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: October 20, 2023

Isle of the Dead, Sergei Rachmaninov

Suggested by Burt in University Place, Washington

As we come into Fall, it seems appropriate to suggest Rachmaninov's Isle of the Dead. I think this might have been my first introduction to a symphonic poem (ca. 1980-something...). We had a copy of the Vladimir Ashkenazy performance with the Concertgebouw Orchestra and the LP has the image of the Bocklin painting that inspired the work. When I heard it the first time, the combination of the music, picture and liner notes describing the piece, cemented it as one of my all-time favorite descriptive tone poems.

Air date: October 18, 2023

Piano Concerto No. 2: II. Larghetto, Frederic Chopin

Suggested by Scotland in Portland, Oregon

This was played on the last Oregon Symphony concert I was able to take my mother to before the pandemic started, and she passed away the next year. She was a concert pianist and teacher before Alzheimer’s took her ability to play, but she was able to enjoy that concert so much. I had just once again taken up playing the bassoon (after 40 years away from it), and the second movement has the most beautiful duet between piano and bassoon. At the concert Mom squeezed my hand and smiled all the way through. Lying on the floor beneath my mothers piano, as a child, while she played Chopin is one of my fondest memories.

Air date: October 17, 2023

Kings Row: Suite, Erich Wolfgang Korngold

Suggested by Lance in Gresham, Oregon

This was one of my Dad's favorite movies. Korngold wrote an absolutely beautiful score for the film, though he originally thought the title meant that Kings Row was another royal period piece. As such he composed a classic fanfare for the now iconic Main Title, which he decided to keep and develop for his film score. It could also be said that John Williams used the score from Kings Row as inspiration for Star Wars due to the similarities in scoring.

Air date: October 16, 2023

Cantique de Jean Racine, Gabriel Faure

Suggested by Katharine in Portland, Oregon

I have happy memories of singing this lovely piece a few years ago with the choir of First Unitarian Portland, under the direction of Mark Slegers.

Air date: October 13, 2023

Star Trek II – The Wrath of Khan: Battle in the Mutara Nebula, James Horner

Suggested by Andrew in Beaverton, Oregon

This was my gateway song to the universe of classical music. In 1982 when the movie came out, I was 13 years old and living in scorching hot Phoenix, Arizona. I spent most of the summer indoors avoiding the heat and watching movies on a new thing called "cable TV." Being a nerd, I loved Star Trek and watched this movie hundreds of times. On a whim, I trekked down to Tower Records and bought the (vinyl) soundtrack. I listened to it hundreds of times as well. James Horner was a brilliant composer. His music swells and soars with clear leitmotifs for the good guys (the crew of the Enterprise) and the bad guys (Kahn played by the late great Ricardo Montalban).

Horner would go on to score blockbusters such as Titantic, Avatar, Braveheart, and Apollo 13. His music opened my ears to classical music. After this soundtrack, I began listening to the local classic station and ravenously consuming classical music. I particularly loved bombastic, leitmotif driven music, such as Gustav Holst's Jupiter. The music fueled my soul. Today when I hear Battle in the Mutara Nebula I am not only reminded of one of my favorite movies, but also of those "head tingling" moments when music delivers pure joy and inspiration. Thank you for considering my selection. I hope it inspires all your listeners to live long and prosper.

Air date: October 12, 2023

Morning Papers Waltz, Johann Strauss, Jr.

Suggested by Jeff in Portland, Oregon

We purchase a "morning paper" from time to time. Portland once had BOTH a "morning" AND an "evening" paper: the Oregonian each morning and the Journal every afternoon. Sadly, that's no longer the case. This piece reminds us of the time when the "Morning Paper" meant something.

Air date: October 11, 2023

The Horse Whisperer, Thomas Newman

Suggested by Pie in Portland, Oregon

There is so much beautiful music in the score written by Thomas Newman. The music that accompanies the accident scene is particularly moving for me.

Air date: October 10, 2023

Graceful Ghost Rag, William Bolcom

Suggested by Carmen in Portland, Oregon

I just love this piece and its charming title.

Air date: October 9, 2023

From A Moonlit Ceremony: 1. Evocation, George McKay

Suggested by Steve in Portland, Oregon

McKay was born in Washington state and was professor at University of Washington for many years. This work of his makes use of songs and dances heard by McKay during a ceremony of the Muckleshoot tribe, which live near Mt. Rainier. This is very lovely, very listenable 20th century music. When I hear this, I think of the tribe, Mt, Rainier, and of the moonlight.

