Alexander Pushkin

When Pushkin Comes to Shove
From high atop the beautiful town of Mikhailovskoe (near Pskov), it's time once again for Sadko's World of Music. The role of Sadko today is being played by Vladimir Nabokov. The role of the Bobbsie Twins is being played by Olga and Helga Kalashnikova. The role of Ken Moss is being played by King Zog of Albania. In the third half of the program, the role of Lenny the Listener will  be played by George Kastrioti Skanderbeg. Our featured great Russian writer today is
Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin  (6 June 1799 – 10 February 1837) was a Russian author of the Romantic era who is considered by many to be the greatest Russian poet and the founder of modern Russian literature. Pushkin was born into Russian nobility in Moscow and had some remarkable familial ancestry. His great-grandfather from his mother's side – Abram Gannibal – was brought over as a slave from Africa and had risen to become an aristocrat. Pushkin published his first poem at the age of fifteen, and was widely recognized by the literary establishment by the time of his graduation from the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum.
While under the strict surveillance of the Tsar's political police and unable to publish, Pushkin wrote his most famous play, the drama Boris Godunov. His novel in verse, Eugene Onegin, was serialized between 1825 and 1832.
Section 1:
Combustible Edison – Mr. Pushkin Came To Shore  – The Impossible World
Large Symphony orchestra – G. Sviridov: Walts From Musical Illustration To The Novel By Pushkin "The Storm" Various Artists – Russian Masterpieces-Popular Classical Music Melodies
Irina Arkhipova – Alexander Dargomyzhsky: A Youth And A Girl (Yunosha i Deva) 1844  – Romances Based On The Poems By Alexander Pushkin
Large Symphony orchestra – G. Sviridov: Romance From Musical Illustration To The Novel By Pushkin "The Storm" Various Artists – Russian Masterpieces-Popular Classical Music Melodies
Seattle Symphony Orchestra – Pushkin Waltzes, Op. 120: Pushkin Waltzes, Op. 120: No. 2. Waltz in C sharp minor: Allegro meditativo   – Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet Suites Nos. 1 and 2 - Pushkin Waltz No. 2
Vladimir Minin – Pushkinskiy venok (A Pushkin Wreath): No. 7. Zorju bjut (Reveille is Sounded) Alexei Tolstoy – Russian Choir School: Vladimir Minin
Russian Symphony Orchestra – A. Lyadov: Polonaise In Memorium To Pushkin, Op.49 Various Artists – Russian Masterpieces-Popular Classical Music Melodies
Moscow New Choir – "Pushkin's Garland" - Winter Morning  – Russian Acapella Choral Music
Boris Midney – Pushkin's Theme  – Black Russian - The Boris Midney Masters
Vladimir Markov – Alexander Pushkin - The Queen of Spades – Russian Poetry and Prose: Read in Russian by Vladimir Markov
Larissa Gatova – Alexander Pushkin - The Bronze Horseman  – Russian Poetry: Read in Russian by Larissa Gatova
The Ossipov Balalaika Orchestra – The Romance from the music to the "Snow Storm" by A. Pushkin (arr. By V. Gorodovskaya) The Ossipov Balalaika Orchestra & Nikolai Kalinin – The Ossipov Balalaika Orchestra, Vol I: Russian Classical Music
Section II: Selections from operas inspired by Pushkin
Pushkin's works also provided fertile ground for Russian composers.
1. Glinka's Ruslan and Lyudmila is the earliest important Pushkin-inspired opera, and a landmark in the tradition of Russian music. – Ruslan And Lyudmila, Op. 5: I. Finn´s Ballad: Act II – Glinka: Complete Piano Music, Vol. 1 Victor Rybachikov, piano.
2. Tchaikovsky's operas Eugene Onegin (1879)
Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilich, 1840-1893. Musical Heritage Society, [1980] "Lyric scenes in three acts"; Galina Vishnevskaya, soprano; Tamara Sinyavskaya, alto; Vladimir Atlantov, tenor; Yuri Mazurok, baritone; other soloists; Bolshoi Theater Orchestra and Chorus; Mstislav Rostropovich, conductor.
and The Queen of Spades (1890) St. Petersburg Zazerkalie Theater Orchestra – The Queen of Spades: Duet - Lisa and Polina – A Classical Encyclopedia: T as in Tchaikovsky became perhaps better known outside of Russia than Pushkin's own works of the same name.
3. Mussorgsky's monumental Boris Godunov (two versions, 1868-9 and 1871-2)
Mussorgsky, Modest Petrovich,1839-1881. Alexander Kipnis in Moussorgsky's Boris Godounov. RCA Victrola [1969] Alexander Kipnis, with supporting soloists; Victor Symphony Orchestra and Chorus; Nicolai Berezowsky, conductor; sung in Russian.
ranks as one of the very finest and most original of Russian operas.
4. Dargomyzhsky's Rusalka A. Dargomyzhsky – The Miller's Aria from the opera Rusalka  Feodor Chaliapin: the Complete Recordings 1907-1936 Volume 12. British and American Recordings
and The Stone Guest Soloists And Orchestra Of The Bolshoy Theatre, Conductor: Andrey Chistyakov – Introduction;
5. Rimsky-Korsakov's Mozart and Salieri,  Vladimir Bogachov – Mozart and Salieri, Op. 48: Scene 1: O Mozart, Mozart! (Salieri, Mozart) Vladimir Bogachov – Rimsky-Korsakov: Mozart and Salieri / Songs / Glinka: Songs
Tale of Tsar Saltan, Canadian Brass – Tale of Tsar Saltan, Op. 57: Flight of the Bumblebee (arr. B. Ridenour) Canadian Brass Takes Flight
Well, now, my bumblebee, go on a spree,
catch up with the ship on the sea,
go down secretly,
get deep into a crack.
Good luck, Gvidon, fly,
only do not stay long!

and The Golden Cockerel;  Prague Symphony Orchestra – The Golden Cockerel: Bridal Procession and Lamentable End of King Dodon  – Rimsky-Korsakov: The Golden Cockerel Suite & Kitezh Suite
6. Cui's Prisoner of the Caucasus, Ivan Grizounov – Prisoner of the Caucasus: "The sun was brightly shining" Various Artists – The World of Singing Vol. 2 - Singers of Imperial Russia

By 1837, Pushkin was falling into greater and greater debt and faced scandalous rumors that his wife had embarked on a love affair. In response, the poet challenged Natalya's alleged lover, her brother in-law Georges d'Anthès, to a duel which left both men injured. Shot through the spleen, Pushkin died two days later. His last home is now a museum.
The Tsarist administration, fearing a political demonstration at his funeral, had it moved to a smaller location and restricted attendance to close relatives and friends. The poet's body was taken secretly at midnight and buried on his mother's estate.
Prokofiev, Sergey, 1891-1953.  Alexander Nevsky (Cantata) op. 78 "The Field of the Dead" Text by V. Lugovskoi and S. Prokofiev.  Melodiya/Angel [1967]  Larissa Avdeyeva, mezzo-soprano; RFSFR Russian Chorus, Alexander Yurlov, conductor; U. S. S. R. Symphony Orchestra; Yevgeny Svetlanov, conductor.

Mikhail Lermontov

From high atop the beautiful Dagestan region, in the heart of the Caucasus, it's time once again for Sadko's World of Music. The role of Sadko today is being played by Sir Walter Scott. The role of the Bobbsie Twins is being played by Lucia and Drusilla Lammermoor. The role of Ken Moss is being played by Rex T. Ivanhoe. In the third half of the program, the role of Lenny the Listener will  be played by William Shatner. Our featured great Russian writer today is Mikhail Lermontov. Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov October 15 1814 – July 27  1841), a Russian Romantic writer, poet and painter, sometimes called "the poet of the Caucasus", became the most important Russian poet after Alexander Pushkin's death in 1837. Lermontov is considered the supreme poet of Russian literature alongside Pushkin and the greatest figure in Russian Romanticism. His influence on later Russian literature is still felt in modern times, not only through his poetry, but also through his prose, which founded the tradition of the Russian psychological novel.

Sergei Prokofiev – Waltz Suite, Op. 110: III. Mephisto Waltz, from Lermontov - Live Sergei Prokofiev – Prokofiev: Waltz Suite, Op. 110
Gretchaninov, Alexander – Gretchaninov: Lullaby - Lullaby Various Artists – Glière/Glazunov etc: Harp Concerto/Concerto for Coloratura Soprano etc
Rachmaninov, Sergey Vasil'yevich – Rachmaninov: By The Gates Of The Holy Dwelling (U vrat obiteli svyatoy) - By The Gates Of The Holy Dwelling (U vrat obiteli svyatoy) Elisabeth Söderström & Vladimir Ashkenazy – Rachmaninov: The Songs
Steven Isserlis – Akhmatova Songs (for soprano and cello): Pushkin and Lermontov Various Artists – Tavener - Svyati
Larissa Gatova – Mikhail Lermontov - Alone I Go Out to the Highway – Russian Poetry: Read in Russian by Larissa Gatova
Lincoln Mayorga – Three Pieces Opus 96, Contradance (from "Lermontov") – Piano Music Of Chopin, Brahms & Prokofiev
Larissa Gatova – Mikhail Lermontov - Angel  – Russian Poetry: Read in Russian by Larissa Gatova
Anton Rubinstein – A.Rubinstein." Mountain Peaks". Lyrics by Michail Lermontov
Larissa Gatova – Mikhail Lermontov - The Sail – Russian Poetry: Read in Russian by Larissa Gatova
Sergei Rachmaninov – S.Rachmaninov. "The Pine". Lyrics by Michail Lermontov Victor Popov – Russian Choir School. Victor Popov
Style of Five – Net, Ne Tebia Tak Pilko Ya Liubliu (No, It's Not You I Love So Fervently) - Arr. For Baritone And Orchestra Lev Mey – I Met You, My Love
Natalia Biryukova – 2 Romances, Op. 84: No. 1. Utro an Kavkaze (A Morning In The Caucasus)
Natalia Biryukova – 2 Romances, Op. 84: No. 2. Ballada  – SHOSTAKOVICH: Complete Songs, Vol. 1 - Vocal Cycles Of The Fifties (1950-1956)
Ivari Ilja, piano  – 6 Romances, Op. 38 (text by M. Lermontov): 6 Romances, Op. 38: No. 5. Lyubov' mertvetsa (The love of a dead man) Alexei Tolstoy – Hvorostovsky, Dmitri: Tchaikovsky Romances

The Hero of Our Time:
Schwartz, Abe, musician.  The klezmer king Columbia/Legacy, 2002. Hurra! Far unzer held Levine = Hurray! For our hero Levine (Irving Grossman)

