I've always been curious about the programming on XM Radio's classical
channel. However, I could never get any details on it since they didn't
have any Internet audio streaming nor would they send me lists of the
music they played in the past.
About four weeks ago I was loaned an XM Radio home unit for a free trial.
I've been logging the music that's played on the XM Classical 110 station
and I wanted to share the results so far with you. (See below.) Please
note that the log is quite haphazard.
Nevertheless, I was tremendously disappointed with XM's offerings.
Firstly, their programming is almost as narrow as that of the terrestrial
radio stations. Their playlist is firmly in the 19th century, and overall
stays with the "safe" and "comfortable" composers. The Paul Schoenfield
(1947*) was a nice surprise on my first evening, but after that, very
few pleasant surprises except for the J.E. Gardiner commentary.
Secondly, and most surprisingly, they often repeat play for compositions,
and several times at that. You'll see in my list several hits of Prokofiev
Concerto #3 and Sym #5, Strauss Alpensymphonie, and of all things, the
Oboe Trio of Anton Wranitsky (1761-1820). I also noticed that the Berlioz
Requiem and the BBC Proms had been repeated, but I didn't log them the
repeat times.
Keep in mind that this is their flagship Classical station, as opposed
to their Classical Pops station.
Anyway, for those of you considering an XM Radio subscription because
of their classical station, I hope this information is useful to you.
Log follows:
---------------
Thursday, August 26, 2004
Morning
Spohr string quintet; Mozart A major piano sonata K331; John
Knowles Payne Sym #1
Afternoon
ravel daphnis and chloe; chopin mazurkas op. 59; Rachmaninov
symphonic dances; byrd will you walk; mozart allegro assai (?)
Evening
Paul Schoenfield viola concerto; Mendelssohn sym #1; Louise
Farrenc Sym #2; Brahms piano quintet; Barber violin concerto;
Copland Sym #3; Sweelinck echo fantasia; Mozart clarinet
concerto; Reicha wind quintet
Friday Aug 27th
morning
Buxtehude; Bach Brandenburg #1; Tchaikovsky violin concerto;
Bach Prelude & Fugue #18
Afternoon
Mozart piano concerto K. 488; Mendelssohn cello sonata #1
Evening
Bartok Dance Suite; Mozart violin and viola duo; Dvorak
Symphony #8; Beethoven Triple Concerto; Bach Brandenburg #3;
Berlioz Requiem; Prokofiev Sym #5
Sunday Aug 29th
Afternoon
Stravinsky Sym in E-flat
Monday Aug 30th
Morning
Haydn Sym #54
Afternoon
St Saens quartet #1; Chopin piano concerto #1; Schubert
Impromptus; Telemann Paris quartet #3
Evening
Nielsen Aladdin Suite; Sibelius Sym. #2; Strauss Alpensinfonie
Tuesday
Morning
Kalinnikov Sym #2; Brahms Clarinet Trio; Haydn Sym. #102
Afternoon
Schubert Sym. #2
Sat Sep 18
Morning
Schubert Piano Trio in E-flat; J.E. Gardiner commentary on
Beethoven's 9th; Beethoven Sym #9
Monday
Morning
Prokofiev Piano Concerto #3; Strauss Alpensinfonie
Afternoon
Weber Piano Sonata #4; Brahms String quintet #1
Evening
Stamitz Clarinet Concerto #10; Sullivan Pineapple Poll
Tuesday
Morning
Mendelssohn String quartet op. 44 #2
Afternoon
Beethoven piano concerto #4; Spohr Sym #1
Evening
Copland Sym #3; Hoffmeister Sinfonia Concertante; Beethoven
Sym #5; Goldmark Rustic Wedding Symphony
Wed Sep 22
Morning
Wranitsky Oboe Trio
Afternoon
Bach Kybd Concerto #1; Mendelssohn Piano Trio #1; Bruckner Sym. #7
Thursday
Morning
Coleridge-Taylor Violin Concerto; Prokofiev Sym #5; Brahms
Violin Sonata #1
Afternoon
Grieg Peer Gynt; Chopin Etudes op. 10; Raff Sym #9
Evening
Britten Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra
Friday
Morning
Schumann Sym #1; Bach Kybd Concerto #1; BBC Proms 1995;
Cherubini String Quartet
Evening
Brahms 2 piano sonata; Tchaikovsky Swan Lake; Delius Florida
Suite
Sat
Morning
Parry English Suite
Evening
Beethoven Choral Fantasy; Prokofiev piano concerto #3; Hovaness
Mysterious Mountain, Strauss Alpensymphonie, Mozart piano
sonata #6; Wranitsky Oboe Trio.
David
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