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 29, 2021

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

Suggested by Pie in Portland, Oregon and Phil in Beaverton, Oregon

It's the ultimate Halloween song!

Air date: October 28, 2021

Funeral March of a Marionette, Charles Gounod

Suggested by Christine in Gladstone, Oregon

I remember learning to play this on piano in grade school, and it came easy to me because I had watched just about every episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. (I know, that dates me!)

Air date: October 27, 2021

Graceful Ghost Rag, William Bolcom

Suggested by Pie in Portland

I have always liked this song and it is something that I have always wanted to play on the piano as a challenge to myself. Plus, it's perfect for Halloween week!

Air date: October 26, 2021

Masquerade: Waltz, Aram Khachaturian

Suggested by Karen in Portland, Oregon

In my imagination this piece conjures the most rollicking Halloween ball. Everyone is costumed, dancing, and having a wonderful time. I first heard it on All Classical Portland and immediately bought the whole Masquerade Suite. When I need energy to get started on a task this always gets me going.

Air date: October 25, 2021

Danse Macabre, Camille Saint-Saens

Suggested by Isaak in Portland, Oregon

This was the piece that illustrated to me how classical music can tell a story. When I was 8, my third grade class listened to Danse Macabre while following along with a worksheet with silly Halloween-themed cartoon depictions of this song. We were asked to really listen and try to visualize the story. As a kid that was the most fun a piece of classical music had ever been for me! I ran home and told my parents about this “great new song I heard" and it got played at least once every day for a month. Every year since, when the weather changes to gray skies, vibrant trees, and crisp mornings, I find myself humming Danse Macabre. It feels like a welcome to Autumn for me. Now I’m 21, by the way, and my appreciation for classical music has continued to grow. When I listen to classical music I hear the stories... and all because of this “Halloween Song” from third grade. That’s pretty magical.

Air date: October 22, 2021

Akhnaten: Epilogue, Philip Glass

Suggested by Ray in Portland, Oregon

I find this music thrilling!

Air date: October 21, 2021

Ave Maria, Franz Biebl

Suggested by Pam in Lake Oswego, Oregon

My story: when my son was doing his final project for his Master of Sacred Music degree, he chose to do an Anglican Evensong service for the Virgin Mary. So the music, the scripture, and the liturgy were all about Marian or Mother. He dedicated that service to my mother and me, as thanks for giving him the gift of loving music. My favorite piece in that service was the Biebl Ave Maria. For me, hearing it is about the closest thing to a mountaintop experience possible down here in the valley, especially the recording by the Dale Warland Singers.

Air date: October 20, 2021

The Tales of Hoffman: Barcarolle, Jacques Offenbach

Suggested by Sigrid in Portland, Oregon

When I was young, our family went to see the film adaptation of the Tales of Hoffman (1951). I loved it, especially the sequence featuring the automaton Olympia. I also loved the hauntingly beautiful duet, the Barcarolle. Every time I hear it the poignancy overwhelms me, from the tender, tremulous beginning into the swelling that leads, ultimately, to the ending nostalgia.

Air date: October 19, 2021

Peer Gynt, Suite No. 2, Edvard Grieg

Suggested by Stacey in Portland, Oregon

This request is coming from my daughter (Charlotte, age 12) - she says she loves this music... it’s so beautiful and flowy.

Air date: October 18, 2021

The Lark Ascending, Ralph Vaughan Williams

Suggested by Tom in Andover, Connecticut

I was surprised to learn Vaughan Williams was a veteran of World War 1 and wrote this incredibly beautiful piece after the war ended. My Grandfather (who I never met) was a World War 1 vet as well. This is a song for all seasons.

Air date: October 15, 2021

Fantasia on a Theme from Rossini’s opera “Moses in Egypt”, Nicolo Paganini

Suggested by Dan in Santa Rosa, California

A good friend of mine (we go back to Junior High school!) is Gary Karr, one of the world’s greatest solo double bass players. He has performed with some of the greatest orchestras and conductors in American history, and has played for decades as a featured performer around the world. Gary presently lives in Victoria, British Columbia, and is in semi-retirement, but still performs periodically. He has frequently performed a piece of music called the Paganini Moses Fantasy, which I have often heard played on the cello, but Gary's rendition elevates the double bass into something quite ethereal.