The Princess of the Tide, 1841, ballad:
Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilich,  1840-1893. The sleeping beauty Princess Aurora. Capitol.   Ballet Theatre Orchestra; Joseph Levine, conductor.
Ravel, Maurice, 1875-1937. Pavane for a dead princess Columbia The Cleveland Orchestra; Pierre Boulez, conductor; Cleveland Orchestra Chorus; Margaret Hills, director.
 Rimsky-Korsakov, Nikolay, 1844-1908.   Shekherazada   from "Thousand and one nights"  Pilz, 1988.  The young prince and princess  Radio Symphony Orchestra Ljubljana; Anton Nanut, conductor.
 The Poet:
Mariàn Pivka – Schumann: Kinderszenen, Op. 15 - Hark! The Poet Speaks
Kleine stücke grosser meister, vol. 2  Short pieces, great composers, vol. 2.  PMG  [1988]. Aus "Kinderszenen" = From "Scenes of childhood," op. 15:  Hark! The poet speaks / R. Schumann
Halle Orchestra –Overtures : Poet and Peasant – Franz Von Suppe': Overtures
Emmerich Kálmán Capitol Records-- The Czardas princess / Kálmán  Madlon Harder, soprano; Jean Löhe, tenor, with chorus and orchestra of the Berlin State Opera; Hansgeorg Otto, conductor , sung in German.
Death of the Poet:
On July 25, 1841, at Pyatigorsk, fellow army officer Nikolai Martynov, who felt offended by one of Lermontov's jokes, challenged him to a duel. The duel took place two days later at the foot of Mashuk mountain. Lermontov was killed by Martynov's first shot. Several of his verses were discovered posthumously in his notebook. He is buried at Tarkhany.
The Duel between Liszt and Thalberg. Angel 1975 Liszt. Ballade no. 2 in B minor.--Liszt. Funeral march from Donizetti's Dom Sébastien.--Thalberg. Fantasy on Rossini's Moses.--Thalberg. Fantasy on Rossini's Barber of Seville.  Raymond Lewenthal, piano.

The Poet's Dead

The Poet's dead! - a slave to honor -
He fell, by rumor slandered,
Lead in his breast and thirsting for revenge,
Hanging his proud head!...
The Poet's soul could not endure
Petty insult's disgrace.
Against society he rose,
Alone, as always...and was slain!
Slain!...What use is weeping now,
The futile chorus of empty praise
Excuses mumbled full of pathos?
Fate has pronounced its sentence!
Was it not you who spitefully
Rebuffed his free, courageous gift
And for your own amusement fanned
The nearly dying flame?
Well now, enjoy yourselves...he couldn't
Endure the final torture:
Quenched is the marvelous light of genius,
Withered is the triumphal wreath.

Cold-bloodedly his murderer
Took aim...there was no chance of flight:
His empty heart beat evenly,
The pistol steady in his hand.
No wonder...from far away
The will of fate sent him to us
Like hundreds of his fellow vagrants
In search of luck and rank;
With impudence he mocked and scorned
The tongue and mores of this strange land;
He could not spare our glory,
Nor in that bloody moment know
"gainst what he'd raised his hand!...

He's slain - and taken by the grave
Like that unknown, but happy bard,
Victim of jealousy wild,
Of whom he sang with wondrous power,
Struck down, like him, by an unyielding hand.

Why did he quit the blissful peace of simple fellowship
To enter this society, so envious and stifling
To hearts of free and fiery passion?
Why did he give his hand to worthless slanderers,
How could he have believed their hollow words
And kindness, he, who'd ever understood his fellow man?...

And they removed his wreath, and set upon his head
A crown of thorns entwined in laurel:
The hidden spines were cruel
And pierced his noble brow;
Poisoned were his final moments
By sly insinuations of mockers ignorant,
And thus he died - for vengeance vainly thirsting
Secretly vexed by false hopes deceived.
The wondrous singing's ceased,
T'will never sound again.
His refuge, gloomy and small,
His lips forever sealed.

___
And you, the offspring arrogant
Of fathers known for malice,
Crushing with slavish heels the ruins
Of clans aggrieved by fortune's game!
You, greedy hordes around the throne,
Killers of Freedom, Genius and Glory!
You hide beneath the canopy of law
Fall silent - truth and justice before you...
But justice also comes from God, corruption's friends!
The judge most terrible awaits you:
He's hardened to the clink of gold,
He knows your future thoughts and deeds.
Then will you turn in vain to lies:
They will no longer help.
And your black blood won't wash away
The poet's sacred blood!

Fyodor Dostoyevsky

From high atop the beautiful Pinsk region, not too far from Minsk, it's time once again for Sadko's World of Music. The role of Sadko today is being played by Woody Allen. The role of the Bobbsie Twins is being played by Annie and Fannie Hall. The role of Ken Moss is being played by Pierre-Joseph Proudhon

In the third half of the program, the role of Lenny the Listener will  be played by Sandy Semipalatinsk. Our featured great Russian writer today is  Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky (Russian: Фёдор Миха́йлович Достое́вский; 11 November 1821 – 9 February 1881), sometimes transliterated Dostoevsky, was a Russian novelist, short story writer, essayist and philosopher. Dostoyevsky's literary works explore human psychology in the context of the troubled political, social and spiritual atmosphere of 19th-century Russia. He began writing in his 20s, and his first novel, Poor Folk, was published in 1846 when he was 25. His major works include Crime and Punishment (1866), The Idiot (1869), and The Brothers Karamazov (1880). His output consists of eleven novels, three novellas, seventeen short novels and numerous other works. Many literary critics rate him as one of the greatest and most prominent psychologists in world literature.

The Brothers: 
The Brothers Karamazov is a passionate philosophical novel set in 19th century Russia, that enters deeply into the ethical debates of God, free will, and morality. It is a spiritual drama of moral struggles concerning faith, doubt, and reason, set against a modernizing Russia.
Joan Baez – Satisfied Mind(Duet w/Lilly Brothers) Live at Newport
Woody Allen, Love and Death
Otakar Jeremiás – Bratři Karamazovi. Opera in 3 Acts: Act 1: Darebáku, přijde dnes ona? Otakar Jeremiás – The Brothers Karamazov Antonín Votava, Karel Kala?, Václav Eremiá?, Drahomíra Tikalová, Jarmila Pechová, Antonín Zlesák, Josef Heriban
Bronislaw Kaper – The Brothers Karamazov – Kaper, B.: Film Music played by the composer
The Allman Brothers Band – Midnight Rider – The Best Of The Allman Brothers 20th Century Masters The Millennium Collection
The Doobie Brothers – What A Fool Believes  – Rhino Hi-Five: The Doobie Brothers [Vol. 2]
The Righteous Brothers – Unchained Melody  – The Very Best Of The Righteous Brothers - Unchained Melody


Crime and Punishment: 
Crime and Punishment focuses on the mental anguish and moral dilemmas of Rodion Raskolnikov, an impoverished ex-student in St. Petersburg who formulates and executes a plan to kill an unscrupulous pawnbroker for her cash. Raskolnikov argues that with the pawnbroker's money he can perform good deeds to counterbalance the crime, while ridding the world of a worthless vermin. He also commits this murder to test his own hypothesis that some people are naturally capable of such things, and even have the right to do them. 
Alex Jennings – Crime & Punishment: Chapter 1, On The Brink 
Frank Black – Bullet Various Artists – Crime And Punishment In Suburbia
Sleater-Kinney – Burn, Don't Freeze Various Artists – Crime And Punishment In Suburbia
Nigel Anthony – Crime & Punishment: Chapter 2, Murder Is Done  – Dostoyevsky: Crime & Punishment
Meat Puppets – Two Rivers Various Artists – Crime And Punishment In Suburbia
Nigel Anthony – Crime & Punishment: Chapter 8, Admission Of Guilt  – Dostoyevsky: Crime & Punishment

The Idiot:
The 26-year-old Prince Lev Nikolayevich Myshkin returns to Russia after spending several years at a Swiss sanatorium. Scorned by the society of St. Petersburg for his trusting nature and naiveté, he finds himself at the center of a struggle between a beautiful kept woman and a virtuous and pretty young girl, both of whom win his affection. Unfortunately, Myshkin's very goodness precipitates disaster, leaving the impression that, in a world obsessed with money, power, and sexual conquest, a sanatorium may be the only place for a saint
Fyodor Sofronov  Duet for violin and viola Elena Ivanova Violin Olga Kogan Viola.
Chumbawamba – Dance, Idiot, Dance – ABCDEFG
Monty Python – Idiot Song - Live – Live At Drury Lane

Nikolai Myaskovsky Composer Silence, symphonic poem after Poe, Op.9  

Stankovsky, Robert Conductor Czecho-Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra Orchestra

Ivan Turgenev

From high atop the hunter's lodge in the forest primeval, it's time once again for Sadko's World of Music. The role of Sadko today is being played by Dick Cheney. The role of the Bobbsie Twins is being played by Holly and Molly Hunter. The role of Ken Moss is being played by Ken Ruger. In the third half of the program, the role of Lenny the Listener will  be played by Fortesque B. Pomegranate. Our featured great Russian writer today is Ivan Turgenev. Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev (November 9, 1818 – September 3, 1883) was a Russian novelist, short story writer, and playwright. His first major publication, a short story collection entitled A Sportsman's Sketches (1852), was a milestone of Russian Realism. The book is credited with having influenced public opinion in favor of the abolition of serfdom in 1861 and his novel Fathers and Sons (1862) is regarded as one of the major works of 19th-century fiction.While he was still in Russia in the early 1850s, Turgenev wrote several novellas (povesti in Russian): "The Diary of a Superfluous Man ("Дневник лишнего человека"), Faust ("Фауст"), The Lull ("Затишье"), expressing the anxieties and hopes of Russians of his generation. In 1854 he moved to Western Europe, and during the following years produced the novel Rudin ("Рудин"), the story of a man in his thirties, who is unable to put his talents and idealism to any use in the Russia of Nicholas I. Rudin is also full of nostalgia for the idealistic student circles of the 1840s.
Waltz from The OPERA Ivan SUSANIN (M.GLINKA) Miguel Del Oro Orchestra – 100 MASTERPIECES OF WORLD Classical MUSIC  PART 2
Max Bollinger – Nobleman's Nest– The Hunting Sketches by Ivan Turgenev, Audio Book 1: My Neighbour Radilov and Other Stories
Ivan Rebroff – Patrouille des cosaques  – Best of Ivan Rebroff (18 Hits)
George Frideric Handel – Concerto No. 3 in G Minor for Organ and Orchestra, HWV 291, Op. 4: III. Adagio  – Relax Classics Ivan Sokol, organ
Max Bollinger – A Man of Mystery– The Hunting Sketches by Ivan Turgenev, Audio Book 1: My Neighbour Radilov and Other Stories
Ivan Rebroff – Katjuscha, Katjuscha !– Best of Ivan Rebroff (18 Hits)
George Frideric Handel – Concerto No. 4 in F Major for Organ and Orchestra, HWV 292, Op. 4: III. Adagio – Classical Hits for Relaxing Ivan Sokol, organ
Max Bollinger – The Portrait – The Hunting Sketches by Ivan Turgenev, Audio Book 1: My Neighbour Radilov and Other Stories
Ivan Rebroff – Boublitschki – Best of Ivan Rebroff (18 Hits)
Johann Sebastian Bach – Prelude and Fugue in E Minor, BWV 533 Ivan Sokol, organ  – J.S. Bach: Prelude and Fugue for Organ Vol. 1 (Digitally Remastered)
Max Bollinger – The Great Hunt – The Hunting Sketches by Ivan Turgenev, Audio Book 1: My Neighbour Radilov and Other Stories
Ivan Rebroff – Les Deux Guitares – Best of Ivan Rebroff (18 Hits)
Johann Sebastian Bach – Prelude and Fugue in D Major, BWV 532J – J.S. Bach: Prelude and Fugue for Organ Vol. 1 (Digitally Remastered) Ivan Sokol, organ
Max Bollinger – The New Nobility – The Hunting Sketches by Ivan Turgenev, Audio Book 1: My Neighbour Radilov and Other Stories
Ivan Rebroff – Stenka Rasin – Best of Ivan Rebroff (18 Hits)
Borodin String Quartet – Clarinet Quintet In B Minor, Op. 115: II. Adagio Brahms: Clarinet Quintet / Mozart: String Quartet No. 15
Max Bollinger – My Own Nephew – The Hunting Sketches by Ivan Turgenev, Audio Book 1: My Neighbour Radilov and Other Stories
Vasily Shumov – Turgenev's Women  – Acoustics
Style of Five – Utro Tumannoye (Misty Morning) - Arr. For Baritone And Orchestra Lev Mey – I Met You, My Love
Max Bollinger – A French Affair – The Hunting Sketches by Ivan Turgenev, Audio Book 1: My Neighbour Radilov and Other Stories
 

