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.
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!
Submit your favorite piece:
Suggestions are easiest to honor if they’re 20 minutes or less.
My happy memory is about the two-piano version of this piece, which is what Brahms wrote in the first place. I think it is the best example of a variation that has ever been written! But it is even more wonderful because of my memory of two Portland women well known to all who appreciate piano and choral music: Maude Sardam, an extraordinary piano teacher, and Mary Margaret Dundore, a talented soprano and pianist and choir director.
Mary Margaret was a student of Maude’s and they maintained a special relationship until Maude's death at age 100-plus. They were both terrific friends of mine and to celebrate our friendship, Maud and Mary Margaret invited me to Maud’s home for a special performance just for me: the Brahms Variations on Maude’s two beautiful pianos. What a pair, I was enthralled and will never forget that wonderful concert just for me. It was thrilling and such a loving nod to our friendship.