Five O’Clock Favorite

Hosted by
Christa Wessel

Five O’Clock Favorite

Every weekday at 5:00 PM PT

Every weekday at 5:00 PM PT, All Classical Radio and host Christa Wessel invite listeners to be part of the programming. During the Five O’Clock Favorite, you’ll hear a listener-suggested piece of music along with a personal story about their choice. With pieces that are fun and familiar, music for remembrance and reflection, and everything in between, the Five O’Clock Favorite is a perfect way to ease your commute, end your workday, or start off your evening soundtrack on All Classical Radio. 

graphic for five o clock fav

Your Host
Christa Wessel

Weekdays at 5:00, you’ll find me in my happy place on the radio: sharing your Five O’Clock Favorite. This special program is an opportunity for me to celebrate listeners’ memories and favorite pieces of classical music. Our stories connect us to each other, and this daily segment allows us to hear what’s in the hearts of our friends and neighbors. I hope you’ll submit your suggestion for a future Five O’Clock Favorite!

Christa Wessel
woman with glasses sitting on a blue couch, leaning slightly forward — Photo by Christine Dong

Submit your favorite piece:
Suggestions are easiest to honor if they’re 20 minutes or less.

Recent Favorites

Air date: April 8, 2026

Clair de lune, Claude Debussy

Suggested by Kris in Portland, Oregon

I first heard this when I was next to the Columbia River one night while I was on a date. So that's why I like it.

Air date: April 7, 2026

String Quartet No.12 in C minor, ‘Quartettsatz’, Franz Schubert

Suggested by Ted in Portland, Oregon

Schubert is probably my favorite composer. This quartet is so melodic with great textural twists and turns. It's a compelling composition imo.

Air date: April 6, 2026

Arabesque No. 1, Claude Debussy

Suggested by Adrian in Portland, Oregon

There were a handful of piano pieces that Mom used to play when I was a kid. Debussy's First Arabesque is special among them for me. Once when I was away from home and feeling scared and lonely, I heard it and it took me right back home, sitting in the living room listening to Mom play; it gave me comfort. Now that Mom is gone, I listen for "bits" of her on the radio, Mozart sonatas, Chopin preludes and waltzes, Liszt's Liebestraum, and especially Debussy's First Arabesque. Thanks, All Classical, for being there and for doing what you do.

Air date: April 2, 2026

Canon in D, Johann Pachelbel

Suggested by Chenhao in Portland, Oregon

I played this song on piano once and would love to hear it by professionals. It's just such a heartwarming piece!

Air date: April 1, 2026

Capriccio Espagnol, Opus 34, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

Suggested by Gary in Elba, Alabama

As a young child whenever my father was not at work, he would be playing his classical LPs on the tabletop Sears Silvertone HiFi and filling the house with music that I could have cared less about. If it wasn't the Beach Boys, Ventures, or Beatles it just wasn't music. Although my father had no formal music training nor had he played an instrument (in fact he had to drop out of his junior year in high school during WWII to enlist and be able to support his mother and three sisters) he simply had an ear and appreciation for the classics. He would say, "not now but someday you will truly love this music." And he was right, I do. This requested piece for some reason always seemed to be playing when my mother, two brothers and I came home from church. Every time I hear it I think of those Sunday mornings and to myself say, you were right Dad.

Air date: March 31, 2026

The Lark in the Clear Air, Traditional Irish

Suggested by Elisabeth in Portland, Oregon

This is a song that I heard recently on All Classical, and, enjoying melodies as much as I do, I found this very appealing. I found a few tutorial videos to try to learn to play it myself!

Air date: March 30, 2026

Bolero, Maurice Ravel

Suggested by Nicole in Portland, Oregon

This "non-traditional" piece is one of my favorites because it is an intense journey that makes me want to dance and also has a seductive feel. Thank you!

Air date: March 27, 2026

The Planets: Neptune, The Mystic, Gustav Holst

Suggested by Sarah in Portland, Oregon

I've played All Classical on our radio at home since my children were born (now 23 and 19), and I've dragged my husband to many Oregon Symphony performances. The one he still talks about is The Planets. The choir created the sense of sound fading away at the end the piece by singing in the lobby and gradually closing the doors to the auditorium. Amazing!

Air date: March 26, 2026

Symphony No. 9, “From the New World”: Largo, Antonin Dvorak

Suggested by Alicia in Hillsboro, Oregon

The Largo movement, Going Home, from Dvorak's New World Symphony was a particular favorite of my late husband, Sam, who was a British Army veteran. All Classical recently aired a recording of this piece by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, and I thought the arrangement was one of the best I'd heard, second only to hearing it played on a bagpipe! I'd actually love to have you play a piper's recording of Going Home, but Edmund Stone and I might be among the few of All Classical listeners to truly enjoy it!

Air date: March 25, 2026

In the Steppes of Central Asia, Alexander Borodin

Suggested by Alva in Wichita, Kansas

My paternal Grandparents were both born in Ukraine. That is not quite central Asia, but steppes -or open grassland- was there too.

Later my family relocated to NW Kansas where farm land was available, with its wide open fields

Ever since I first heard "In the steppes of Central Asia" it made me feel "at home" on the large, flat fields I cultivated as a teenager.