Sergei Yesenin

The last two years of Yesenin's life he created some of his most famous poems, but he also suffered from alcoholism, experienced a mental breakdown and was hospitalised for a month. Two days after his release, he cut his wrist, wrote a farewell poem in his own blood and hanged himself from the heating pipes on the ceiling of his room in the Hotel Angleterre. He was 30 years old.
Aleksander Wertyński sings Sergei Yesenin - Goodbye, My Friend, Goodbye Odeon 1929 (Polish) It had been inspired by a farewell note, left by Yesenin in his room in Hotel d'Angleterre in Leningrad (St. Petersburg) in Russia, after his suicidal death on the 25th December, 1925:

Da svidanya drug moj, da svidanya...
(Goodbye, my friend, goodbye
My love, you are in my heart.
It was preordained we should part
And be reunited by and by.

Goodbye: no handshake to endure.
Let's have no sadness — furrowed brow.
There's nothing new in dying now
Though living is no newer....) -Sergei Aleksandrovich Yesenin.

Alexander Novikov
 My maple, all leafless, maple frozen over, Why are you bending down under the drifting snow. Maybe you saw  something? Maybe you heard something? Or you left your village just to go out. And as drunken watchman, stepping on a road, In the snow drowned with your foot being frozen. I , myself , somehow had  become unsteady. Couldn't find the road from the friendly kegger. Here I met a pine tree, there noticed a willow, And of summer I sang to them, joined by wind and snow. Seemed to me that I am like this maple lonely, Only not being frozen but still green all over. And by losing shyness, plastered as a sailor, I hugged birch with passion as  the wife of stranger.

Don Juan
It may be late for me or else too soon,
For so many years 't did not occur
That I bear resemblance to Don Juan,
Looking like a real fickle poet.

What's become of me then? What has happened?
Every day I'm at another's feet,
Daily, I refuse to spare myself and
Still defy the venom of deceit.

Never did I want my heart to hover
In the feeling, delicate and simple.
What do I seek in those women's eyes then,
Thoughtless, full of idleness and conceit?

Hold me down, control me, my disdain,
You have always noted me till now.
There is, in my heart, a chilly flame
And of lilacs bluish rustling sound,

In the heart, a sunset's hue of lemon,
But the same is heard like through a gloom:
For the rein of feeling, there's a payment,
Take you up the gauntlet then, Don Juan!

Whereas taking up the gauntlet calmly,
For my future, still the same I see --
To mistake the snows for blue May flowering,
To mistake for love a sensual thrill.

This is what's with me, this is what's happened,
Hence I'm always at so many feet,
And, in order to be lifelong happy,
I defy the venom of deceit.


Oleg Pogudin
A golden grove has ceased at last its chatter
In a merry accent of its birches' tongue.
Afar, a flight of cranes, dejected, flutter,
No more lamenting over anyone.

Who to lament for? In this world, we're strangers:
Go by, come in and leave the house anon.
The gone are summoned up by but a hemp-close
And a harvest moon above a bluish pond.

I'm all alone amid a barren flatland.
A gust of wind is carrying cranes away.
It is my joyful youth that I'm intent on,
But nothing in the gone do I bewail.

I don't feel sorry for the years being squandered,
Or for a lilac thriving of my soul.
A fire of rowan berries, in the courtyard,
Is burning red albeit unable to warm.

The rowan berry clusters will not scorch, and
The grass won't perish from the yellow dry.
Like trees are slowly shedding their foliage,
So am I shedding doleful words of mine.

And if the time, when sweeping with an airflow,
Should grab them all in one unwanted lump,
Then say as follows... that a golden birch grove
Has ceased its chatter in a lovely tongue.


The Retuses - Письмо к женщине (Live @ TV Rain)
Jeanne Aguzarova – Touching Yesenin   – Russian album
A. (Aleksandr) Demidov – Homecoming - Sergey Alexandrovich Yesenin  Modern Soviet Poetry and Humor: Read by Alexander Demidov
A. (Aleksandr) Demidov – Flowers - Sergey Alexandrovich Yesenin Modern Soviet Poetry and Humor: Read by Alexander Demidov
Maple Nikolai Massenkoff Sings With Balalaika Orchestra
His first marriage was in 1913 to Anna Izryadnova, a co-worker from the publishing house, with whom he had a son, Yuri.
Rachmaninoff, Sergei,1873-1943. Preludes and transcriptions. Capitol-EMI[1959]  Transcriptions: Scherzo from "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (Mendelssohn) Colin Horsley, piano.
From 1916 to 1917, Yesenin was drafted into military duty, but soon after the October Revolution of 1917, Russia exited World War I. Believing that the revolution would bring a better life, Yesenin briefly supported it, but soon became disillusioned. He sometimes criticised the Bolshevik rule in such poems as The Stern October Has Deceived Me. In August 1917 Yesenin married for a second time to Zinaida Raikh (later an actress and the wife of Vsevolod Meyerhold). They had two children, a daughter Tatyana and a son Konstantin. The parents quarreled and lived separately for some time prior to their divorce in 1921. 
Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Felix,1809-1847.Die erste Walpurgisnacht. op. 60. Decca [1969] The 1st work sung in German; words by Goethe.  Lili Chookasian, contralto; Ernst Haefliger, tenor; Hermann Prey, baritone; Raymond Michalski, bass; Musica Aeterna Orchestra and Chorus; Frederic Waldman, conductor.

1. Overture, in A minor for orchestra
2. Es lacht der Mai!
3. Konnt ihr so ver
4. Opfer heut zu bringen
5. Vertheilt euch hier
6. Diese dumpfen Pfaffenchristen
7. Kommt mit Zacken und mit
8. So weit

In the fall of 1921, while visiting the studio of painter Georgi Yakulov, Yesenin met the Paris-based American dancer Isadora Duncan, a woman 18 years his senior. She knew only a dozen words in Russian, and he spoke no foreign languages. They married on 2 May 1922. Yesenin accompanied his celebrity wife on a tour of Europe and the United States. His third marriage to Duncan was brief and in May 1923, he returned to Moscow.
Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilich,1840-1893. Swan lake ballet (Suite) op. 20. Columbia,[1970]  New York Philharmonic; Leonard Bernstein, conductor.
In 1923 Yesenin became romantically involved with the actress Augusta Miklashevskaya to whom he dedicated several poems. The same year he had a son by the poet Nadezhda Volpin. Their son, Alexander Esenin-Volpin grew up to become a poet and a prominent activist in the Soviet dissident movement of the 1960s. He lives in the United States, a famous mathematician and teacher.
In 1925 Yesenin met and married his fourth wife, Sophia Andreyevna Tolstaya, a granddaughter of Leo Tolstoy.
Ballet music from the operas Angel Records [1961]  Aïda: Ballet music, act 2, by Verdi.--Khovantschina: Dance of the Persian slaves, act 4, by Moussorgsky, orch. by Rimsky-Korsakov.--Prince Igor: Dances of the Polovtsian maidens, act 2, no. 8, and Polovtsian dances, act 2, no. 17, by Borodin, orch. Rimsky-Korsakov and Glazounov.--La Gioconda: Dance of the hours, act. 3, by Ponchielli.-- Tannhäuser: Venusberg music, act 1, by Wagner.  Philharmonia Orchestra; Herbert von Karajan, conductor.

Anna Akhmatova

Anna Akhmatova is the literary pseudonym of Anna Andreevna Gorenko. Her first husband was Gumilev, and she too became one of the leading Acmeist poets. Her second book of poems, Beads (1914), brought her fame. Her earlier manner, intimate and colloquial, gradually gave way to a more classical severity, apparent in her volumes The Whte Flock (1917) and Anno Domini MCMXXI (1922). The growing distaste which the personal and religious elements in her poetry aroused in Soviet officialdom forced her thereafter into long periiods of silence; and the poetic masterpieces of her later years, A Poem without a Hero and Requiem, were published abroad.  
A recital of Russian songs. Philips [1969] 5 poems by Anna Akhmatova, by Profofiev. Galina Vishnevskaya, soprano; Mstislav Rostropovich, piano;  sung in Russian.
1.

Sunshine has filled the room 
with clear golden specks of dust.
I woke up and remembered,
dear, it was your birthday.

But far beyond my windows 
snow has covered the ground, 
And made me forget, so now to atone, 
I sleep without dreams.

2.

True tenderness is silent 
and can't be mistaken for anything else.
In vain with earnest desire 
you cover my shoulders with fur;
In vain you try to persuade me 
of the merits of first love.
But I know too well the meaning 
of your persistent burning glances.

3.
Pamjat' o solnce v serdce slabejet,
Zheltej trava.
Veter snezhinkami rannimi vejet
Jedva-jedva.

Iva na nebe pustom rasplastala
Vejer skvoznoj.
Mozhet byt', luchshe, chto ja ne stala
Vashej zhenoj.

Pamjat' o solnce v serdce slabejet.
Chto `eto? T'ma? 
Mozhet byt'! Za noch' prijti uspejet
Zima.

4.

Greetings! Do you hear the soft rustle 
beside your table?
Don't bother to write 
for I'll come to you.

Is it possible you are angry
with me like the last time?
You say that you don't want to see my hands,
my hands or my eyes.

I am with you in your bright, simple room.
Don't chase me away 
to where the cold, murky water 
flows under the bridge.

5.