Air date: October 6, 2023

Ma Vlast: The Moldau, Bedrich Smetana

Suggested by Sandi in Beaverton, Oregon

This is in honor of my high school band director in West Linn, Mr. Jeff Cumpston, who passed away much too young in a vehicle accident in 2009. He led our symphonic band in playing The Moldau, explaining how the swell of the music invokes floating down a Bohemian river past forests, castles, and even a farmer's wedding in a field. Whenever I hear this piece on All Classical I'm filled with nostalgia and catch a glimpse of our conductor leading us with passion through the music. Thank you for playing this in honor of him. He inspired so many of us.

Air date: October 5, 2023

Serenade for Strings, Dag Wiren

Suggested by Jeff in Portland, Oregon

We ride our bikes everywhere. Though we've got a driver license, we've not driven an automobile in years and years. But when this incomprehensibly beautiful composition arrives in our ears -- or ear, really; riding a bike we must keep our left ear in the clear -- we are reminded of road trips from times gone by. Motoring along through the countryside where landscapes awe the eye mile after mile, our destination... who cares? This beautiful piece takes us DIRECTLY to that bucolic time and place where "serenity" WAS the destination.

Air date: October 4, 2023

Symphony No. 7: II. Allegretto, Ludwig van Beethoven

Suggested by John in Gresham, Oregon

I am a violist and the first time I played the seventh was at Tanglewood in 1982. Then I played it for my viola teacher who was the conductor of the Portland Chamber Orchestra, then I played it at least three times with the Newport Symphony (I was with them for 33 years!) I also played it in Bend with the Central Oregon Symphony. It is a very important symphony to me and I've sat in the car often to hear the whole work when it's on the radio.

Air date: October 3, 2023

Keyboard Concerto No. 2, J.S. Bach

Suggested by Herb in Portland, Oregon

As a Lutheran pastor, I like this because it expresses Bach's Lutheran theology of grace so well. It's full of joy and comfort.

Air date: October 2, 2023

Firebird Ballet: Finale, Igor Stravinsky

Suggested by Russell in Portland, Oregon

I was a progressive rock fan as a teenager and Yes was my favorite group. They used the Firebird finale as the opening for their live shows and I used to dig it on their massive 3LP 'Yessongs'.

Air date: September 29, 2023

Percussion Quartet: Movement 1, Danny Elfman

Suggested by Erika in Portland, Oregon

I've been "rabbit-holing" into the world of contemporary classical music lately and discovered this gem. The whole quartet is wonderful, which each movement having its own charm, but I've found I gravitate toward the first movement, which is inquisitive and energetic.

Air date: September 28, 2023

Caucasus Sketches: In A Mountain Pass & Procession of the Sardar, Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov

Suggested by Michael in Portland, Oregon

I first heard this music at age 11 when my dad brought it home on a shellac 78 rpm record set! Those records were fragile, breakable, and I had to use extreme care while playing them. This set did not get broken, but rather played over and over. I fell for it then, and love it still.

Air date: September 27, 2023

Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565, J.S Bach

Suggested by Pie in Portland, Oregon

Wouldn't it be amazing to be able to play this piece of music??

Air date: September 26, 2023

Central Park Morning, David Chesky

Suggested by Valdez in Lake Oswego, Oregon

I grew up watching Mister Rogers. When my daughter was born in 2008, I purchased some DVDs of the program, so she could watch Mister Rogers just like I did. One of the shows featured Mister Rogers learning about brass instruments and how they were made - and the show features the Empire Brass Quintet performing “Central Park Morning.” It’s a lovely song and it always stuck with me. I hope others did it as soothing and beautiful as we do.

Air date: September 11, 2023

Songs of the Auvergne: Bailero, Joseph Canteloube

Suggested by Richard in Chandler, Arizona (but always an Oregonian)

For many years my wife and I had season tickets to the Oregon Symphony concerts. On one occasion, the guest soloist was Frederica von Stade, who had a beautiful soprano voice. In her part of the program, she sang many gorgeous songs, but one that I had never heard before called "Bailero" stood out. It was so heavenly... I sat with my mouth open, smiling at the beauty, when I felt something on my face. My brain had heard this beauty and sent a tear down my face. That piece of music is one of the most beautiful ever written.

Air date: September 8, 2023

Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D: Air, J.S. Bach

Suggested by Kent in Beavercreek, Oregon

I began to like classical music as a high school student, but wasn't particularly appreciative of Baroque music until college, when a friend played me her album of Bach's music sung a capella by a group called the Swingle Singers. Their rendition of his music "got to me," and turned my interests to some really great music I might have otherwise ignored. I would love to hear one of their Bach arrangements on 5 O'Clock Favorite!

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