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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. 

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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: July 30, 2026

Spiegel im Spiegel (Mirror in the Mirror), Arvo Part

Suggested by Dan in Vancouver, Washington

The 2013 film About Time is one of my favorite movies. While it bills itself as just another romantic comedy, it is so much more. It is a movie about love and grief, of fathers and sons, and enjoying the time we have while we live.

July 31 marks 8 years since my dad's (Ron) all-too-soon death. About 1 month after his passing, I happened to be listening at work to the soundtrack for About Time and Spiegel im Spiegel came on, which is played at a very dramatic part in the movie.

My mind decided in that moment it was time for me to release all the grief I has holding on to related to my dad, which, as you may imagine, made working quite the challenge. This piece is special to me as it was the catalyst to healing in the face of death. While bitter-sweet to listen to, ultimately it calls my dad to mind and I can relive my beautiful memories with him. Thank you for all you do in keeping Classical Music a part of our lives.

Air date: July 29, 2026

Witness: Building the Barn (1985), Maurice Jarre

Suggested by Pie in Portland, Oregon

I like thinking about this scene, where the Amish built this barn by hand, with no electricity. The whole community came out to build this barn together. Wonderful symbolism for what we can do as a collective.

Air date: July 28, 2026

Rhapsody in Blue, George Gershwin

Suggested by Trish in Portland, Oregon

In 1945 my mother, Mary, was a piano major at the University of Washington in Seattle. She and my father, John, were high school sweethearts. When John was stationed in the South Pacific during WWII, they corresponded frequently. When he was sent statewide to the PT Training base in Melville, RI, Mary left college, traveled to Taunton, MA by train, and they were married on July 4, 1945...the only day he could get leave from the Navy. After the War ended they traveled back to Clark County, WA where they settled down and began their family.

My "5 O'Clock Favorite" is inspired from that time in my youth... hearing my Mom play "Rhapsody in Blue" on her piano at night after we children were in bed. I can still hear those wonderful notes and melodies as they wafted upstairs to my bedroom, long after I was supposed to be asleep. I really grew to love Gershwin!!

Air date: July 27, 2026

Cantique de Jean Racine, Gabriel Faure

Suggested by Leslie in Portland, Oregon

This is the first adult choral piece -and the first in French- that I sang, at a wonderful arts camp in 1969. My sister, who was also in that chorus, is currently visiting Portland and it would be great to share this 5:00 Favorite while she's here.

Air date: July 20, 2026

Masquerade Suite, Aram Khachaturian

Suggested by Bayard in Portland, Oregon

I have always enjoyed the music of Aram Kachaturian and I’ve always enjoyed this composition. I got my interest in classical music from dad. He could play piano very well. My brother and I used to beg him to play Sabre Dance on his piano.

Air date: July 17, 2026

Star Trek – The Next Generation: Suite from The Inner Light, Jay Chattaway

Suggested by Eliza in Vancouver, Washington

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the loss of my father, Paul, when I was nine years old. As I've gotten older, my memories of him have started to fade. I struggle to recall his face and his voice, and I so often yearn for tangible evidence that my father was once here; a living, breathing person. Although I can't make new memories with him, I can feel pieces of him all around me - even in television shows and the music inspired by them.

Dad loved "Star Trek: The Next Generation." He had a model of the USS-Enterprise on his office desk next to his old Windows '95 computer. I was too young to watch the show with him, but I recall his passion for it. One particularly moving episode, titled "The Inner Light," features Captain Picard living an entire life as another man on a dying planet. He has a wife and children and lives to old age. However, Picard awakens to find that that lifetime never happened and his beloved family never existed. All he has to remember them by are his memories - and a flute on which he plays a haunting tune; the piccolo solo heard in this piece.

When I hear this music, I feel a terrible pinch of empathy for Picard as he navigates his loss, and I think fondly of my dad, knowing he once heard this music, too. I wish I could tell him what this piece means to me now, how it makes me cherish what memories of him I still have - and how when I hear it, it always feels like he's with me, listening to it, too. Proposing "The Inner Light Suite" as a five o'clock favorite will have to do.

Air date: July 16, 2026

Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom: Let our mouths be filled, Sergei Rachmaninov

Suggested by Joni in Portland, Oregon

I grew up in the Orthodox Christian church and it used to be an integral part of my life. But that’s no longer the case. I miss many things about church, but especially the music. I have never felt closer to God than during the liturgy. Rachmaninoff’s interpretation of the Divine Liturgy heightens the beauty of the ceremony. It’s as if he took my feelings about religion and encapsulated them in song. This particular movement gets me emotional every time, especially toward the end. Even though I can’t go to church, this music scratches that spiritual itch.

