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;

Easter 2013

Easter 2013

ENRIQUE GRANADOS:Danzas espanolas, Op.37, No.2, Oriental Born in the ancient Russian village of Murom in 1920, pianist Oleg Boshniakovich began his musical training with his aunt, Anna Klekova, a celebrated teacher in Murom. In 1934, Boshniakovich moved to Moscow and entered the Central Music School of the Moscow Conservatory, and then into the Conservatory itself - studying with Professor Konstantin Igumnov. Following a brief interruption brought upon by the Second World War, Boshniakoich resumed his studies with the legendary pianist Heinrich Neuhause.

The Easter Tales, Here comes Peter Cotton Tail, Easter Party Music

Penderecki, Krzysztof, 1933- Utrenja. The entombment of Christ. RCA Red Seal [1971] Stefania Woytowicz, soprano; Kerstin Meyer, mezzo-soprano; Seth McCoy tenor; Bernard Ladysz, Peter Lagger, basses; Temple University Choirs; Philadelphia Orchestra; Eugene Ormandy, conductor; sung in Old Slavonic.
VALERI KIKTA:Easter Chants of Old Russia, Resurrect, O the Lord Valeri Kikta (October 22, 1941, in Vladmirovka, a village near Donetsk, Ukraine) is a Ukrainian classical composer. He was educated at the Moscow Choral College, then at the Moscow Conservatoire under Semyon Bogatyryov and Tikhon Khrennikov. On the recommendation of Shostakovich he moved on to post-graduate study. Kikta's compositions include ballets, symphonic, organ and choral works. These include Beyond the Verge of Darkness for tenor and orchestra, and Frescos of the St. Sofia Cathedral of Kiev for harp and orchestra. He was recorded extensively by the USSR state recording company, Melodiya in the 1970s and 1980s.
The Easter Tales, The Bunny Hop, Easter Party Music
Bach, Johann Sebastian, 1685-1750. Oster-Oratorium. Easter oratorio, BWV 249. Angel [1966] Teresa Zylis-Gara, soprano; Patricia Johnson, alto; Theo Altmeyer, tenor; Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, baritone; South German Madrigal Choir: Southwest German Chamber Orchestra; Wolfgang Gönnenwein, conductor.
ANATOLY KISSELEV:Stichera of the Easter Stichera of the Easter Work Large Choir of Belorussian Radio and TV Chorus/Choir, V. Rovdo Conductor Anatoly Kisselev was born in Moscow in 1948, and received his training at the Moscow State Choral School (1955-65), studying with Alexander Sveshnikov, Nikolay Demyanov, Victor Rovdo, and Alexander Flyarkovsky; as well as at the Moscow Conservatory (1965-70), studying orchestration and composition with Alfred Schnittke - who recommended Kisselev to the Soviet Union of Composers.
The Easter Tales, The Easter Parade, Easter Party Music
ALEXEY LARIN:Russian Passion, oratorio for soloists, choir, organ and percussion (1994), 14.Easter 15. Alleluia Kapella Moscow Kremlin Chorus/Choir Gennady Dmitryak, Conductor
The Easter Tales – Eggbert The Easter Egg, Easter Party Music
SERGEY LIAPUNOV:4 Songs, Op.14, 4.Vostochnïy romans (Eastern Romance)Vladimir Miller, Bass S. Uryvaev, Piano
The Easter Tales – My Choc'late Rabbit, Easter Party Music