Slava tebe, bezyskhodnaja bol'!
Umer vchera seroglazyj korol'.
Vecher osennij byl dushen i al.
Muzh moj, vernuvshis', spokojno skazal:
,,Znajesh', s okhoty jego prinesli,
Telo u starogo duba nashli.
Zhal' korolevu. Takoj molodoj!
Za noch' odnu ona stala sedoj.``

Trubku svoju na kamine nashjol
I na rabotu nochnuju ushjol.
Dochku moju ja sejchas razbuzhu,
V seryje glazki jejo pogljazhu.
A za oknom shelestjat topolja:
,,Net na zemle tvojego korolja.` 

Akhmatova reciting the poem “To the Muse,” from the video the Akhmatova File.

Bach, Johann Sebastian, 1685-1750 Notenbuch der Anna Magdalena Bach (1725) Pages from the Notebook of Anna Magdalena Bach Decca, [1966]   Charles Bressler, tenor ; New York Chamber Soloists.
Moffo, Anna.  Arias from Faust, La Bohème, Dinorah, Carmen, Semiramide, Turandot, Lakmé RCA Victor, [c1961]  Sung in Italian and French.  Anna Moffo, soprano; Rome Opera House Orchestra; Tullio Serafin, conductor.
Prokofiev, Sergey,| 1891-1953. Alexander Nevsky (Cantata) op. 78. [Based on music for the Eisenstein film, with words by Lugovskoi & Prokofiev.]  Angel, 1972.  Anna Reynolds, mezzo-soprano; London Symphony Orchestra & Chorus; André Previn, conductor.
Montemezzi, Italo, 1875-1952  L'amore dei tre re opera in three acts. Libretto by Sem Benelli, based on his play of the same name] RCA,  1977  Anna Moffo, soprano; Placido Domingo, Ryland Davies, tenors; Pablo Elvira, baritone; Cesare Siepi, bass; supporting soloists; Ambrosian Opera Chorus;
London Symphony Orchestra; Nello Santi, conductor.
Mad scenes from Anna Bolena, Hamlet [and] Il pirata. Angel [1959]   Donizetti, G. Anna Bolena: Plangete voi? Al dolce guidami castel natio. Maria Meneghini Callas, soprano; supporting soloists; Philharmonia Chorus; Philharmonia Orchestra; Nicola Rescigno, conductor.
Shchedrin, Rodion Konstantinovich,1932-  Anna Karenina. complete ballet. Melodiya / Angel [1973]  Bolshoi Theater Orchestra; Yuri Simonov, conductor.

Aleksandr Blok

From high atop beautiful St. Petersburg, Russia it's time once again for Sadko's World of Music. We continue our great Russian Writers Series with Alexander Blok. Blok was born in Saint Petersburg, into a sophisticated and intellectual family. Some of his relatives were literary men, his father being a law professor in Warsaw, and his maternal grandfather the rector of Saint Petersburg State University. After his parents' separation, Blok lived with aristocratic relatives at the manor Shakhmatovo near Moscow, where he discovered the philosophy of Vladimir Solovyov, and the verse of then-obscure 19th-century poets, Fyodor Tyutchev and Afanasy Fet. These influences would affect his early publications, later collected in the book Ante Lucem. In 1903 he married Lyubov (Lyuba) Dmitrievna Mendeleeva, daughter of the renowned chemist Dmitri Mendeleev. Later, she would involve him in a complicated love-hate relationship with his fellow Symbolist Andrei Bely. To Lyuba he dedicated a cycle of poetry that made him famous, Stikhi o prekrasnoi Dame (Verses About the Beautiful Lady, 1904).
Dmitri Shostakovich wrote a late song cycle for soprano and piano trio, Seven Romances of Alexander Blok Beaux Arts Trio with Joan Rodgers.

I. Pesnya Ofelii (Ophelia's Song)
II. Gamayun, ptitsa veshchaya (Gamayun, the bird of prophecy)
III. Mï bïli vmeste (We were together)
IV. Gorod spit (The city sleeps)
V. Burya (The storm)
VI. Tayniye znaki (Mysterious signs)
VII. Muzïka (Music)
Bloch, Ernest,1880-1959. Sonata no. 1, for violin and piano. Columbia [1965] Isaac Stern, violin; Alexander Zakin, piano.
Andrei Krylov – Alexander Blok Poet's – Russian and Gypsy Romances, Folk Songs, Ballades. Music for 6 and 7 string guitar and voice.
Mieczyslaw Weinberg: Complete Songs, Vol. 1 Beyond the Border of Past Days, song cycle for voice & piano, Op.50 Olga Kalugina Soprano Toccata Classics 2008 Dmitry Korostelyov Piano, Svetlana Nikolayeva Mezzo-Soprano
1.Dedication
2.War burns indomitably
3.What for?
4.Much has fallen silent
5.The poor ignoramuses laughed
6.A Spring Evening
7.In the Twilight
8.Someone was sighing at the grave
9.A Voice
10.Memory
Blok – Three Choir Miniatures: Round Dance State Capella Of St. Petersburg, Conductor: Vladislav Tchernushenko – Georgy Sviridov: Hymns To The Motherland
Mikhail Arkadiev and Dmitri Hvorostovsky– Peterburg (St. Petersburg):
No. 1. Flyuger (The Weathercock)
No. 2. Zolotoe veslo (The Golden Oar)
No. 3. Nevesta (The Bride)
No. 4. Golos iz khora (A Voice From the Chorus)
No. 5. Ya prigvozhdyon k traktirnoi stoike (I Am Nailed To a Tavern Counter)
No. 6. Veter prinyos izdalyoka (The Breeze Has Brought From Far Away)
No. 7. Petersburgskaya Pesenka (Petersburg Song, December 7, 1906)
No. 8. Rozhdennye v goda glukhie (Those Born in Obscure Years)
No. 9. Bogomater' v gorode (The Virgin City)
Gyorgy Sviridov – Sviridov, G.: Peterburg / 6 Romances
Gyorgy Sviridov,  The State Moscow Chamber Choir – The Night Clouds, Cantata: The Night Clouds,  By The Green Bank, The Clock's Hand Draws Near Midnight, Love, Balaganchik (The Tent At The Fair)
Gyorgy Sviridov, The State Moscow Chamber Choir – Songs Of Hard Times, Two Choruses Spring And A Wizard

Anton Chekov

From high atop beautiful Czechia and Paris. France , it's time once again for Sadko's World of Music. We continue our great Russian Writers Series with Anton Chekhov. Most famous for his plays, such as Three Sisters and Cherry Orchard, he also has a large number of short stories and was a Russian physician, dramaturge and author who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short stories in history. We will be alternating the music of various Czech composers with the music of Jacques Offenbach.
Bedřich Smetana. Unable to earn much money from his music (or from his school of music), Smetana´s life was overshadowed by the deaths of three of his four daughters within the space of two years, then the death of his wife three years later. It was not until 1866 when fortune smiled upon 42-year-old Smetana with the enthusiastic response to his opera The Brandenburgers in Bohemia. His next work, The Bartered Bride, was also successful. Smetana is also famous, of course, as the composer of Má Vlast. Like Beethoven, he suffered from deafness later in life, but continued to compose music. He died of syphilis-related complications in 1884, and was buried in the cemetery at Vyšehrad.
Overture to the Bartered Bride Smetana 1824-1884. Epic, [1957].  Orchestra of the Slovenian National Opera ; Dimitri Gebré, conductor. 
Can Can The Infernal Galop from Jacques Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld
Fat Boy Slim Because We Can from Moulin Rouge

Antonín Dvořák moved to Prague at the age of 16, where he studied music. He became a member of the National Theatre´s orchestra in 1861, remaining there for ten years (under the occasional leadership of Smetana). His work was admired by none other than Johannes Brahms, leading to a close friendship between the two musicians. Dvořák  went from strength to strength, becoming a professor of composition at the Prague Conservatory, traveling to London to conduct his music, receiving an honorary degree from Cambridge University and serving as the director of the National Conservatory of Music in New York City. It was here that he wrote his most famous work, From the New World. After his return to Prague and the Conservatory, he composed the beloved Rusalka. He is also buried in the cemetery at Vyšehrad.
Judi Dench, The Cherry Orchard 1962
Antonin Dvorak, O Silver Moon performed by Renee Fleming. The Art of Renee Fleming
Super Mario Bros, Can Can
Antonín Dvořák – Cypresses, B.152: IV. Poco adagio  – Dvorak: Cypress String Quartet, String Quartet No. 13 Op. 106

Leoš Janáček studied not only in Prague, but in Vienna and Leipzig. He was a native of Moravia, and spent most of his life in Brno, founding a college for organists there in 1881; he ran this college until 1920. Like Smetana, Janáček experienced more than one tragedy. His son Vladimír died at the age of two, and his daughter Olga died shortly after her father completed the score to his opera Jenůfa (which he played for her just four days before her death). His operas premiered in Brno before being performed in Prague; Jenůfa didn´t win wide acclaim until it was shown in Prague in 1915, eleven years after its Brno premiere. Janáček  himself - now in his 50s - became famous as a result. He died in 1928.
Janáček, Leoš, 1854-1928.   Jenůfa  Žárlivost overture London Digital, 1983.  Elisabeth Söderström, Lucia Popp, sopranos ; Eva Randová, alto ; Wiesłav Ochman, Peter Dvorsky, tenors ; Vienna State Opera Chorus  Vienna Philharmonic ; Charles Mackerras, conductor.
Kat'a Kabanová London,  1977. Elisabeth Söderström, Naděžda Kniplová, sopranos; Petr Dvorský, tenor; supporting soloists; Chorus of the Vienna State Opera; Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra; Charles Mackerras, conductor.
Offenbach, Jacques, 1819-1880.  Les Contes d'Hoffmann. Selections. Tales of Hoffmann; highlights Angel [1967]  Gianna d'Angelo, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, and Victoria de los Angeles, sopranos, and Nicolai Gedda, tenor, in the title role, with supporting soloists; Chœurs René Duclos; Orchestre de la Société des concerts du Conservatoire; André Cluytens, conductor; sung in French.

