30 Days of Music Tidbits, Day 11, Classical Radio on the Web

These are commonly assumed to be dark times for classical radio, although whether there have ever been truly bright times for this genre I’m not completely sure. Although I almost seldom turn on my local radio station over the air, I am a very content user of many online stations. So for me, at least, it’s just a shift, not a loss.

Three streaming stations–chosen from many–that I particular enjoy:

wqxrWQXR from New York is high on my list. They still play opera every Saturday, and have recently launched a show called “The Sopranos” with Debbie Voight. Quite a good web site as well, and they have an app.

BBC Radio 3 is superb all around–not just for the Proms which they do every summer. Lots of interesting talk amidst bbc3the music, which has a good complement of live offerings, including Wigmore Hall. Shows are archived often for a week, and some for longer. If you are a choral singer or fan of that repertoire, their program “The Choir” is fascinating. Their web site is part of the overall BBC one, and they have an app, although last I checked it doesn’t work in the U.S.

br_klassikMy German is rudimentary, but that has not stopped me from listening a lot to BR-Klassik, out of Munich, which has the benefit of coming from a country that is well-provisioned with classical ensembles, be they orchestras, choral groups or operas. Lots of live music, and a refreshing range of what counts as classical. Their hourly nachrichten is a good test for anybody’s long ago German I. The only thing I can reliably get is the weather.

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