SERGEY RACHMANINOV:Suite No.1 for 2 Pianos, Op.5, 4.Easter Turkina Duo Julia and Galina Turkina formed perhaps the most celebrated piano duo in Russia, with an active performance career spanning from 1937 to Galina's death in 1999. Both studied piano at the Central Music School in Moscow, where their principal teachers were Vasily Argamakov, Konstantin Igumnov, Ilia Kliachko, and Alexander Goldenveiser. During their illustrious careers they worked closely with a number of important composers - including Dmitri Shostakovich and Aram Khachaturian, often collaborating in preparation of a new work. Among the composers who have written works expressly for the Duo include Sergei Evseev, Vasily Argamakov, Nikolai Peiko, and American composer Jon Appleton.
The Easter Tales – The Funny Little Bunny With The Powder Puff Tail, Easter Party Music
NIKOLOAI RIMSKY-KORSAKOV:4 Songs, Op.2, 2.Vostochnïy romans: Plenivshis' rozoy, solovey (Eastern Song: Enslaved by the Rose, the Nightingale) Margarita Mamsirova A multi-faceted talent,with professional skills, a rare tone of voice - coloratura mezzo soprano, artistry and bright appearance allowed MB Mamsirovoy to gain true recognition and the opportunity to act in the best opera houses in Russia and Europe. MB Mamsirova is the recipient of many awards and the student of opera singers. In 1999 she received the Russian theater award "Magic rocker" (Moscow) as "Best Actress" for his performance as Laura in the opera "The Stone Guest" by Dargomyzhsky. The repertoire of the MB Mamsirovoy includes a large number of complicated opera roles of Russian and foreign composers, including highlights of Carmen ("Carmen" by Bizet), Rosina ("Barber of Seville" by Rossini), Cinderella ("Cinderella" by Rossini), Delilah (" Samson and Delilah "Camille Saint-Saens), Olga (" Eugene Onegin "by Tchaikovsky), Laura (" Iolanthe "Tchaikovsky), Amneris (" Aida "by Verdi), Lyubasha (" The Tsar's Bride "by N. Rimsky-Korsakov), Eboli ("Don Carlos" G. Verdi), Marina Mnishek ("Boris Godunov" by Modest Mussorgsky) and many others. MB Mamsirova leads an active concert and touring schedule. Included in The repertoire of Mamsirovoy, along with the world of classical vocal literature, are Circassian folk songs,which the singer who performs with special awe and affection. In 2001 M. Mamsirova took part in a gala concert dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Adygea with a brilliant solo concert at the State Philharmonic of the Republic of Adygea. In 2002 she performed in the city of Maikop, a joint solo soloist with the Bolshoi Theatre of Russia Roman Muravitsky tenor, and in 2006 took part in the concert in which artists celebrated the 15th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Adygea, as well as performing a solo concert, which is dedicated to her native land. For her great contribution to the development of musical culture of the Republic of Adygea Mamsirovoy was awarded the honorary title "Honored Artist of the Republic of Adygea."
King's College Choir, Cambridge – Jesus Christ is risen today (Easter Hymn), 100 Best Hymns
RIMSKY-KORSAKOV: Russian Easter Overture, Moscow Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Ken Moss
Swedish Chamber Orchestra – Oratorium Festo Paschali: Kommt, eilet und laufet (Easter Oratorio), BWV 249: Oratorium Festo Paschali: Kommt, eilet und laufet (Easter Oratorio), BWV 249: II. Adagio Johann Sebastian Bach – Bach: Oboe Concertos
PAVEL TSCHESNOKOV:Easter Prayer, Academy of Choral Arts, Moscow Chorus/Choir, V. Ladjuk Voice, Viktor Popov Conductor
Iraida Yusupova, Composer From Faust's Fragments Easter Angel's Choir (text by Boris Pasternak) Yusupova, Iraida, Piano Ave Maria Chamber Ensemble Goodkov, V. Voice (Taped), Dmitry Cheglakov, Cello