Bohuslav Martinů studied music in his hometown of Policka as a child; when he was sixteen, his mother took him to Prague to meet with music experts. Later that year, he entered the Prague Conservatoire. Martinů , however, began failing his exams by the end of his second year and eventually dropped out. He maintained an intense schedule of attending concerts, studying, and composing, with his works being performed in Prague. After World War I, he joined the Czech Philharmonic as second violinist, composing a piece titled Czech Rhapsody that was performed by the orchestra in 1919. Martinů then took the opportunity to study with composer Albert Roussel in Paris; during this period (1935) he was awarded a Czechoslovak State Prize for his opera Hry o Marií. When World War II exploded, Martinů went first to Switzerland, then the United States, arriving in 1941. Eventually returning to Switzerland, he died there in 1959.
Martinů – Concerto for String Quartet and Orchestra, Adagio Ljubljana Symphony Orchestra Various Artists – 50 Classics for Relaxation
Offenbach, Jacques,1819-1880. La Périchole.[An opéra bouffe in three acts] RCA Victor1957  Patrice Munsel, Theodor Uppman, and Cyril Ritchard, with supporting soloists; Metropolitan Opera Chorus and Orchestra; Jean Morel, conductor.
Jan Jakub Ryba was born in Přeštice, near Pilsen, the son of an organist and composer. In 1780, he came to Prague to study music; an admirer of Mozart´s, he conducted a performance of The Marriage of Figaro here. In 1784, he took a job as a teacher in Nepomuk. He was soon fired from this position, and spent some time wandering from place to place, eventually taking another teaching job in Rožmitál pod Třenšínem. It was here that he met his wife, Anna; the couple had nine children. Though the school flourished under his guidance, he was frequently in conflict with the town pastor and council. 1796 was the year in which he wrote his most famous work, Hej, mistr, still often played at Christmas. In 1815, Ryba´s body was found in the woods; he had cut his throat with a razor. He was buried in a plague cemetery near Rožmitál pod Třenšínem.
Ryba, Jakub Jan – Ryba: Ceska Mse Vanocni: Agnus Dei 
Offenbach, Jacques,1819-1880.   Gaîte parisienne, as presented by the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. Arr. by Manuel Rosenthal.  Angel,  [1975]   Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra; Felix Slatkin, conductor.

Leo Tolstoy

From high atop beautiful Yasnaya Polyana, it's time once again for Sadko's World of Music. We continue our great Russian Writers Series with Leo Tolstoy. Most famous for his massive novel, War and Peace, he also has a musical connection in his short story (almost a novel) The Kreutzer Sonata.

Beethoven, Ludwig van, 1770-1827. Sonata no. 9, in A major, op. 47 (Kreutzer)  Capitol [1961]  Yehudi Menuhin, violin; Hephzibah Menuhin, piano.
War and peace highlights  Prokofiev. Libretto by Mira Mendelson-Prokofieva.  Melodiya/Angel [1968] Galina Vishnevskaya, soprano, and other soloists, chorus, and orchestra of the Bolshoi Theater; Alexander Melik- Pashayev, conductor
Rota, Nino,| 1911-1979.War and peace [from the sound track of the Paramount presentation]  Columbia Special Products [1956] 3 For orchestra; conducted by Franco Ferrara.
Beethoven, Ludwig van, 1770-1827.   Wellingtons Sieg. Wellington's victory or The Battle of Vitoria.  Mercury [1961]   London Symphony Orchestra; cannons and muskets of the U. S. Military Academy; Deems Taylor, commentator; Antal Dorati, conductor.
Liszt, Franz, 1811-1886.  Introducing Ivan Davis playing piano works of Liszt. Columbia [1961]  Concert étude no. 3, in D-flat major (Un sospiro)--La Campanella.--Liebestraum.--Mephisto waltz.--Funerailles.-- Concert étude no. 2, in F minor (La leggierezza)-- Hungarian rhapsody no. 6.
Glinka, Mikhail Ivanovich, 1804-1857.   Ivan Susanin; or, A life for the tsar. London [1957?]  Soloists and Chorus of the National Opera, Belgrade, with Chorus of the Yugoslav Army; Oscar Danon, conductor.

The World of the balalaika Melodiya/Angel [1971]  Jingle bell.--Glorious sea, the sacred Baikal.--Oh, snow, light snow.--Dance of the little swans, from Swan lake.-- Siberian flax.--Ah, Nastasya!--Over the fields, open fields.--The coachman's song.--Dark eyes spell danger.-- Lost in the tall stand of grain.--Daybreak on the Moskva River, from Khovanshchina.--Oh, my heart.--Why a cloud of dust in the field?--Ah, Vanya.  Ludmila Zykina, soprano; Valentina Levko, mezzo-soprano; Ivan Petrov, bass; Osipov Balalaika Orchestra; Vitaly Gnutov and Viktor Dubrovsky, conductor.

Boris Pasternak

From high atop beautiful downtown Peredelkino, it's time once gain for Sadko's World of Music. Today we begin the great Russian writers series of shows. Our featured writer today is Boris Pasternak.
Regina Spektor – Après Moi – Begin To Hope
Boris Pasternak – Piano Sonata in B minor (1909): Moderato - Allegro moderato Sergei Rachmaninov – Sound of Verse - Piano Music of Pasternak, Ravel & Rachmaninov, Inna Faliks, piano

ПОСЛЕ ГРОЗЫ

Пронесшейся грозою полон воздух.
Все ожило, все дышит, как в раю.
Всем роспуском кистей лиловогроздыx
Сирень вбирает свежести струю.

Все живо переменою погоды.
Дождь заливает кровель желоба,
Но все светлее неба переходы,
И высь за черной тучей голуба.

Рука художника еще всесильней
Со всех вещей смывает грязь и пыль.
Преображенней из его красильни
Выходят жизнь, действительность и быль.

Воспоминание о полувеке
Пронесшейся грозой уходит вспять.
Столетье вышло из его опеки.
Пора дорогу будущему дать.

Не потрясенья и перевороты
Для новой жизни очищают путь,
А откровенья, бури и щедроты
Душе воспламененной чьей-нибудь.

The air is full of after-thunder freshness,
And everything rejoices and revives.
With the whole outburst of its purple clusters
The lilac drinks the air of paradise.

The gutters overflow; the change of weather
Makes all you see appear alive and new.
Meanwhile the shades of sky are growing lighter,
Beyond the blackest cloud the height is blue.

An artist's hand, with mastery still greater
Wipes dirt and dust off objects in his path.
Reality and life, the past and present,
Emerge transformed out of his color-bath.

The memory of over half a lifetime
Like swiftly passing thunder dies away.
The century is no more under wardship:
High time to let the future have its say.

It is not revolutions and upheavals
That clear the road to new and better days,
But revelations, lavishness and torments
Of someone's soul, inspired and ablaze. 
Russian National orchestra, conductor Mikhail Pletnev. Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, also known as the Pastoral Symphony. 4th movement Allegro 
Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilich, 1840-1893.   The storm, op. 76 Melodiya/Angel, 1975.  Moscow Symphony Orchestra; Veronika Dudarova, conductor.
Berlioz, Hector, 1803-1869.Overtures. RCA Victor [1961] Royal hunt and storm, from The Trojans (10 min., 51 sec.)

My Sister — Life
Сестра моя – жизнь и сегодня в разливе
Расшиблась весенним дождем обо всех,
Но люди в брелоках высоко брюзгливы
И вежливо жалят, как змеи в овсе.
У старших на это свои есть резоны.
Бесспорно, бесспорно смешон твой резон,
Что в грозу лиловы глаза и газоны
И пахнет сырой резедой горизонт.
Что в мае, когда поездов расписанье
Камышинской веткой читаешь в пути,
Оно грандиозней святого писанья
Хотя его сызнова всё перечти.
Что только закат озарит хуторянок,
Толпою теснящихся на нолотне,
Я слышу, что это не тот полустанок,
И солнце, садясь, соболезнует мне.
И в третий плеснув, уплывает звоночек
Сплошным извиненьем: жалею, не здесь.
Под шторку несет обгорающей ночью
И рушится степь со ступенек к звезде.
Мигая, моргая, но спят где-то сладко,
И фата-морганой любимая спит
Тем часом, как сердце, плеща по площадкам,
Вагонными дверцами сыплет в степи.

My sister — life — tonight the spring-rains
burst and flood in all of us, but grumbling
men with monocles and polished manners
snap at me like dragons in the oats.
The old corrode with reason, but I know —
you understand — that reasons are absurd.
Eyes and grass are violet in the thunder,
terror with a scent of unripe flowers —
moist to the horizon, so that, now,
in May, en route by train, the schedule
for the Kamyshin branch I just reread seems
grander than the words of sacred texts.
And here at sunset — village-lights,
as people swarm across the platform —
this is not my station — dying sunlight
gardens and consoles beside me.
And the third bell sails and lapses
with apologies: I’m sorry, I’m a stranger.
Under blinds, night scorches, and the steppe
collapses toward the stars in flights of stairs.
Stars flicker, blinking — somewhere sleep, like
honey — fata-morganas, love, sleep sometimes — my
heart laps the station platform. And the doors of
railway carriages pour open on the steppes.

Sergei Rachmaninov – Op. 38: To Her – Vijtoriya Dodoka: Rachmaninov Songs
Living Voices sing music from the motion picture The Singing Nun RCA Camden, [1966]  Sister Adele
Anita Kerr, arranger-conductor.
Love Me or Leave Me from the sound track of the MGM picture. Columbia Special Products Music by Irving Berlin and others.-- Stay on the Right Side, Sister / Bloom, Koehler Doris Day, with orchestra ; Percy Faith, conductor.
Leonard Cohen, Sisters of Mercy, The Songs of Leonard Cohen
Delius, Frederick, 1862-1934. A Mass of Life [text from Also sprach Zarathustra by Friedrich Nietzsche]  Angel 1972.  Heather Harper, soprano; Helen Watts, contralto; Robert Tear, tenor; Benjamin Luxon, baritone; London Philharmonic Choir & Orchestra; Charles Groves, conductor.
Balakirev, Miliĭ Alekseevich, 1837-1910. Fantasy on themes from A life for the Tsar. RCA Red Seal,  [1969]  Earl Wild, piano.
Bloch, Ernest, 1880-1959.  Baal Shem.  three pictures of Chassidic life. Columbia  [1965]   Isaac Stern, violin; Alexander Zakin, piano.

