 19): www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdOM...
Guillaume Lekeu - Adagio pour Quatuor d'Orchestre (1891)
YouTube video by musicanth
www.youtube.com
February 3, 2026 at 3:37 PM
Celebrating the Music of Gottfried August Homilius!
(February 2, 1714 – June 2, 1785)
German organist and composer Homilius is generally considered the most important organist to follow JS Bach. Here is a tender Chorale Prelude, Gelobet seist du Jesu Christ:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNtx...
Gottfried August Homilius (1714-1785): Gelobet seist du Jesu Christ
YouTube video by Fans of Maurizio Machella
www.youtube.com
February 2, 2026 at 8:30 PM
Celebrating the Music of Reinhold Glière!
(January 11, 1875 – June 23, 1956)
Russian composer. Here is another great musical moment from Glière, Movement 3 of his lyrical Horn Concerto:
www.youtube.com/watch?app=de...
Glière: Horn Concerto- mov. 3
YouTube video by dattrumpetboyCR
www.youtube.com
January 11, 2026 at 6:46 PM
Celebrating the Music of William Yeates Hurlstone!
(January 7, 1876 – May 30, 1906)
English composer. Here is the work that won the celebrated student entry into the Royal Academy of Music, his Trio for Piano, Clarinet and Bassoon: www.youtube.com/watch?v=hY1G...
William Yeates Hurlstone: Trio in G minor for clarinet, bassoon and piano
YouTube video by Igor Františak
www.youtube.com
January 10, 2026 at 7:56 PM
Celebrating the Music of John Knowles Paine!
(January 9, 1839 – April 25, 1906)
American composer. Here, a beautiful-brooding-fantastically lyrical Adagio from his Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 23 – (1875):
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QrO...
Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 23: Adagio
YouTube video by New York Philharmonic - Topic
www.youtube.com
January 9, 2026 at 8:34 PM
Celebrating the Music of Sigismond Thalberg!
(January 8, 1812 – April 27, 1871)
Austrian pianist and composer. Here’s a lovely thing by this piano genius, his Nocturne in A flat Major, op. 21 n. 1 (1837):
www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4bc...
Thalberg, Nocturne in A flat Major, op. 21 n. 1 (1837)
YouTube video by huakinthoi
www.youtube.com
January 8, 2026 at 7:20 PM
Celebrating the Music of Franz Xaver Scharwenka
(January 6, 1850 – December 8, 1924)
German pianist, conductor and teacher. Here is the high-spirited-plus-moody Intermezzo movement to his crowning piano concerto – No 4 in F minor:
youtu.be/zoUwY1H671k?...
Xaver Scharwenka - Piano Concerto No. 4 in F minor
YouTube video by olla-vogala
youtu.be
January 7, 2026 at 8:23 PM
Celebrating the Music of Max Bruch!
(January 6, 1838 – October 2, 1920)
German composer. Here is a piece that deserves a little more popularity – Bruch’s Romanze, Op. 85, for viola and orchestra www.youtube.com/watch?app=de...
Miles Hoffman plays Bruch Romanze, Op. 85, for viola and orchestra
YouTube video by MilesHoffmanViola
www.youtube.com
January 7, 2026 at 8:22 PM
Celebrating the Music of Francis Poulenc!
(January 7, 1899 – January 30, 1963)
French composer . Here is the fantastic, mysterious, beautiful movement, the Domine Deus, from his late Gloria – truly one of the great Choral works in the 20th C.: www.youtube.com/watch?app=de...
Poulenc: Gloria, FP 177: III. Domine Deus
YouTube video by Kathleen Battle - Topic
www.youtube.com
January 7, 2026 at 8:20 PM
Celebrating the Music of Nicolai Karlovich Medtner!
(January 5, 1880 – November 13, 1951)
Russian composer, pianist. Listen to the exquisite opening of this Piano Quintet (and the entire piece is very well worth the time, too) – it’s effervescent and transcendent: www.youtube.com/watch?app=de...
Medtner Piano Quintet
YouTube video by atsusiueno
www.youtube.com
January 5, 2026 at 7:50 PM
Celebrating the Music of Josef Suk!