Air date: October 14, 2021

Violin Concerto No. 2: Romance, Henryk Wieniawski

Suggested by Kimberly in Portland, Oregon

Ever since the pandemic started, I've gotten a lot closer to classical music, and this piece by Wieniawski became one of my favorite pieces to listen to, learn and play. Not only did this piece lure me to have a closer relationship with classical music, but it also cultivated my desire to improve my skills as a violinist.

Air date: October 13, 2021

Violin Sonata in G minor, “The Devil’s Trill”, Giuseppe Tartini

Suggested by Aaron in Woodland, Washington

I'm in my late 20s and seldom find people my age that appreciate this kind of music, but anytime I need to have an emotional exorcism, I close my eyes and listen to this piece. There is such a powerful depth behind every note.

Air date: October 12, 2021

Requiem: Offertorio, Giuseppe Verdi

Suggested by Jim in Corvallis, Oregon

I have sung in choirs in both Wisconsin and Oregon, and I have enjoyed performing in the Verdi Requiem. Interestingly, aside from the Saturday morning cartoons I watched as a kid, it was my first introduction to classical music!

Air date: October 11, 2021

Fantasy on Russian Themes, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

Suggested by Andrea in Portland, Oregon

Rimsky-Korsakov has become my all-time favorite composer. His music is deeply moving, powerful... and oftentimes as gentle as powerful. This Fantasy on Russian Themes contains all his wonderful qualities, making it a great choice for the 5 o'clock Favorite.

Air date: October 8, 2021

Bicentennial Man (Original Score): The Gift of Mortality, James Horner

Suggested by Jonathan in Lake Oswego, Oregon

I watched the movie Bicentennial Man recently and was so moved by the score from the amazing James Horner. The movie in of itself was beautiful and begged the question what is it that makes us human. Robin Williams' speech at the end of the movie with this score piece playing along sure made for a special scene and in my opinion one of the best speeches Williams made in his career. Horner did an outstanding job to complement -and add to!- this scene with this selection, called "The Gift of Mortality."

Air date: October 7, 2021

Seal Lullaby, Eric Whitacre

Suggested by An anonymous listener in Canby, Oregon

I first heard this piece on a drizzly fall morning while I was sitting over the heater vent, my radio beside me. Today is my little brother's 3rd birthday -- perhaps in years to come his birthday will fall on a drizzly day such as the first time I heard this stunning piece. But no matter when I hear it, I shall always think of my dear little brother, so dear, so dear, so dear.

Air date: October 6, 2021

Le Tic-Toc-Choc, Francois Couperin

Suggested by Richard in Salem, Oregon

From Jean-Yves Thibaudet's newest album, "Carte Blanche," this would be a good, light piece for five o’clock!

Air date: October 5, 2021

Iza Ngomso – “Come Tomorrow”, Christopher Tin

Suggested by Joan in Yuma, Arizona

I was up way too early, not able to sleep, because of the sting and stench from the smoke of distant fires. I came across this music by Christopher Tin, an adaptation of lines from one Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poems 'Keramos', translated into Xhosa:
The mist and cloud will turn to rain, / The rain to mist and cloud again, / Tomorrow be today...

Air date: October 4, 2021

Sunrise Serenade, Op. 63, Aulis Sallinen

Suggested by Timmy in Warren, Oregon

I teach math at Pacific University. For obvious reasons, the past 18 months or so have been quite difficult for teachers! Throughout the pandemic I've used music to help retain my sanity. Part of what I enjoy is discovering new (to me) composers, and one of the composers I discovered during the pandemic was the contemporary Finnish composer Aulis Sallinen. I'd like to hear one of his pieces to inspire other listeners to investigate the music of this modern master -- and maybe inspire some local performers to play them!

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