Corpus Christi

From high atop the beautiful campus of  the Vogue Cosmetology School

5817 Weber Rd

Corpus Christi, TX 78413-3966

Phone: (361) 883-2380

in beautiful Corpus Christi, Texas, it's time once again for Sadko's World of Music. This week we celebrate two conflicting themes: Bach to Summer and the feast of Corpus Christi.
Yo-Yo Ma Plays Ennio Morricone ~ Ennio Morricone The Mission; Gabriel's Oboe
Neil Cox – Corpus Christi Sequence: I. Prelude Arvo Pärt – Arvo Pärt - Triodion
Neil Cox – Corpus Christi Sequence: II. Hymn at the Communion Arvo Pärt – Arvo Pärt - Triodion
Neil Cox – Corpus Christi Sequence: III. Interlude I Arvo Pärt – Arvo Pärt - Triodion
Bach, Johann Sebastian,1685-1750.  The intimate Bach.[Duets with Spanish guitar, v.2]  Capitol [1962]  Komm süsser Tod.--Fuga from Sonata no.3 in c major.-- Partita no.1 in B minor: Sarabande and double; Bourrée and double.--Jesu, joy of man's desiring.--Partita no.1 in B flat minor.  Laurindo Almeida, guitar; Virginia Majewski, viola; Vincent De Rosa, horn.
Neil Cox – Corpus Christi Sequence: IV. Corpus Christi Carol Arvo Pärt – Arvo Pärt - Triodion
Neil Cox – Corpus Christi Sequence: V. Interlude II Arvo Pärt – Arvo Pärt - Triodion
Neil Cox – Corpus Christi Sequence: VI. Sacris solemniis / Panis angelicus Arvo Pärt – Arvo Pärt - Triodion
Bach, Johann Sebastian, 1685-1750.   O Jesu Christ, mein's Lebens Licht. Decca [1965]  Amor Artis Chorale; Johannes Somary, conductor.
Neil Cox – Corpus Christi Sequence: VII. Postlude Arvo Pärt – Arvo Pärt - Triodion
Christ Church Catherdral Choir William Byrd – Mass Propers for the Feast of Corpus Christi - Grandualia Liber I: Introitus: Cibavit eos, same
Christ Church Catherdral Choir William Byrd – Mass Propers for the Feast of Corpus Christi - Grandualia Liber I: Gradulais: Oculi omnium
Christ Church Catherdral Choir William Byrd – Mass Propers for the Feast of Corpus Christi - Grandualia Liber I: Sequentia: Lauda Sion salvatorem
Bach, Johann Sebastian, 1685-1750. Prelude and fugue in A minor, BWV 543.Chorale prelude : Jesus Christus, unser Heiland, BWV 626. Toccata and fugue in F major, BWV 540 Trio sonata no. 5 in C major, BWV 529. Chorale prelude: Gelobet sei'st du, Jesu Christ, BWV 604. Prelude and fugue in E minor (The wedge) BWV 548. Columbia,  [1970]  Anthony Newman, playing the Noack organ at Trinity Lutheran Church in Worcester, Mass.
William Byrd – Mass Propers for the Feast of Corpus Christi - Grandualia Liber I: Communio: Quotescunque manducabitis
William Byrd – Mass Propers for the Feast of Corpus Christi - Grandualia Liber I: Processional Hymn: Pange lingua gloriosi
William Byrd – Mass Propers for the Feast of Corpus Christi - Grandualia Liber I: Hymn to the Blessed Sacrament: Ave verum corpus
William Byrd – Mass Propers for the Feast of Corpus Christi - Grandualia Liber I: Hymn to the Blessed Sacrament: O salutaris hostia
Bach, Johann Sebastian, 1685-1750 Bach organ favorites.  Columbia, [1965] 3 S. 565, 582, 564, 578, and 577, respectively; v. 2, S. 552, 590, 543, 654, and 540. 511 E. Power Biggs playing the Flentrop organ in the Busch- Reisinger Museum, Harvard University.
The Corpus Christi Male Chorale – I Bind Unto Myself Today
Alicia de Larrocha – Iberia: III. El Corpus Christi en Sevilla
Traditional – Sancti, venite, Christi corpus (Celtic Hymn for Holy Thursday) - Voice
Various Artists – Chuschi: Fiesta of Corpus Christi
Bach, Johann Sebastian, 1685-1750.   Bach organ favorites, vol. 4. Columbia, [1965]  Prelude and fugue in D major, "the Great", BWV 532 -- Chorale prelude "Now come, Saviour of the Gentiles" BWV 659 -- Chorale prelude, "Rejoice greatly, good Christians" BWV 734 -- Prelude and fugue in C minor, "the Great", BWV546 -- Chorale prelude, "Jesus, my sure defense", BWV 728 -- Chorale prelude, "Blessed Jesus, see us here", BWV 731 -- Chorale prelude, "A mighty fortress is our God", BWV 720. E. Power Biggs playing the Flentrop organ in the Busch- Reisinger Museum, Harvard University.
William Byrd – Music for the Blessed Sacrament and Corpus Christi: Alleluia, Cognoverunt discipuli 4vv
William Byrd – Music for the Blessed Sacrament and Corpus Christi: Venite, comedite panem meum (secunda pars), 4vv
Carlo Gesualdo – Gesualdo: O Vos Omnes
Cañizares – El Corpus Christi En Sevilla
Memoria De Los Sentidos – Himno Pange Lingua "more hispano"
Memoria De Los Sentidos – Kyrie de la Missa Pange Lingua/Sacris Solemniis
Memoria De Los Sentidos – Gloria de la Missa Pange lingua/Sacris solemniis

Graduation Farewell

Mario Lanza, Golden Days from the Student Prince Music: Sigmund Romberg
Lyrics: Dorothy Donnely Musical: The Student Prince

Strauss, Johann,1825-1899.  Graduation ball Arranged by Antal Dorati. 

Capitol Records Ballet Theatre Orchestra; Joseph Levine, conductor.

Joan Baez, Farewell Angelina

Ezio Pinza, bass. Odyssey, [1972]  Mussorgsky, M. P.  Boris' farewell 

from Boris Godounov. Ezio Pinza, bass; Metropolitan Opera Chorus and Orchestra;
Emil Cooper and Fausto Cleva, conductors; sung in Italian and French.

Haydn, Joseph, 1732-1809.  Symphony no. 45 in F-sharp minor ("Farewell")

Columbia Philadelphia Orchestra; Eugene Ormandy, conductor.

Billy Joel, Vienna, The Stranger 

Great love duets. Columbia 1955 La Bohème:  act 3, Mimi's farewell. 

Dorothy Kirsten, soprano; Richard Tucker, tenor; Orchestra
of the Metropolitan Opera Association of New York; Fausto Cleva, conductor. 

Natasha Bedingfield - Unwritten

Brahms, Johannes,1833-1897.Academic festival overture, op. 80. Columbia [1956] 
Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra of New York; Bruno Walter,conductor.

The Graduate, I Survived, Anhedonia  

Five treasured recordings from the heritage of greatness on RCA Red Seal [1969] 
Lohengrin's farewell, by R. Wagner (L. Melchoir, tenor) 

Philadelphia Orchestra; Eugene Ormandy, conductor.   

Celine Dion: These are the special times, same

Pentecost

Fifty days after Easter
Georges Bizet – Carmen - Habanera Various Artists – This Is Classical - The Universe's Best Easy Listening Album Of All Time
San Francisco Ballet Orchestra – Waltz of the Flowers  – Tchaikovsky: Nutcracker
London Philharmonic Orchestra – The Tales Of Hoffmann: Barcarolle – The 50 Greatest Pieces Of Classical Music
The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & Chorus – Habanera from Carmen - Voice Various Artists – Greatest Hits: Opera
Leona Anderson - Habanera  from "Carmen" Leona Anderson – Music To Suffer By (Remastered)
New Philharmonia Orchestra – Merry Wives of Windsor - Famous Overtures, vol.1
BBC Symphony Orchestra – Marche Slav Op. 31 Sir Hamilton Harty – Russian Classics of the 78 Era
Kaki King -Marche Slav - Glow
Alexander Borodin – Prince Igor, Polovtsian Dances: I. Introduction - Andantino  – 100 Pieces of Classical Music For Your Brain

Piano Concerto #2 Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff Hélène Grimaud – Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18: II. Adagio sostenuto
La Donna E Mobile Giuseppe Verdi
Finlandia Jean Sibelius
Wine, Women And Song Richard Strauss
Vienna Blood Richard Strauss
Hungarian Dance #5 Johannes Brahms
The Flight Of The Bumble Bee Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, arr. Wm. Penn – Flight of the Killer Bee (Flight of the Bumble-Bee)
Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy Piotr Illitch Tchaikovsky
Valse Triste Anatol Provaznik
Pomp And Circumstance Sir Edward Elgar
Gold And Silver Waltz Franz Lehar
Ritual Fire Dance Manuel De Falla
Lullaby Johannes Brahms
Coronation March Giacomo Meyerbeer
Pizicatto Polka
Romeo And Juliet Piotr Illitch Tchaikovsky
The Blue Danube Richard Strauss
Intermezzo Pietro Mascagni
March From Lohengrin Richard Wagner
Sabre Dance Aram Khachaturian
Muzetta's Waltz Giacomo Puccini

Mother's Day 2013

Carrie Underwood - Mama's Song
Andrea Bocelli - Mamma 2008
Rene Simard "Coeur De Maman"
Coates, Eric, 1886-1957. Elizabeth of Glamis, the Queen Mother from The Three Elizabeths New Symphony Orchestra of London; the composer conducting.
Johnny Cash – My Mother Was A Lady
George Jones – If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again
Various Artists – Bogoroditse Djevo (Mother of God and Virgin)
Roger Wagner Chorale and Capitol Symphony Orchestra Antonín Dvořák – Nr 4 of Seven Gypsy Songs, Op. 55: Songs My Mother Taught Me Reflections
Paul Simon – That Was Your Mother  – Graceland 25th Anniversary Edition
Queen – Mother Love  – Queen 40 Limited Edition Collector's Box Set Vol. 3
Nancy Sinatra- My Mother's Eyes
Paul Simon – Mother And Child Reunion  – The Essential Paul Simon
Virgil Fox Antonín Dvořák – Nr 4 of Seven Gypsy Songs, Op. 55: Songs My Mother Taught Me Silhouettes
Aretha Franklin – Mother Loves Her Children  – Precious Lord - feat. Rev. C.L. Franklin
Nat King Cole – My Mother Told Me  – Gee Baby
A jumpin' night in the Garden of Eden the Klezmer Conservatory Band. A brivele der Mamen = A letter to Mother by Solomon Shulewitz
Trailer for the movie The First Beautiful Thing by Paolo Virzi
Abba – Does Your Mother Know Abba – ABBA Gold
B.B. King – Nobody Loves Me But My Mother  – Kansas City 1972
Bing Crosby – Did Your Mother Come From Ireland – Bing Crosby - The Best of
Cyndi Lauper – Mother  – Sisters Of Avalon
The Temptations – Oh, Mother Of Mine - Single Version (Mono) – Meet The Temptations
Ravel- Mother Goose Suite Orchestre de Paris, Serge Baudo, conductor
Suzy Bogguss – Family Tree   – Nobody Love, Nobody Gets Hurt
Bonnie Raitt – I Thought I Was A Child [Remastered version] – Takin' My Time

Sunday of Blind Composers

Johann Sebastian Bach became increasingly blind towards the end of his life. Apparently, whilst suffering from seriously impaired vision, he dictated the scores of his final works and revisions to one of his colleagues to write for him.
Vor deinen Thron tret ich hiermit, BWV668a Egon Petri Piano Deutsche Grammophon  November 15, 2011
 Johann Sebastian Bach: Präludium und Fuge G-Dur BWV 541 (Eisenbarth-Orgel St. Leonhard Asenham)

Maria Theresa von Paradis, 1759-1824, had an accident causing total blindness when she was just four years old. Born in Vienna, she was a friend of Mozart. She sang opera at an early age, and composed a number of operas, and classical works, working entirely from memory and faultlessly dictating the scores, without the need for revisions.
Morgenlied Eines Armen Mannes Patrice Michaels Soprano David Schrader Piano Cedille January 1, 2000

George Frideric Handel (German: Georg Friedrich Händel;   (23 February 1685, Halle – 14 April 1759, London) In August 1750, on a journey back from Germany to London, Handel was seriously injured in a carriage accident between The Hague and Haarlem in the Netherlands In 1751 one eye started to fail. The cause was a cataract which was operated on by the great charlatan Chevalier Taylor. This did not improve his eyesight, but possibly made it worse^. He died eight years later in 1759 at home in Brook Street, at age 74. The last performance he attended was of Messiah. Handel was buried in Westminster Abbey.  More than three thousand mourners attended his funeral, which was given full state honors.