Palm Sunday 2013

Palm Sunday

1.The Schola Cantorum of St. Peter the Apostle – The Litany of the Saints  Lord, By Your Cross & Resurrection (disc 1): Passion (Palm) Sunday-Good Friday

D1. Anonymous (Early Music) Composer Bats mez Ter (Hymn for Palm Sunday) Ghazaryan, Lusine  and Papayan, Anahit, Sopranos

2. Choralschola – Gloria, laus, et honor (Processional Hymn for Palm Sunday) - Voice  – NPR Milestones of the Millennium: CHANT - Hymns and Sequences - Gloria in excelsis Deo

3. Nancy Sinatra – Here In The Palm Of Your Hand  – Sheet Music.
4. Alfred Newman conducts his great film music New York : Angel, 1973. The robe: Palm Sunday In part with the Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra.
5. Maurice Duruflé – Prelude, Recitatif Et Variations, Op. 3 – Summer Travels: Chamber Music Palm Beach
6. Édouard Lalo Chamber Music Palm Beach – Suite, Op. 21: I. Adagio Espressivo   II. Allegro Grazioso  III. Andante Espressivo Chamber Music Palm Beach: Buried Treasure
7. Plainchant – Plainchant: Antiphon for Vespers, Saturday before Palm Sunday (reprise) Nicholas Gombert (c.1495-c.1560) – Nicolas Gombert: Magnificats 1-4
8. Bob Hope – January 1943 - From Palm Springs, California Bob Hope – The Ultimate Collection
9. The Schola Cantorum of St. Peter the Apostle – Hail Our Saviour's Glorious Body – Create a Clean Heart in me  – The Lord's Right Hand has Shown its Power– Lord, By Your Cross & Resurrection (disc 1): Passion (Palm) Sunday-Good Friday
10. Dean Martin – It's 1200 Miles From Palm Springs To Texas - 1996 Digital Remaster  – The Capitol Years
11.  Bo Hansson – Nu loser solen sitt blonda har (The Sun is Now Letting Down Her Blond Hair)
 – Andetag
Henze, Hans Werner, 1926-
Ode an den Westwind. Musik für Violoncello und Orchester nach Percy Bysshe Shelley. Konzert für Violine und grosses Orchester. Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft [1969]
Siegfried Palm, violoncello; Wolfgang Schneiderhan, violin; Symphonie-Orchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks; the composer conducting.

Penderecki, Krzysztof, 1933- Penderecki conducts Penderecki. Angel [1973] Fonogrammi, for flutes and chamber orchestra. Cello concerto. Siegfried Palm, violoncello Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, with Wanda Wilkomirska, violin, and Felicja Blumental, piano; conducted by the composer.

Italian St. Patrick

From high atop beautiful Lake Patrick in lovely West Palm Beach Florida, it's time once again for Sadko's World of Music. It's the Italian St. Patrick's Day Show.
 Donato Di Stefano – La serva padrona: Intermezzo II: Recitative: Ah! quanto mi sa male di tal risoluzione (Uberto, Serpina) Tommaso Mariani – Pergolesi: Livietta e Tracollo - La Serva padrona
Claudio Scimone – Albinoni / Arr Giazotto : Adagio in G minor Various Artists – 40 Most Beautiful Adagios
Torelli, Giuseppe – Torelli: 1. Allegro - 1. Allegro Various Artists – Pachelbel: Canon - Baroque Music by Bach, Handel, Purcell, Vivaldi
Ottorino Respighi – Roman Festivals-  Circenses– Respighi Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Ciao Italia ! – Insieme 1992 Ciao Italia ! – The Very Best Of Italian Pop Songs
Franco Corelli – Tosca, Act 3: E lucevan le stelle
Fergie – Be Italian Various Artists – Nine
Il Giardino Armonico – Uccellini : Sonata XVIII – The Collected Recordings of Il Giardino Armonico
Giacinto Scelsi – Trio For Strings Various Artists – Roots Of Drone
Pergolesi, Giovanni Battista, 1710-1736. Stabat Mater. London [1965] Judith Raskin, soprano; Maureen Lehane, contralto; Orchestra Rossini di Napoli; Franco Caracciolo, conductor. Revision and 
organ part by M. Zanon.
Albinoni, Tomaso 1671-1750.  Sonata in G minor for strings and continuo, op. 2, no. 6 Epic [1960]    Evart van Tright, oboe; Roberto Michelucci, violin; I Musici. Torelli, Giuseppe, 1658-1709. Concerti grossi.Selection from op. 8 Rev. by M. Abbado. Epic [1956] No. 2 for 2 violins, string orchestra, and continuo;. No. 2, A minor. Roberto Michelucci, Anna Maria Cotogni, violins; Mario Centurione, violoncello; I Musici.
Respighi, Ottorino, 1879-1936. Fontane di Roma. The fountains of Rome. 
The pines of Rome. Columbia [1971?] Philadelphia orchestra; Eugene Ormandy, conductor. 
Italian Restaurant Music of Italy – Italian Tarantella  – Italian Dinner Music, Italian Restaurant Music, Background Music
Four Italian sonatas. Capitol [1959] La follia, op. 5, no.12, by Correlli Nathan Milstein, violin; Leon Pommers, piano. 
Yolanda Be Cool – We No Speak Americano Various Artists – Italian retro dance
Sven Schwannberger, Thomas Leininger, Florian Wieninger – Marco Uccellini: Sonata Quarta  – Arcadia 
Virtuosi di Roma Decca, 1951. Concerto no. 6 [i.e., no. 3] in F major for strings, by A. Scarlatti. Virtuosi di Roma, with Luigi Ferro, violin, and Massimo Anfitertrof,  violoncello; Renato Fasano, conductor.