I am now 88 years old with wonderful memories of my Grandmother telling me about the preparations made the previous winter to bring their "Turkey Red" winter seed wheat to America.

Air date: March 24, 2026

Thais: Meditation, Jules Massenet

Suggested by Patrick in Hillsboro, Oregon

When my late wife Sara and I moved to the Portland area in 2001, we fell in love with the Oregon Symphony and All Classical Radio. Sara came from a musical family and developed a real appreciation for the kind of music played by the Symphony and 89.9. She especially loved Massenet’s “Méditation from Thaïs.” In fact, she asked that it be the centerpiece of the music for her memorial service. March 5th was her birthday.

Air date: March 23, 2026

Road to Perdition: Cathedral, Thomas Newman

Suggested by Diane in West Linn, Oregon

On a South American trip with All Classical, we visited the Santiago Opera House. Absolutely stunning! The program was a Phillip Glass Retrospective concert. After the trip I found myself listening to a mix of Phillip Glass-like music for meditation purposes, and this piece -“Cathedral”- popped up and I fell in love with it.

Air date: March 9, 2026

The Four Seasons: Winter, Antonio Vivaldi

Suggested by Morgan in Bend, Oregon

Like many classical music lovers, I came to adore this music in adulthood. My background was first hip hop, then Argentine tango music, and finally, finally, classical. I first fell in love about 10 years ago... to the soothing sounds of Andrea Murray between 10pm and 2am. As my palate expanded, the breadth of the genre opened itself to me. This version of Winter is—for lack of a more genre-relevant term—an absolute BANGER. My head bops, my jaw clenches, my teeth are gritted in a state of suspended aggression that borders on euphoria. Monica Huggett attacks the piece, it is violently beautiful, and it moves me, it inspires me, it gets me hyped. Lastly, it is the space between the notes, the exquisite suspension of time that keeps me on the edge of my seat, eager, ever more eager to hear it again.

Air date: March 5, 2026

Cavalleria Rusticana: Intermezzo, Pietro Mascagni

Suggested by Morris in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Of all my many favourite classical pieces, there are few that can match the beauty, depth and meaning of the Intermezzo from Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana. I could say more, but just listen!

Air date: March 4, 2026

Two Waltzes in C, George Gershwin

Suggested by Dave in Federal Way, Washington

Despite the title, this is just one piece of music. Gershwin starts with one waltz, then transitions into the second, then overlays them. I've played this myself for decades, but I don't think I've *ever* heard it performed, either live or on the radio. Perhaps it's never even been recorded! If it has, I'd like to hear a professional's interpretation and, of course, to share this little-known piece with all the listeners.

Air date: March 3, 2026

German Requiem: How Lovely is Thy Dwelling Place, Johannes Brahms

Suggested by Marcia in Vancouver, Washington

February 12 would have been my mother’s 104th birthday. She passed away in 2006. My mother was passionate about classical music. She sang in church choirs and also sang professionally - choir soloist, at weddings, etc. it’s to her that I owe my own love of classical music.
My mom’s favorite composer was Brahms. In particular she loved to sing “How Lovely is thy Dwelling Place.” Would you play it in her honor?
Thank you, Mom, for passing on your love of music, as well as the many other gifts you gave me. I can still hear your voice.

Air date: March 2, 2026

Milonga del Angel, Astor Piazzolla

Suggested by Mike in Woodburn, Oregon

I played French Horn starting in the fourth grade and majored in Music and Sound Recording Technology in college. The horn has occupied a special place in my soul and I was brought to tears the first ten times I heard this piece played by Radek Baborak. He is the finest horn player I've ever heard. His tone and articulation set him apart from other greats. The horn part on this track is brief but he just makes the instrument sing like no other. I only wish I'd heard this early in my playing career so that I knew what was possible and could have tried to emulate it.

Air date: February 27, 2026

Hansel & Gretel: Evening Prayer, Engelbert Humperdinck

Suggested by Carrie in Portland, Oregon

When I was a little girl in the early 1960s, my parents were the ones who controlled our phonograph and all the music that we listened to at home. They had a phenomenal collection, but it was off limits to the kids. When I went next door to my best friend's house, however, she and I were allowed to play whatever records we liked on the record player in her basement. We discovered all sorts of wonderful music in her father's collection, and would play endless make-believe games at the same time. Our most impactful musical epiphany was the haunting lullaby from Hansel and Gretel, which we would listen to while we acted out the scariest part of the story. Those fourteen guardian angels were so magical and so real to me. For the entirety of my childhood I imagined those surrounding angels keeping me safe in my bed and protecting my sleep every night. I return instantly to my youngest self whenever I hear this gorgeous piece of music played.

Air date: February 26, 2026

The Planets: Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity, Gustav Holst

Suggested by Clari in Beaverton, Oregon

The first time I heard this piece, I was grumpy and tired. The upbeat pace of the music galloping along turned around my mood and made the rest of my commute a more pleasant experience. I still play this piece when I'm down in the dumps, and the jovial music lifts my spirit.

Air date: February 25, 2026

Fanfare for the Common Man, Aaron Copland

Suggested by Rae in Gaston, Oregon

This piece of music is dedicated to the fine folks in Minnesota. We see you, hear you, and we love you.

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