While other classical radio stations schedule music in rigid blocks of one hour (or less), the Essential Classics is independent of the clock. This enables you to hear complete works uninterrupted, such as Tchaikovsky’s Pathetique, Mahler’s Resurrection and Bruckner’s Fourth Symphony.

Here we embrace and celebrate the kaleidoscopic diversity of the classical genre. The history of women in classical music IS the history of classical music, as you’ll hear in our regular broadcasts of works by Hildegard of Bingen, Marianne Martines, Louise Farrenc, Ellen Zwilich and Libby Larsen. We amplify the voices of the great Black composers Duke Ellington, William Grant Still, Florence Price, and Lexington’s own Julia Perry. And we feature unforgettable performances by Black and female conductors like Dean Dixon, Henry Lewis, Marin Alsop, Calvin Simmons, Paul Freeman, JoAnn Falletta and James DePreist.

Through it all, we let the music speak for itself. This guarantees you a seamless musical experience flowing effortlessly from one selection to the next. Still, we love to talk about the music -- off the air. Especially on our host’s Twitter feed: @Tom_Godell. We even ‘live Tweet’ about the music from time to time. You’ll also find articles of interest posted here, so you can read more about our composers and performers. See below for our profile of neglected Swiss composer Joachim Raff.

Speaking of Herr Raff, another goal of the Essential Classics is to bring you music you may not have heard before, but will definitely want to hear again. Listen for such rarities as Franz Schmidt’s enchanting Variations on a Theme by Josef Labor (two forgotten composers for the price of one!), Marie Grandval’s majestic Grand Sonata for Violin, Franz Berwald’s Symphonie Singuliere, and American symphonies by the score.

You’ll find Essential Classics Spotify playlists at:

• https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3NSiLP1aMQO9EuMGwt59gJ
• https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1fjSGU66XISvuihJa3Yq1q
• https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2rwUMPhdc30q5a8oIUj6os
• https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1NoZIMYtYGcZ0OjL0ypfxZ
• https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3IFupbubtqQ7jrsVgGw3hT

Your comments, suggestions, and ideas are always welcome. Email us any time at wuky@wuky.org. And thanks so much for listening (and supporting) the Essential Classics @ 91.3 HD-2.