Happy Hallowe’en!

Andy Williams may not exactly be in agreement, but for me it’s the most wonderful time of the year.

I hope you’ll join me extra early today on The Classical Network, as I take to the air (and not just on my broomstick), beginning at 2:00 EDT, for an extended spree of Hallowe’en mischief. We’ll enjoy a veritable monster mash of music about goblins and ghosts, sorcerers and psychos, maledictions and mephistos – a phantasmagoric playground for those of us with impish dispositions.

Sounds like great fun, doesn’t it?

Alas! Like Norman Bates and the floors of his family motel, along the way, we’ll still need to mop up the remaining dollars from last week’s membership campaign shortfall.

The good news is we are now only a few thousand dollars shy of our budget. Can you help us out? The sooner we drive a stake through the heart of this drive, the sooner we can gorge ourselves on Kit-Kats and roar cackling through haunted landscapes.

Today is the last possible to day to reach our goal. What are you waiting for? It’s not like we’ll be taking your pledge in blood on human parchment – although we do hope you will opt to become a sustaining member. Call us now at 1-888-232-1212 or join us online at wwfm.org.

Keep us ALIIIIIIIIIIIIVE!

As the capstone to our comedy of terrors, on this week’s “Music for Marlboro,” we’ll surrender to the delirium of moon-drunk madness with Arnold Schoenberg’s whacked-out masterpiece, “Pierrot Lunaire.” We’ll hear it performed at the 1969 Marlboro Music Festival by sprechstimme soloist Shirley Sudock and an instrumental ensemble made up of world class musicians, including flutist Paula Robison, clarinetist Richard Stoltzman, violinist (and violist) Felix Galimir, cellist Ronald Leonard, and pianist Murray Perahia.

Trick or treat? Perhaps both!

There will be plenty of chills and candy corn. Join me for an extended ride through haunted houses, twisted psyches, and infernal regions. I’ll be ringing your doorbell and running, from 2 to 7 p.m. today, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

Marlboro School of Music and Festival: Official Page