Messiah, HWV56 (standard version), Part 1 - 11.Aria (Bass): The people that walked in darkness

Robert Lloyd, Bass, Sir Neville Marriner Conductor Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Chorus

Jean Langlais was born in La Fontenelle (Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany), a small village near Mont Saint-Michel, France. Langlais became blind due to glaucoma when he was only two years old, and was sent to the Institut National des Jeunes Aveugles (National Institute for Blind Children) in Paris, where he began to study the organ, with André Marchal. From there, he progressed to the Paris Conservatoire, obtaining prizes in organ, which he studied with Marcel Dupré, composition, which he studied with Paul Dukas. He also studied improvisation with Charles Tournemire

Jean Langlais: Incantation pour un jour Saint (Mathis-Orgel St. Josef Marktredwitz). 

Jacob van Eyck (ca. 1590 – 26 March 1657) was a Dutch nobleman and musician. He was one of the best-known musicians in The Netherlands in the seventeenth century as a carillon player, expert in bell casting and tuning, organist, recorder virtuoso, and composer. Van Eyck was born blind into a noble family in the small town of Heusden. In 1625 he left home and became carillon player of the Dom Tower of Utrecht, in 1628 he became the Director of the Carillons of Utrecht. René Descartes, Isaac Beeckman and other scientists praised his knowledge of acoustics, bell casting and tuning and bell players came to Utrecht to study with him. He died in Utrecht.

Erik Bosgraaf , recorder, plays Jacob van Eyck's “Comagain”

Pablo Bruna (1611-1679) was born in Daroca, Aragón, and permanently blinded by illness at the age of five. He served for more than forty years at the church of Santa María la Mayor in his home town: as organist from 1631 and as maestro de capilla from 1669. His Tiento de dos tiples exploits the divided keyboard of the 17th-century Spanish organ: the two upper parts act as solo voices, accompanied by quieter registration in the two lower parts. Characteristics of the organ tiento include abundant use of melodic and harmonic sequences, and the exploration of varied rhythms.

José Suárez, organist, in January 1998 at the convent of San Jerónimo Tlacochahuaya.

Miguel de Fuenllana (c.1500–1579) Little is known of his life. It is assumed from his name that his roots lie in the municipality of Fuenllana, in the province of Ciudad Real, although he was born in Navalcarnero, Madrid. Blind from birth, he composed a Libro de música para vihuela intitulado Orphenica Lyra (Seville, 1554), dedicated to Philip II of Spain. At the arrival of Isabel de Valois, third wife of Philip II, she brought with her a group of French instrumental musicians who wished to stay in the Spanish court; Fuenllana alternated with this group and his musical works were performed together with those of foreign artists. At the death of the queen in 1568 he continued serving in the Spanish court. He died in Valladolid. This Fantasia (Orphenica Lyra, Fo. CV) is one of many polyphonic masterworks of this great renaissance composer. Lawrence Johnson, guitarist

Jaroslav Ježek  (September 25, 1906 – January 1, 1942) was a Czech composer, pianist and conductor, author of jazz, classical, incidental and film music. Ježek was born in the Prague quarter of Žižkov to the family of a tailor. He was almost blind from a young age. He studied composition at the Prague Conservatory as a pupil of Karel Boleslav Jirák (1924–1927), at the master school of composition with Josef Suk (1927–1930), and shortly also with Alois Hába (1927–1928). Ježek met the playwrights/comedians Jan Werich and Jiří Voskovec (aka George Voskovec), leaders of the Osvobozené divadlo (Prague Liberated Theatre) in Prague, and took up the post of main composer and conductor for the theatre. During the next decade (from 1928 to 1939), he composed incidental music, songs, dances, and ballets for the comic and satirical plays of Voskovec and Werich. In 1934 he became a member of Czech Group of Surrealists. Forced to leave Czechoslovakia following the Nazi occupation, Ježek, Voskovec and Werich went into exile in New York City. He worked as a piano teacher and choirmaster there, and continued to work with Voskovec and Werich. In 1942, the long-ill Ježek died of chronic kidney disease in New York. On December 29, 1941, two days before his death, Ježek married Frances Bečáková.
He collaborated with many avant-garde artists of pre-war Czechoslovakia, such as Vítězslav Nezval and E. F. Burian.

Jaroslav Ježek (arranged by Charley Gerard) You Don't know What Are the Dark Ages (Vy nevíte, co je středověk)Charley Gerard, alto saxophone, James King, bass, Lenny Robinson, drums, Carl Banner, piano, Jared Dubin, trombone, Jackie Coleman, trumpet.

Turlough O'Carolan,(1670 – 25 March 1738) was a blind early Irish harper, composer and singer whose great fame is due to his gift for melodic composition. He was the last great Irish harper-composer and is considered by many to be Ireland's national composer.
Jeff Carter, guitar - O'Carolan: Si Bhig Si Mhor

 

Sunday of Women Composers

Women composers : the lost tradition found. Leonarda, 1988. Kyrie / Hildegard of Bingen Sopranos and altos of the Schola Cantorum, University of Arkansas; Jack Groh, conductor
Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1170) (Germany), a unique and extraordinary woman by any century's measure, wrote books on natural science, theology and medicine and the first morality play set to music. She composed a large collection of religious music, Symphonia armonie celestium revelationum (Symphony of the harmony of celestial revelation). Noble by birth, her resources probably helped her to found her own Order in Germany, and she earned the respect of kings, emperors and churchmen. The title of her collection, "Symphonia," refers, in addition to its more general musical meaning, to the medieval style hurdy-gurdy called a symphonia, used in this performance of 0 Jerusalem. The songs in this collection are in Latin, and, as common with plainsong, were written as a single line of music. This performance includes echoes and drones inspired by Hildegard's melodies and poetry. It is not known how this music may have been performed in Hildegard's time.
Selections from the opera La liberazione di Ruggiero / Francesca Caccini Mertine Johns, mezzo-soprano; Michael May, harpsichord; Yvonne Cable, cello; Vieuxtemps String Quartet members Masako Yanagita, Marnie Hall, Margaret Middleton Chi desia di saper Carol Plantamura, soprano; Jürgen Hübscher, baroque guitar; Beverly Lauridsen, viola da gamba
Francesca Caccini (1587-between 1628 and 1640): Francesca Caccini's father Giulio, along with Peri, is credited with writing the first opera. Francesca sang and played lute, guitar and harpsichord, all very well, according to Monteverdi. She began composing major entertainments during her late teens. Although Francesca spent most of her life in Florence, she traveled widely, and made her singing debut at the wedding of Maria de Medici to Henri IV, King of France, in 1600. She became a musician for the Medici Court in 1607 and by 1613 was one of the highest paid musicians in Florence. In 1615 she published her first book of monodies, and with it gained respect as a composer. She then began to write large-scale operas, one of which was the first Italian opera to be produced outside Italy when it was performed in Warsaw in 1682. Caccini also wrote madrigals, canzonettas, musical settings for sonnets, variations and sacred works. Her music is very dramatic and uses unprepared dissonance, precisely indicated ornaments and word painting. As a singing teacher Caccini produced a whole school of disciples.
 Tradimento! / Barbara Strozzi Carol Plantamura, soprano; Jürgen Hübscher, lute; Beverly Lauridsen, viola da gamba
Barbara Strozzi (b.1619. Last published in 1664) composed some of the most extraordinary music of the 17th century and was considered the best singer and lute player in Venice. She was probably the illegitimate daughter of the poet Giulio Strozzi, who adopted her when she was nine. He saw to it that she received the best musical education and encouraged her to compose, publish and perform. The Strozzi home was the meeting place for groups of highly educated men who met to discuss the arts and sciences, which greatly influenced Barbara's development. One group in which she was particularly interested was the Accademia degli Unisoni, or the "group of similar thinkers" founded in 1637. Their meetings were devoted to musical performances as well as to academic discourse, and Barbara played an important role as singer, lutenist, composer and collaborator. She commissioned poetry from members of the academy, set it to music, and performed and published it. At the time, there was no consensus that women had souls or belonged to the human race, and because of the role she played in a "man's world," she and the Accademia degli Unisoni gained much notoriety. Strozzi's music is similar to, but more lyrical than that of Cavalli, her teacher, and displays the wide variety of musical forms used in her day: full and partial da capo arias, strophic arias, strophic variations, and multi-sectioned cantatas using both free recitative and arias. Strozzi wrote arias, dramatic cantatas, madrigals and duets. She published eight volumes of works, including more cantatas than any other 17th-century composer.
Kyrie from the First mass, op. 18 / Isabella Leonarda University of Arkansas Chorus, violins, cello, organ, Jack Groh, conductor.
Isabella Leonarda (1620-1704) (Novara, Italy) joined the Collegio Sant'Orsola (the Order later called Ursulines) at the age of 16. Her father was a member of the minor nobility and a Doctor of Law. Two of her brothers were canons of the Novara cathedral, and at least two sisters also were members of the Collegio Sant'Orsola .Her oldest brother inherited the family title and was a civic official in Novara. His descendants still live in the city and the family archives include much information about Isabella, including a representation of her on a family tree shown in the accompanying CD booklet. When she was 20, Leonarda's first published music appeared in a collection by the Maestro de Capella at the Novara cathedral, Gasparo Casati, who may have been her teacher. Leonarda published 20 volumes of music during her life, of which two have been lost. The surviving volumes contain more than 200 pieces of music. One is entirely instrumental ­11 trio sonatas and a sonata for solo violin and organ continuo. The vocal works include psalms, magnificats, responsories, litanies, four masses, and many works with non-biblical texts (including four in Italian) which are usually labeled motets. The choral music is for soprano (canto), alto, tenor, and bass. All of the music, including the instrumental sonatas, would have been appropriate for liturgical use, but no records survive to tell us for what occasions her music was written or used, or even where it was performed. Leonarda's works are found in widely scattered locations, however, often with parts missing, indicating that they had been used. In Italy, her music is found in Bergamo, Siena, Bologna, Como, and Pistoia. Her music is also in Benedictine libraries in Einsiedein (Switzerland), Bueron, and Ottbeuren (Germany). Other works are located in national museums in England and the United States, in Munich, and at the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Vienna. Brossard owned several of her works, which he esteemed highly and which are now in the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris. [Brossard's collection of manuscripts was acquired by Louis XV in 1724, and became the nucleus of the music collection of the Bibliothèque Nationale.] No manuscripts survive, only published music. Perhaps works were composed and published in quick succession, but it is more likely that Leonarda selected music for her published volumes from among her manuscripts.
 Prelude from the cantata Samson / Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre Tempête from the cantata Le Sommeil d'Ulisse
March for the regiment "Graf Lottum" from Four regimental marches / Anna Amalia, Princess of Prussia Masako Yanagita, Marnie Hall, Margaret Middleton, Yvonne Cable, Thomas Thies (string quartet and double bass)
Selections from Erwin and Elmire, a Singspiel / Anna Amalia, Duchess of Saxe-Weimar Berenice Bramson, soprano; Vieuxtemps String Quartet; Thomas Thies, double bass
Anna Amalia, Duchess of Saxe-Weimar (1739-1807), the niece of Frederick the Great and daughter of Charles I, married at 16 and was the mother of two sons. She assumed the duties of regent for her underage son upon the early death of her husband. Apparently she ruled the duchy well and still had time to cultivate the arts and study composition and piano. She founded the German theatre in Weimar and is considered the founder of the Weimar museums. A very talented and cultured person, she surrounded herself with musicians and writers. Between 1788 and 1790 she traveled to Italy to study music and the visual arts. While there she met Paisiello who impressed her, as did the Italian vocal style.
Sicilienne / Maria Theresia von Paradis Evalyn Steinbock, cello; Roger Rundle, piano
Maria Theresia von Paradis (1759-1824): Paradis' father was the Imperial Court Secretary in Vienna, the cultural and political center of the Hapsburg empire. Maria Theresia was named after the Empress, who subsequently paid for her education. She went blind as a child, but because of her talent, had the best music teachers in Vienna, including Salieri for composition and singing. A keyboard virtuoso who was idolized by the public, both Salieri and Mozart wrote concertos for her. In the 1790s, Paradis stopped giving concerts, preferring to devote her time to composing and teaching. She spent the remainder of her life in Vienna where, in 1808, she founded an institution for music education for the handicapped. Since most of her music was not published, very little of it remains. This song was published in a collection of twelve songs from her European tour of 1784-1786.
 Hier Liegt ein Spielmann / Louise Reichart Grayson Hirst, tenor; Michel Yuspeh, piano
Nachwanderer ; Warum sind denn die Rosen so blass Morgenständchen / Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel
John Ostendorf, bass-baritone; Rudolph Palmer, piano (1) Grayson Hirst, tenor;
Michel Yuspeh, piano (2,3)
Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel (1805-1847) was a major talent, a better pianist than her brother Felix according to him, and the person to whom he took all of his compositions for criticism. Her father and brother discouraged her from having a professional career or publishing, but she was the musical director of one of the most important musical salons in Berlin in the 1830's and participated as a conductor, pianist and composer . In 1846 a small number of her works were published and she was planning more when she became ill and died. She composed songs, cantatas, oratorios and operas.
Der Winter ; Frühzeitiger Frühling ; Wie glänzt so hell dein Auge / Josephine Lang

