MUSIClassical ALLEGRO
Now Playing: broadcast of June 12, 1944 with Robert Casadesus, pianist
Topic: MUSIClassical CONCERT
This weekend on the LIVE365 VIP MUSIClassical CONCERT you will be hearing with our selections...a 1944 broadcast of the Bell Telephone program featuring pianist Robert Casadesus. The Bell Telephone Hour was a musical-themed radio series which ran on the NBC radio network from 1940 to 1958, The Bell Telephone Hour showcased the best in classical and Broadway music each week. These weekly 30-minute NBC radio broadcasts, featuring classical and light classical music, began on Apr. 29, 1940 and continued until 1958. In September, 1959, the Bell Telephone Hour made its television debut as a monthly musical special. It remained a regular television program until April 26, 1968. Broadcasts chiefly originated from New York City, sponsored by the Bell Telephone Company (American Telephone and Telegraph). Each 30-minute program generally featured a guest singer or instrumentalist, with the Bell Telephone Hour Orchestra, conducted by Donald Voorhees. The program you will hear on our MUSIClassical CONCERT series this weekend can be heard online via the LIVE365.com network. To subscribe click the "MUSIClassical CONCERT LISTEN LINK" above. ...MORE about Robert Casadesus
Even as the New York Philharmonic has named a young, fast-rising American talent to be its next music director, the orchestra has engaged the services of a top-of-the-profession veteran in the mold of Lorin Maazel and Kurt Masur, the Philharmonic's current music director and his predecessor. 
Alan Gilbert, who grew up attending New York Philharmonic rehearsals while his parents played in the violin section and who became known on tours as the kid passing out the players' passports, has just entered a new stage in his relationship with the orchestra. He has been appointed the Philharmonic's music director, effective with the 2009-10 season. 
Now his popularity is arguably unmatched by any young performer in classical music today. Steinway & Sons is even naming one of its pianos after him, and already he has performed with every major international orchestra. If that isn't enough, he's also appeared on "Sesame Street." Yet a ubiquitous presence is often a mixed blessing, and Lang Lang has received his share of flack. "All facade and no substance" is the common complaint, but the young star is quickly maturing before our eyes. While his musicmaking may reveal some inconsistencies, he is capable of stunningly beautiful moments. 
The American operatic tenor Jerry Hadley, noted for his bright lyric voice, lively acting and adventurous choice of repertory, died today in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. He was 55. 
For over three decades, Kurt Masur was both one of the world's best classical-music conductors and the most prominent one from communist East Germany. But perhaps his finest hour came on the political stage in 1989. Masur was born on July 18, 1927 in what is now the city of Brzeg in Poland. The son of an engineer, he taught himself piano as a young child and quickly specialized in conducting -- despite suffering from a nervous stutter. 
So, you think the classical recording business is dead in the water? Think again. Web-based options are helping to fill the void created by the shuttering of retail shops that once devoted extensive shelf space to classical music. 