(January 4, 1874 – May 29, 1935)
Czech composer, Suk’s music is tuneful and sophisticated, and always surprisingly fresh. This is a splendid piece by this great composer:
Scherzo Fantastico, Op. 25:
www.youtube.com/watch?app=de...
Josef Suk : Scherzo Fantastico op. 25
YouTube video by Stefano Sauli
www.youtube.com
January 5, 2026 at 7:48 PM
Celebrating the Music of Giovanni Battista Pergolesi!
(January 4, 1710 – March 16 or 17, 1736)
Italian composer Giovanni Battista Draghi (“Pergolesi”). Here, his Stabat Mater, a great example of Italian “durezze e ligature” style and an adventure into the sublime:
youtu.be/nfcj9TQP47A?...
Pergolesi - Stabat Mater (Concerto)
YouTube video by Antonio Puccio
youtu.be
January 4, 2026 at 7:23 PM
Celebrating the Music of Mili Alexeyevich Balakirev!
(January 2, 1837 – May 29, 1910)
Russian composer and pianist, organizer of the Russian “Mighty Five.” Here is his famous, and wonderful, Islamey, Op. 18: www.youtube.com/watch?app=de...
Balakirev - Islamey
YouTube video by Bochum96
www.youtube.com
January 4, 2026 at 7:19 PM
Celebrating the Music of Péter Eötvös!
(January 2, 1944 – March 24, 2024)
Transylvanian (now Romania) composer, conductor. Here is Eötvös’s Multiversum, for Organ, Hammond Organ and Orchestra – evocative and surreal, filled with exquisite colors and sounds:
www.youtube.com/watch?app=de...
Eötvös: Multiversum ∙ hr-Sinfonieorchester ∙ Iveta Apkalna ∙ László Fassang ∙ Peter Eötvös
YouTube video by hr-Sinfonieorchester – Frankfurt Radio Symphony
www.youtube.com
January 3, 2026 at 7:29 PM
Celebrating the Music of Sir Michael Kemp Tippett!
(January 2, 1905 – January 8, 1998)
English composer. Here is a (pre-war) drifting, haunting but sweet movement from a larger, very wonderful work, the Adagio from his Concerto for Double String Orchestra (1939): www.youtube.com/watch?app=de...
Sir Michael Tippett - Concerto for Double String Orchestra - Adagio
YouTube video by AntPDC
www.youtube.com
January 3, 2026 at 7:27 PM
Celebrating the Music of, and Happy Birthday to, Eric Whitacre!
(January 2, 1970 – )
American composer and conductor. Here’s his meltingly beautiful piece for cello and orchestra, The River Cam:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnc9...
The River Cam - Eric Whitacre
YouTube video by Daniel Brusch
www.youtube.com
January 2, 2026 at 9:33 PM
Celebrating the Music of František Xaver Brixi!
(January 2, 1732 – October 14, 1771)
Czech (Bohemia) organist and composer. Here, his lovely, light and lilting Andante molto (Movement 2) from his Organ Concerto in D-major:
youtu.be/iIfMHW2hSJg?...
František Xaver Brixi - Organ Concerto in D-major
YouTube video by KuhlauDilfeng4
youtu.be
January 2, 2026 at 9:31 PM
More Celebration of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina!
(c. 1525 – February 2, 1594)
Here's another miraculous work, Missa Papae Marcelli:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRfF...
Palestrina, Missa Papae Marcelli. The Tallis Scholars, Peter Phillips
YouTube video by Mnemósine Amnésica
www.youtube.com
January 1, 2026 at 7:41 PM
Celebrating the Music of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina!
(c. 1525 – February 2, 1594)
Italian composer Pierluigi (born in Palestrina, near Rome). Western music owes a lot of its ideas to Palestrina. Here is a bright and glorious Gloria:
www.youtube.com/watch?app=de...
Palestrina - Gloria
YouTube video by Some Good Tunes
www.youtube.com
January 1, 2026 at 7:39 PM
… And Happy (Gregorian Calendar) New Year’s Eve, Everyone!
www.youtube.com/watch?app=de...

Robert Burns - 1759-1796
Auld Lang Syne
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne!
...
Auld Lang Syne
YouTube video by Procrasticus
www.youtube.com
December 31, 2025 at 4:20 PM