Air date: July 15, 2026

The Diary of Anne Frank: If, Michael Nyman

Suggested by Bill in Salem, Oregon

I firmly believe that the saxophone is one of the most underappreciated instruments in the orchestra! (Of course I believe that... I play the sax lol!) One of my favorite classical saxophonists is Jess Gillam. and I'm hoping you can play something beautiful from her catalog of recordings... something that shows off how gorgeous the sax can be. Thank you!

Air date: July 14, 2026

Symphony No. 5: 1. Allegro con brio, Ludwig van Beethoven

Suggested by Lt. Col. Dave Beatty in Woodburn, Oregon

As we were planning for Desert Storm, the liberation of Kuwait in 1991, we needed a symbol to paint on all the Allied vehicles to mitigate friendly fire. We thought back to the "V" for Victory hand signal used perhaps most famously by Winston Churchill during WWII. Morse code for V is dot-dot-dot-dash, which is the same motif as the opening of Beethoven's Fifth. The BBC then began using Beethoven's 5th as a sonic resistance signal, just as the spread-finger V was a visual signal.

It was decided that an *inverted* V was to be used on all Desert Storm Allied vehicles, which went into battle with Beethoven's Fifth blaring from loudspeakers (or at least painted upside down on their tank).

Cheers,
David Beatty, Lt Col, USAF, Retired

Air date: July 13, 2026

Trio Sonata No. 6 in G, BWV 530, J. S. Bach

Suggested by Jack in Portland, Oregon

I feel so fortunate to have heard mandolinist Chris Thile perform for Chamber Music Northwest on Friday night! He is such a fascinating, well-rounded musician and can seemingly do it all: folk, classical, originals. He was once quoted as saying, "I think that we'll see the concept of 'genre' continue to die a slow and painful death," and I love that about him. Can you please play something from my new favorite musician?

Air date: July 10, 2026

Piano Concerto No. 1 : I. Allegro maestoso, Frederic Chopin

Suggested by Jane in Vancouver, Washington

I am 17 years old, and I have listened to 89.9 since I was old enough to switch channels on the radio. I loved it so much that I set every radio in every car we owned to this channel. Through it I have caused my brothers to have interest in classical music, too. I don’t think it’s ever too late or too early for anyone to fall in love with classical music because it’s timeless and never gets old.

I listen to this piece whenever I have a bad day or a heavy heart. It has a peaceful intro and has some intense parts to it as well, making it all the more enjoyable. When you listen to this piece, all thoughts escape your mind and you enter your imagination. From there on, the music takes you places unknown.

I love discovering new pieces to listen to because they open a new world and new feelings that you haven’t felt ever. I hope the people listing will enjoy it just as much as I do!

Air date: July 9, 2026

Adagio for Strings, Samuel Barber

Suggested by Christina in Beaverton, Oregon

I would be honored if you would play this piece on July 9 to honor Gerhard Fuerst -my father- on what would be his 90th birthday.

When I first started as Executive Director with the Beaverton Symphony, I spent the first six months in Michigan caring for my dad until he passed away. Soon after, the BSO began rehearsing this piece, and as I listened to it I would often think of my father and how much I missed him. As the piece begins with its slow and gentle yet painful struggle, I imagined what his last thoughts and breaths must have been like... but then as the music continues it beautifully builds, slowly rising as one's spirit might rise up through the clouds to heaven with the high notes of the crescendo painting a magnificent picture of what walking into heaven must be like. It is at that moment I see my father's glow walking into the light, and with the final notes of the music, a sense of peace washes over me even though I am forever saddened by this loss. I know where he is and today I celebrate with my family around the world his 90th birthday. Happy Heavenly Birthday, Papa. Alles gute zum Geburtstag.

Air date: July 8, 2026

Daphnis et Chloe: Suite No. 2, Maurice Ravel

Suggested by Zach in Salem, Oregon

I've been a listener of the Five O'Clock Favorite since I've been old enough to drive (which hasn't been that long), but now that my commute runs across the 5:00 hour, I've decided I'd like to share this wonderful work with those who may not have heard it. I experience music, as a consequence of being a musical child of musical parents (or at least I think), as follows: my mind constantly works to create natural scenes that mimic the soundscape of the works I'm listening to. It's a way for me to interpret the emotion of the piece: I look at the picture in my head, and think about how it makes me feel, and that is the feeling the music invokes. And, while I can enjoy melodies, sometimes I miss out on them because my mind is working on the background voices instead. In the beginning of this piece, Ravel takes a step away from the process for me: he masterfully describes a scene so that I can enjoy the melody simply for what it is. The hints of sunlight rippling across the morning sky as the birds awake, the flutter of butterflies' wings, and the shimmers of wind mean that when the sun comes out in the brilliant rays (pun intended) of the music, I get to enjoy the beauty of music with no unconscious thinking attached. It brings me immense peace, and I think some of us in rush hour traffic might enjoy it too!