 

It's Florida, man!

Delius, Frederick, 1862-1934. Florida suite. Rev. & edited [by] Beecham. 

Capitol [1960] Royal Philharmonic Orchestra: Sir Thomas Beecham, conductor. 

Davka (Musical group)Lavy's dream Tzadik 2001. Dream of Rabbi Lavy Davka (Daniel Hoffman, violin; Moses Sedler, violoncello;  Adam Levenson, doumbek, tar, and zarb) The Monkees, Going Down Young, Victor,1900-1956. Around the world in eighty days music from the sound track music composed and conducted by Victor Young. Decca Prairie sail car For orchestra ;  the composer conducting. Berlin, Irving 1888-1989 Annie get your gun Decca, [1949] Ethel Merman; Ray Middleton; and other members of the original New York cast; with orchestra and chorus under the direction of Jay Blackton.  Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Felix,1809-1847. A midsummer night's dream: incidental music. London, [1969] Contains the Overture, op. 21,  and excerpts from op. 61 no. 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, and 12) Jennifer Vyvyan, Marion Lowe, sopranos; female chorus of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; London Symphony Orchestra; Peter Maag, conductor. Pet Shop Boys, I Want a Dog,Introspective KO KO, Float Will Smith, Miami

New Pope in the Pizza Show

From high atop beautiful Lake Johanna in lovely Pope County, Minnesota, it's time once again for Sadko's World of Music. It's the New Pope in the Pizza Show.
Pius X Choir, Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart; Mother Josephine Morgan, director; Mother Catherine Carroll, organ acc.Gregorian chants: Mass XII (Pater cuncta); Mass XVII (Sundays of Advent and Lent) Toledo, Ohio : Gregorian Institute
 Ron Pope – A Drop In The Ocean  – The Bedroom Demos
Cassadee Pope – Secondhand, eponymous
The Lovely Feathers – Pope John Paul  – Hind Hind Legs
 Pius X Choir, Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart; Mother Josephine Morgan, director; Mother Catherine Carroll, organ acc.Gregorian chants:  Mass V (Magnae Deus potentiae); Mass [XVIII] (Weekdays of Advent and Lent) Toledo, Ohio : Gregorian Institute
Oxford Camerata – Missa Papae Marcelli (Pope Marcellus Mass): Kyrie Johann Sebastian Bach – Classical Music Start-Up Kit, Volume 1 (1500-1825)
Popular Computer – Next Level Pope - Refresh Version  – First Level 2004 - 2007
Andrew Pope – My Kinda Crazy  – Here We Go
Music in the Vatican Pavilion, New York World's Fair, 1964 -1965  Purchase, N.Y.  Pius X School of Liturgical Music, Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart, [1964?]  Pius X School of Liturgical Music :  Angelus ad viginem -- Ave Maria / Bruchner -- Jubilate Deo / Gabrielle -- The Prince of Denmark's march : (known as Purcell's Trumpet tune and air) / Clarke -- Cibavit nos / Bassano -- Locus iste : motet / Hunter -- A prayer of St. Francis -- Recordare, Virgo Mater ; Spiritus Domini ; Alleluia. Veni, Sarcte Spiritus / Gregorian chant -- Create in me, o God, a pure heart ; How lovely is Thy dwelling place / Brahms -- Requiem. Sanctus ; Pie Jesu ; In paradisum / Fauré. Students of Pius X School, Manhattanville Glee Club ; Renaissance Brass Ensemble ; Bruce Prince-Joseph, Edgar Hilliar, Mother Catherine Carroll, organists ; Ralph Hunter, Dom Joseph Gajard, conductors.
Frank Black and the Catholics, New House of the Pope
Frank Zappa, Rejected Mexican Pope Leaves the Stage

