Five O’Clock Favorite
Every weekday at 5pm 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.
Most people, if they've ever even heard of Jean Sibelius, associate him with Finlandia, or perhaps the Karelia Suite or The Swan of Tuonela. He wrote a lot of music depicting the struggles of the Finnish people, but the 2nd Symphony may tell the story even better than those other pieces, whether or not that was the intention. The final movement I think sums that up very nicely. I encourage the listeners -- as long as they're not driving! -- to close their eyes and think about the tumultuous history of Finland and how this music brings it to life. I'd never made the connection before but, as the saying goes, "the scales fell from before my eyes." It's a great piece of music in its own right, but this perspective just adds to its poignancy.