Josephine Lang (1815-1880) came from Münich where her father was a court musician and her mother an opera singer. Lang was composing songs by age 13, and was only 15 when she wrote the song presented here. After meeting the young Lang in 1831, Mendelssohn wrote, "She has the gift of composing songs and singing them as I have never heard before. It is the most complete musical joy I have ever experienced." Lang responded to his enthusiasm by idolizing him. Robert Schumann wrote favorable reviews of her songs, including this one. Lang became a professional singer at the Münich court in 1836, but her career was cut short by marriage and a subsequent move to Tübingen in 1842. After her husband's death in 1856, Lang supported her family of six children by teaching voice and piano. Clara Schumann helped arrange for the publication of her Lieder. More than 150 were printed, establishing her as one of the most published women composers of the period. More than half of her songs date from the 1830s and 40s, and were influenced stylistically by Schubert, Schumann and Mendelssohn.
Das ist ein Tag ; Warum willst du And're fragen ;Er ist gekommen in Sturm und Regen ; Liebst du um Schönheit / Clara Wieck Schumann
Das Vöglein ; Die Beschwörung / Pauline Viardot-Garcia
 Scherzo from Trio in e minor, op. 45 ; Adagio, allegro from Nonetto, op. 38 / Louise Farrenc
Serenade from Quartet, op. 11 / Louise Hériette-Viardot
La morena, op. 67 / Cécile Chaminade
Nocturne ; D'un matin de printemps / Lili Boulanger
Excerpt from Quartet for strings, op. 79 / Amy Beach
Allegro vigoroso from Trio / Rebecca Clarke
 Divertimento / Katherine Hoover
Schicksal and Elisabeth from the song cycle Einsame Nacht / Ellen Taaffe Zwilich
String quartet (1962) / Ruth Schonthal
 Homage to Keith Jarrett and Gary Burton / Barbara Kolb
 Landscapes of the mind II / Marga Richter
 Nocturne La fin de siècle / Judith Lang Zaimont.

Sunday of the Paralyzed Composer

Handel, George Frideric, 1685-1759. The magnificent Mr. Handel. Columbia, 1970- E. Power Biggs, organ; Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; Charles Groves, conductor. Grande Entree~Grande Entree and Semele, oratorio, HWV 58 Where'er You Walk~Where'er You Walk Bryn Terfel sings Handel Arias I feel, I feel the Deity within - Arm, arm ye brave! E. Power Biggs Entrance of the Queen of Sheba Bryn Terfel Vouchsafe, O Lord E. Power Biggs Samson, oratorio, HWV 57 Bryn Terfel Honour and arms scorn such a foe Os Mutantes Ganja Man Fool Metal Jack Curtis Mayfield SuperFly Delius, Frederick, 1862-1934. Sea drift (text by Walt Whitman). A song of the high hills. Angel [1974] John Noble, baritone; Liverpool Philharmonic Chorus; Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra; Sir Charles Groves, conductor. Teddy Pendergrass, Love TKO

Roll Back the Stone

Rachmaninoff, Sergei, 1873-1943. The rock, op.7; [fantasy for orchestra]. Melodiya/Angel[1975] 

 U.S.S.R. Symphony Orchestra

Klezmatics (Musical group) Brother Moses smote the water the Klezmatics with Joshua Nelson & Kathryn Farmer. Piranha Musik,2004. Elijah rock The Klezmatics: Lorin Sklamberg, lead vocals, accordion; Frank London, trumpet, keyboard, organ, vocals; Matt Darriau, alto sax, clarinet, bass clarinet, vocals; Lisa Gutkin, violin, vocals; Paul Morrissett, bass, tsimbl, vocals; David Licht, drums, vocals; with Joshua Nelson, Kathryn Farmer lead vocals, piano, organ. 

Berlioz, Hector, 1803-1896. Romeo and Juliet; the orchestral music. Angel[1970]Romeo at the tomb of the Capulets. Chicago Symphony Orchestra;

 Carlo Maria Giulini, conductor. 

The Best of Rock 'N' Roll Hits of the 50's 

 (CD - Excelsior Recordings #22062)

The Great Pretender Buck Ram The Platters 

Virgil Fox plays the Wanamaker grand court organ, Philadelphia. Command [1964] 

 Mulet, H. Thou art the rock, from Ten Byzantine sketches.

Ain't That a Shame Dave Bartholomew / Fats Domino Pat Boone
Prokofiev, Sergey, 1891-1953. Skaz o kamennom ︠t︡svetke. The stone flower.  London [1965]
 Orchestre de la Suisse Romande; Silvio Varviso, conductor.

Earth Angel  Jesse Belvin The Crew Cuts
Donizetti, Gaetano, 1797-1848. Highlights from Lucia di Lammermoor;
opera in 3 acts. Cetra Tomb scene Lina Pagliughi, Maria Vinciguerra,
soprano; Armando Giannotti, Giovanni Malipiero, tenor; Giuseppe Manacchini,
baritone; Luciano Neroni, bass; Orchestra and chorus of Radio Italiana;
Ugo Tansini, conductor.

Tutti Frutti Dorothy LaBostrie / Joe Lubin / Little Richard Little Richard
The Temptations, Papa Was a Rolling Stone
Mylo Hatzenbuhler, Aloan Again Naturally
Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Rock of Ages

Kisses Sweeter Than Wine Paul Campbell / Herb Newman / Traditional Jimmie F. Rodgers
Brotherhood RCA Records, 1968. Somebody - Woman unkind -Pastel blue -
Close the door -Doin'the right thing (The Way) - Seasons (Smith-Volk-Levin). Love for free -
Lady Faire - Ice cream - Box  guitar - Forever (Smith-Volk-Levin). Jump out the window (Smith-Volk-Levin-Etheridge).

Thomas Sunday

Dylan Thomas – Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night Various Artists – 100 Great Poems - Classic Poets & Beatnik Freaks
Thomas Dolby – She Blinded Me With Science  – Retrospectacle - The Best Of Thomas Dolby
Gigli. RCA Victor [1962]  Thomas.  Mignon: Addio,  Mignon! fa core!-  Beniamino Gigli, tenor, with orchestra.
Irma Thomas, In the Middle of It All
Vaughan Williams, Ralph, 1872-1958. Fantasia on a theme by  Thomas Tallis Angel 1976.
Sir Adrian Boult conducts string music  of Vaughan Williams.  London Symphony Orchestra.
Patrick Doyle, Mass for St. Patrick  Introit  Trinity Chorale
Rufus Thomas, Walking the Dog.
Davies, Peter Maxwell,1934- Offenbarung und Untergang. Revelation and fall, for soprano and sixteen instrumentalists. based on a poem by Georg Trakl Angel [1969] Mary Thomas, soprano; Pierrot Players; the composer conducting.
B.J. Thomas – Hooked On A Feeling Various Artists – 60s Classics
Handel, George Frideric,1685-1759. Samson. an oratorio Archiv Produktion [1969]  Martina Arroyo, Helen Donath, Sheila Armstrong, sopranos; Norma Procter, contralto; Alexander Young, Jerry J. Jennings, tenors; Thomas Stewart, Ezio Flagello, basses; Münchener Bach-Chor; Münchener Bach-Orchester; Karl Richter, conductor
Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Felix, 1809-1847. Elijah: highlights. Angel [1965] Elizabeth Harwood, soprano; Marjorie Thomas, contralto; Richard Lewis, tenor; John Shirley-Quirk, bass; Royal Choral Society; Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; Sir Malcolm Sargent, conductor. 
Mad scenes from Anna Bolena, Hamlet [and] Il pirata. Angel [1959] Thomas, A. Hamlet: A vos jeux; Partagez- vous mes fleurs; Et maintenant écoutez ma chanson (Mad scene) Maria Meneghini Callas, soprano; supporting soloists; Philharmonia Chorus; Philharmonia Orchestra; Nicola Rescigno, conductor. 
Ezio Pinza, bass. Odyssey, [1972] Thomas, A. Légères hirondelles, from Mignon (with Risë Stevens) Ezio Pinza, bass; Metropolitan Opera Chorus and Orchestra; Emil Cooper and Fausto Cleva, conductors;