Mysteries Abysmal

Show #34

***update

No show last week because I was in Michigan and tight security refused to let Gerry downstairs. Boo. I think, hopefully, that tonight we made up for the absence with a pretty tight error-free show; we brought in some interesting and strange music from Vainberg and some modern arrangements of 17th century English and Italian works by John Potter.  But the best thing about the show was the R. Strauss piece Gerry played which I had never heard. First-class second-rate composer mein arsch***. 

***Marc Geelhoed , as I see here, calls this "Strauss at his most inispid. It's a collection of ballroom dances, and it's all light and fun, I guess, but there's only so long a composer can wink at you before you think he's got something stuck in his eye." 

Ouch.  Hey, maybe that 'light and fun' sounded so good because it followed the relentlessly somber "Care-charming sleep." I love the insipid and want more of it; and this is when I'm most apt to toss out a critical ear. 

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Hour 1

Stefano Landi: "Homo fugit velut umgra," "Man flees like a shadow." L'Arpeggiata/Marco Beasley, tenor. (Alpha)

Arthur Honegger: Symphony #3 "Liturgique" Bavarian Radio Orchestra, Charles Dutoit, cond. (Apex)

Arcangelo Corelli: Concerto Grosso Op. 6, #7. I Solisti Veneti/ Claudio Scimone, cond.

Hour 2

Mystery Piece not guessed: Rachmaninoff Suite #1 for 2 pianos, 3rd movement (tears).  Vladimir Ashkenazy and Andre Previn, p (London). 

Vainberg, M.: Concerto for Trumpet and orchestra op. 94.  Sergai Nakariakov, trumpet.  Jena Philharmonic, Andrey Boreyko, cond. (Teldec). 

Hour 3

various composers, Care-charming Sleep.  The Dowland Project, arr. John Potter and co.  (ECM)

Richard Strauss: Suite from LeBourgeois Gentilhomme, Op. 60.  CSO, Fritz Reiner, cond. (BMG)

Haydn, Nocturne #8 in G.  Music Party, Alan Hacker (London)

John Ireland: minuet from A Downland Suite.  English String Orchestra, William Boughton, cond.  (Nimbus)

Strange photo circa 1999

Here I am about 18 years old after just moving into my dorm in NYC.  What's strange isn't necessarily my great view of the Twin Towers, but rather I wasn't using any product in my hair. 

The first interview; #33

To practice our interviewing skills, I had my dad on the show since he was in Chicago for business.  He was our first interview and the process was a lot of fun.  Here's an account of last Sunday from the perspective of Gerry Fisher: (fwiw, there's some third person stuff Gerry is doing here)

Interview: Bryant and his Dad talked about how Mr. M got interested in classical music in the first place. A couple of items: First,there was no really good source for buying classical cds in the small midwest town he hailed from, so his main supplier was a mail order company. (If you really want something, you find ways.) Second, that Mr. M. got ahold of a CD of classical snippets, which served as a kind of entry portal into the various musical options lying out there.And the road goes ever on...Also very notable was Bryant's ability to ask just the right questions to elicit in-depth responses...a talent we should be hearing more of in future Cyber Classical programs that will feature guests either on the phone or in the studio.

Schoenberg: Pelleas and Melisande, Op. 6. Symphonic Poem after Maeterlinck.
This was the second time we played this piece on Cyber Classical, a rare event for us. Gerry played it on one of his solo shows and Bryant was able to hear it on a good stereo setup in Michigan and it obviously struck his fancy. The performance by Zoltan Kocsis and a bunch of Hungarians is so fine...

Giuseppe Tartini: Concerto in D/ Rolf Smedvig, trumpet, Jahja Ling, Scottish Chamber O. Transcribed from a violin concerto.

Holst, Planets: Venus (Mystery Piece)

Mozart: Great Mass in c/ Barbara Hendricks, etc., Van Karajan conductor.

Britten, Piano Concerto/ Joanna MacGregor, Eng Chamber O.

Moran: Music From the Towers of the Moon.

That's it for this week...

To my fellow Tiger fans

Click here and tell me this doesn't whip up a few surges of adrenaline (and turn that volume up). 

Doggy musicology

A guy and his Saint-Bernard walk into a bar.  The guy says to the bartender, "This dog knows everything about music and can answer any question you have."

The bartender says, "You're nuts!"  The guy says, "Go ahead -- ask him something."

