Classical Countdown and more on WETA Classical this Thanksgiving week!

Our listeners have spoken and we are playing back the top 100 voted for pieces! The countdown begins on Monday, with the top finishers playing on Thanksgiving evening. Tune in throughout the week to catch the countdown and check out weta.org/countdown to track the progress. And be sure to tune in on Thanksgiving evening to see which piece made the No. 1 spot!

Front Row Washington presents an opportunity to listen to the music of J. S. Bach from two different perspectives: from the harpsichord with Richard Egarr and from the guitar with Eliot Fisk. Tune in on Monday at 9PM ET to hear two different presentations of Bach!

Giuseppe Verdi’s lighthearted and final opera Falstaff is presented this week on Opera Matinee. Based on Shakespeare's Merry Wives of Windsor and Henry IV, it is full of merriment and mischief as the knight Falstaff attempts to seduce two women to access to their husbands' wealth. This production of National Centre for the Performing Arts stars Robert de Candia in the title role. Saturday at 1PM ET!

UrbanArias, "Opera. Short. New." lives up to their description. Founded by General Director Robert Wood in 2010, UrbanArias has produced over 30 operas, dedicated to breaking down the perceived barriers that keep people from engaging with opera. This week, Center Stage from Wolf Trap features UrbanArias performing songs by American composers, and the world premiere performance of Unknown from Wolf Trap, a tribute to unidentified fallen soldiers. Saturday night at 9PM ET.

Image

Our saints' month concludes this weekend on Choral Showcase with a work from 1948 by Benjamin Britten Sunday night at 9PM ET. Saint Nicholas recounts the stories of a 4th century bishop from Asia Minor known for his acts of kindness and generosity. This cantata involves several choruses and singers, yet still sounds intimate. We'll finish with a look ahead to December's programming with selected Christmas carols by Britten.

On this week's From the Top, we hear a mambo for harp, one of Debussy’s earliest works, a Spiritual arranged by composer Margaret Bonds, and a fiddle finale with a 12-year-old national champion. Sunday at 6PM ET.

A bit of excitement on this week's Classical Sunrise! Linda Carducci starts your day with a part of Classical Countdown Monday through Thursday. Perhaps a piece you voted for will greet your day this week!

• Monday 6:57AM Johann Strauss II - On the Beautiful Blue Danube Waltz
• Tuesday 6:58AM Bach - Brandenburg Concerto No. 4
• Wednesday 6:59AM Grieg - "Morning Mood" from Peer Gynt
• Thursday 7:00AM This one will be a surprise!
• Friday 7:01AM Dora Pejacevic - Piano Trio, Op. 29: I. Allegro con moto