Valentine's Day

From high atop beautiful Loveland Colorado, it's time once again for Sadko's World of Music. It's the Valentine's Day Show. Klezmer Conservatory Band (Judy Bressler, Ilene Stahl, Miriam Rabson, Robin Miller, Gary Bohan, Mark Hamilton, Hankus Netsky, Javier Perez Saco, Jeff Warchauer, James Guttmann, Grant Smith ; Hankus Netsky, director).Bukhareste Bulgar (Bulgar from Bucharest) Dance me to the end of love. Rounder Records, 2000.
Philadelphia Orchestra; Eugene Ormandy, conductor.Liszt, F. (arr. V. Herbert) Dream of love.--Beethoven, L. van. (arr. W. Smith) Für Elise.--Tchaikovsky, P. I. (arr. A. Harris) None but the lonely heart.--Debussy, C. (arr. L. Caillet) Clair de lune.--Wagner, R. Love-death from Tristan und Isolde.- Dream of love. Columbia, [1970]
 Philadelphia Orchestra; Eugene Ormandy, conductor. Barcarolle from The tales of Hoffmann.--Rimsky-Korsakov, N. The young prince and the young princess, from Scheherazade.--Tchaikovsky, P. I. Theme from Romeo and Juliet.--Schubert, F. P. (arr. A. Harris) Serenade.Dream of love. Columbia, [1970] Klezmer Conservatory Band The In laws are Coming/Dance of a Freylekh Dance me to the end of love. Rounder Records, 2000.
Miklos Rozsa - A Time To Love and A Time To Die - Main Title and Foreword
 I know my love. Capitol [1961] "Folk songs of love, portraying the joys and sorrows of the heart," sung by Salli Terri, with guitar, lute, recorders, piano, or accordion.
Mario Lanza, Mattinata, Love Songs, RCA Victor
Opera's great love duets. Angel [1973] Donizetti. Lucia di Lammermoor: Sulla tomba; Qui di sposa eterna fede.--Verdi. Aida: Fuggiam gli ardori inospiti. La forza del destino: S'ei non venisse? Oh, per sempre; Pronti i destrieri. La traviata: Un dì felice. Otello: Già nella notte densa.--Mascagni. L'amico Fritz: Il padron tra poco; Suzel, buon di; Han della porpora viva il colore (Cherry duet)--Puccini. Madama Butterfly: Vogliatemi bene; Un po'di vero c'è; Oh! quanti occhi fisi.
The love for three oranges. Suite. Prokofiev, Sergey, 1891-1953. Odyssey, [1969]St. Louis Symphony Orchestra; Edouard van Remoortel, conductor.

Suppe Sunday

From high atop beautiful Lake Superior, it's time once again for Sadko's World of Music. This week we feature the work of composer Franz von Suppé
Overtures by Suppé and Strauss. Angel  [1975]   Suppé, F. von. Light cavalry. Johann Strauss Orchestra of Vienna: Willi Boskovsky, conductor.
Beethoven's Wig – Stuck In The Saddle Again (Light Cavalry March, Suppe)  Beethoven's Wig 2: More Sing Along Symphonies
Felix Kubin – There is a Garden  – Suppe Für Die Nacht
Poet and peasant.  Morning, noon and night in Vienna  Boccaccio Johann Strauss Orchestra of Vienna: Willi Boskovsky, conductor.

Suppé overtures.Capitol. Pique dame.-- Jolly Fellows. --Jolly robbers  Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra; Peter Kreuder, Leo Borchard, Erich Kleiber, Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt, conductors. 
William Control – The Raven  
Regina Hexaphone – The Forty-niner  – Into Your Sleeping Heart
Overtures. Mercury, [1960]  The beautiful Galatea. Detroit Symphony Orchestra; Paul Paray, conductor. 
Die Schöne Galatea. The beautiful Galatea; operetta in 1 act. Vox, [195-?]   Elisabeth Roon, soprano; Waldemar Kmentt, Kurt Preger, tenors; Otto Wiener, bass; Vienna State Philharmonia; Hans Hagen, conductor; sung in German.
Highlights from An evening at the pops.  RCA Victor [1965]. Amparito roca, by Texidor.--  Selections from Fiddler on the roof, by Bock.--And I love her. A hard day's night, by McCartney.--Theme from The man from U.N.C.L.E., Big beat baroque, Theme from The munsters.--Farandole by Bizet.   Boston Pops Orchestra; Arthur Fiedler, conductor.