Ah! Enchanted April…

What is it about spring that puts me in the mind of angry gods, shipwreck, cannibalism, gratuitous nudity, riotous drunkenness, blinded Cyclopes, and the wholesale slaughter of one’s rivals? Actually, I just felt like doing a rerun.

From “The Lost Chord” archive, it’s an hour of high adventure and satisfied bloodlust, as we listen to musical evocations of Odysseus’ homeward journey.

Odysseus, of course, is one of the heroes of the Trojan War, waylaid time and again upon his return by Poseidon and the frailties of his own men. It takes him ten years to find his way back to Ithaca. When he gets there, he finds his wife beset by boorish suitors all vying for her hand and his throne.

What happens next pushes all the same buttons that are still pushed whenever Sylvester Stallone or Arnold Schwarzenegger apply the camouflage and begin strapping on their bandoliers and sheathing their big knives. In the process, there’s also some meaningful father-son bonding. Leave it to Homer, who always knew how to lend class to the classics.

Just in time for baseball season, I hope you’ll join me for “Home Sweet Homer” (the greatest stretch this side of the seventh inning), this Sunday night at 10:00 EDT, on WWFM – The Classical Network and at wwfm.org.