So the bartender says to the dog, "OK, who was the greatest contrapuntal composer of the 17th century?"

he dog replies,"BACH."  The bartender says, "Aw, c'mon he's just barking, he doesn't know anything."

The guy says, "Hey, go ahead, ask him something else." The bartender tries again. "OK, who was the greatest composer of lieder of the late 19th century?"

The dog replies, "Wolf."  The bartender says, "This is ridiculous -- he's just barking.  Get lost!"

The guy says, "No he's not -- go ahead, one more time, ask him a question."  Disgustedly, the bartender tries again.  "Who was the greatest German composer between the two world wars?"  The dog answers, "Orff."

The bartender says, "That's it!"  and proceeds to physically toss the guy and his dog out of the bar onto the sidewalk on their behinds.

The dog looks back at the guy and, from the street, tries once more: "Hindemith?"

What the...?

A few from 32

Intentional stupidity has been the norm lately, and Sunday had some gems.  Food was on the mind, so after the Couperin and Dukas, a serious voice insisted you could "really smell the french fries in a nearby Paris bistro"; and after the Nielsen, "this music really evokes the taste of a danish."  A few shows ago we proclaimed some academic and entirely unlistenable piece by Milton Babbit to be the most profound statement we'd heard from the 20th century.  We had 'em going, but I couldn't refrain, and so my laughter spilled into the mic. 

HOUR 1
Schubert: Symphony #2/Nott, con. Bamberg Sym. Orchestra (Tudor)

Janacek, Leos: "Taras Bulba." Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra. Christian Arming, con.

HOUR 2

Mystery Piece: Chopin, Etude in E Major, Op. 10 #3. Phillipe Entremont, p.

Chausson, Ernest. Poeme de l'amour et de la Mer. Felicity Lottsop. Orch. de. la Suisse Romande. Armin Jordan, cond.

Dukas, Paul. Variations, Interlude and Finale on a theme by Rameau. Tor Espen Aspaas, p.

HOUR 3

Couperin, Francois. Thirteenth Order. Olivier Baumont, harpsichord.

Nielsen, Carl. Symphony #6, "sinfonia semplice" Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. Jukka-Pekka Saraste, cond.

A bit of sad news

Tower Records is closing its doors nationwide and CD retail is officially coming to a close.  I have a feeling that public radio, via signals and waves, isn't too far behind.  Digitization and internet über alles. 

The Joycean David Lynch

I don't know about some of you, but the release of David Lynch's upcoming film Inland Empire is my most anticipated movie in 5 years.  For you few hardcores out there, why don't you feast on some of this?

The vertiginous “Inland Empire” is sure to provoke questions about meaning, literal and metaphoric. Still without a United States distributor, this may be his most avant-garde offering since “Eraserhead.” In tone and structure the film resembles the cosmic free fall of the mind-warping final act in “Mulholland Drive.”

from yesterday's New York Times

WRDP Playlist #31

Out-of-state for my sister's wedding, so Gerry filled in.  At a previous wedding I played on piano Granados, Satie, Joplin, and Chopin.  This time around I played Randy Newman, Rod Stewart, some Beatles and the Deer Hunter theme.  I think the latter group was received more favorably.  Hold on a sec -- just now in my hands via telegram  is yesterday's playlist:

Hour 1

Old English Consort Music.  Konrad Ragossnig, lute.  Linde-Consort (Reflexe-EMT)

J.S. Bach. Violin Sonata, BWV 1014.  Alice Hannoncourt, violin.  Nikolaus Harnancourt, gamba.  H. Tachezi, Harpsichord.  (Teldec)

C.P.E. Bach.  Symphony in D maj.  Orchestra of Age of Englightenment.  Gustav Leonhardt

Mendelssohn, Felix.  Overture: "Roy Blas" Herbert Blomstedt.  Gewandhaus Orchestra, Leipzig. (Virgin)

Hour 2

Tchaikovsky, Piotr.  Symphony #4.  CSO, Fritz Reiner. 1957 (CSO CD)

Berlioz, Hector.  Overture: "Benuenuto Cellini". David Zinman, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. 

Hour 3

Poulenc, Francis.  Flute Sonata.  Emmanuel Pahud (EMI)  Eric Le Sage, p.

Britten, Benjamin.  Prince of the Pagodas (Act 3) Oliver Knussen.  London Sinfonietta (Virgin)

Steve Reich.  New York Counterpoint.  Sextet.  (Nonesuch)