Air date: July 7, 2026

Symphony No. 5: II. Andante con moto, Franz Schubert

Suggested by Anne in Portland, Oregon

It was a typical Friday spring afternoon in the Pacific Northwest. I found myself trying to get from one side of Portland to the other... it was no surprise that it was raining, a real gullywasher and visibility was limited, which resulted in a gridlock at the entry to the freeway. I was caught there in the middle of it going nowhere.

I had my radio tuned to All Classical as usual hoping to be distracted. The announcer said that the next piece of music coming up would be a Shubert symphony. I wondered if it was my FAVORITE Shubert Symphony, the Fifth.
It turned out it WAS the Fifth, and suddenly the rain stopped, clouds parted, and traffic started moving. NOT! (This is the Pacific Northwest after all)

It actually took some time for the weather to change, but my INTERNAL weather had changed, so the rain no longer mattered... the music had the desired effect on me. Eventually I got home, having enjoyed the magic of this piece, and the power of music to erase the disaster that was still going on outside my vehicle.

I am especially fond of the second movement of this piece. It is difficult to comprehend that Schubert was only 19 when he wrote it.

Air date: July 6, 2026

The Darkest Midnight in December, Kelly-Marie Murphy

Suggested by Kathi in Camas, Washington

When the weather is so hot, here is a Christmas carol to counter the weather so that we can remember there is life beyond 90+ degrees. I first heard this when Portland's vocal ensemble In Mulieribus sang it a couple of years ago. I sat in the back, eyes closed, let the music wash over me. I caught my breath, then wept. At that moment I had never heard anything so heartbreakingly beautiful in my entire life. And this is from a person who can only listen to Ralph Vaughn Williams Variations on a Theme of Thomas Tallis once a year because any more reduces me to a quivering mass of weeping jelly!

Air date: July 2, 2026

The Four Seasons: Winter, Antonio Vivaldi

Suggested by Catherine in Troutdale, Oregon

In 1995, my future husband and I took our first tropical vacation together in Cozumel. It was a wondrous adventure, but at the same time very hot and humid. One morning we returned a motorcycle we had rented, and noticed a coffee shop across the street with a Mayan design as their logo. We went inside and discovered a quiet, air conditioned café with iced coffees, pastries and Vivaldi's Four Seasons playing in the background. After the heat and humidity outside, this felt like heaven on earth. Fun times are never forgotten!

Air date: July 1, 2026

Serenade to Music (Orchestral Version), Ralph Vaughan Williams

Suggested by Daniel in Pacific City, Oregon

My love of classical music has its roots in my earliest memories, reaching back over 7 decades. It was inspired deeply by my Dad, whose passion for such music formed the backdrop of my youth. Over the years, I have grown to increasingly appreciate that, as one of humanity’s greatest art-forms, such magnificent music has the power to bypass our intellect, going straight to the soul. And while my taste may have changed and matured over time, my love for such music has been a continuous affair.

That said, when asked to choose one favorite piece among the pantheon of so many unbelievably beautiful works, spanning so many centuries, I’m at a total loss; or, as the saying goes, “I could no sooner choose a favorite star in the sky”. In truth, whatever recent beautiful work I may have heard will continue playing in my mind, vying to be my favorite for that moment, until I hear the next unimaginably beautiful piece.

So I look to others to inspire me for making such a choice. And while, admittedly, there are far too many possibilities to choose from, I sense that Ralph Vaughan Williams was similarly challenged and inspired to pay homage to classical music, at its most sublime level, when he created the hauntingly beautiful and aptly named composition, “Serenade to Music”, as a tribute to conductor Sir Henry Wood, in celebration of Wood's 50th conducting anniversary. And so I offer this piece, in its orchestral version, as my choice.

Air date: June 30, 2026

Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1, Edward Elgar

Suggested by Robert in Toronto, Canada

In a small town in my native Nova Scotia my cousin used to play the big bass drum in the hometown band. This piece was often included in the Sunday evening outdoor band concerts at the town hall.

Air date: June 29, 2026

Seal Lullaby, Eric Whitacre

Suggested by Karla in Portland, Oregon

My dear friend Donna passed away last week. We shared a love of choral and vocal music, and were thrilled to attend the Eric Whitacre concert when he came to PSU a few years ago. This song was on the program. It embraces all Donna’s special qualities in a peaceful, lovely way. May her memory be a blessing.

Air date: June 26, 2026

Andante Festivo, Jean Sibelius

Suggested by Anne in Portland, Oregon

First of all, I had no idea how prolific a composer Sibelius was. This piece of music was composed to honor the 25th anniversary of the opening of a sawmill, but it rises above its reason for being. To me the lush melody, usually performed by a string quartet, or orchestra, evokes a picture of the brilliant coast of the country, with the most awesome shade of blue in the sky, and the notes just float above it. While it is a short piece, the booming finale just keeps echoing long after the musicians stop playing.

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