Classic Ross Amico

Category: Daily Dispatch

Kalevala’s Music Sibelius & Finnish Epic

I realize Lemminkäinen and Väinämöinen are not easy names to get your mouth around at 6:00 in the morning. Don’t worry, I’ll handle the incantations if you agree to carry my broadsword.

This morning on WPRB, it’s a full playlist of music inspired by the Kalevala, the Finnish national epic. The fantastic and heroic tales inspired Jean Sibelius to compose some of his greatest works.

But Sibelius was not alone in being influenced by this cultural juggernaut, which, like the mysterious and generative Sampo at the core of its rather wayward narrative, has had the effect of granting untold riches to its native land.

We’ll hear Kalevala-inspired works by Väinö Haapalainen, Robert Kajanus, Uuno Klami, Leevi Madetoja, Aarre Merikanto, Einojuhani Rautavaara, and of course Sibelius himself.

I hope you’ll join me, as we light 151 candles for Sibelius this morning, from 6 to 11 EST, on WPRB 103.3 FM and at wprb.com. We’re nothing if not polysyllabic, on Classic Ross Amico.

December 8, 2016
Pearl Harbor Remembrance 1941-2024

December 7, 1941. A date that has lived in infamy.

75 years ago today, the Imperial Japanese Navy launched a surprise military strike against the United States navy base at Pearl Harbor, awakening Yamamoto’s “sleeping giant” and precipitating the U.S. entry into World War II. Ultimately, that probably turned out to be a good thing, but tell that to the 2,403 Americans who were killed and the 1,178 who were wounded. Sailors, soldiers, airmen, marines and civilians were caught in the attack.

In 1991, American composer John Duffy was commissioned by the U.S. government to mark the 50th anniversary of the strike. The result was “A Time for Remembrance: A Peace Cantata.” Duffy dedicated the work to the memory of the victims of Pearl Harbor. Among them were the composer’s sister, brother and cousin. The texts are taken from a poem by Rupert Brooke, a speech by Franklin Delano Roosevelt, an African American spiritual, and actual letters written by sailors aboard the USS Arizona.

We remember this afternoon, and we’ll honor a few birthday anniversaries along the way, from 4 to 7:00 EST, on WWFM – The Classical Network and at wwfm.org.

December 7, 2016
Kalevala Epic on WPRB for Sibelius’ Birthday

Grab a sword and join us on our quest to retrieve the Sampo from the evil residents of North Farm. Tomorrow morning on WPRB, to coincide with the anniversary of the birth of Jean Sibelius (1865-1957), we’ll have a full morning of music inspired by the Kalevala.

The Kalevala, a collection of fifty long narrative poems, is regarded as the Finnish national epic. Its fantastic and heroic tales informed the work of Finland’s greatest artists at a time when the country began to surge toward independence after 700 years of Swedish rule and an additional century as a duchy of the Russian Empire.

We’ll hear music from a variety sources, although of course Sibelius, who throughout his career returned again and again to the Kalevala for inspiration, will feature most prominently. Less well known, perhaps, beyond the borders of Finland, will be works like Robert Kajanus’ “Aino Symphony,” Uuno Klami’s “Kalevala Suite” and Einojuhani Rautavaara’s “The Myth of Sampo.”

We’ll have all of these and more tomorrow morning. It’s definitely going to be epic, from 6 to 11 EST, on WPRB 103.3 FM and at wprb.com. What we lack in polish, we’ll make up in Finnish, on Classic Ross Amico.

December 7, 2016
Saint Nicholas Day History Music and More

December 6 is the Feast of Saint Nicholas.

The historical and legendary Nicholas, fourth century Bishop of Myra, is the patron saint of sailors, merchants, travelers, brewers, prisoners, prostitutes, Russia, and of course children. THAT Nicholas is celebrated for his secret acts of charity, even if he could be rather short-tempered and a bit severe. Nicholas is said to have punched a few heretics, on occasion.

One famous episode tells of Nicholas saving three daughters of a poor man from a life of prostitution by tossing bags of gold down their chimney, thereby providing them with proper dowries. The episode is reflected in the familiar pawnbrokers’ symbol of three gold spheres suspended from a bar (and also the practice of hanging stockings by the chimney with care).

In another legend, three boys are slain by a butcher, chopped up and pickled in brine, with the goal of passing them off as ham. Nicholas restores the youths, and the butcher repents. The episode forms the basis of “Nicolas and the Pickled Boys,” from the cantata “Saint Nicolas,” by Benjamin Britten. I’ll be playing it this afternoon, sometime after our noon concert.

We’ll also hear the musical equivalent of Clement Moore’s conception of St. Nick in the “Santa Claus Symphony,” by 19th century Philadelphia composer William Henry Fry.

Today’s edition of “The Classical Network in Concert” will feature the Manhattan Choral Ensemble, in a program titled “Noel: Christmas in France.” It was recorded live last December at the Church of St. Jean Baptiste, East 76th Street and Lexington Avenue, in New York City. The ensemble’s next set of concerts, “A Russian Christmas,” will take place on December 9, at 8 p.m., and December 11, at 3 p.m., at St. Nicholas of Myra Orthodox Church, 288 East 10th Street, also in NYC. You can find out more at the choir’s website, http://www.mce.nyc.

I hope you’ll join me for Christmas and more (or Moore, as the case may be), from 12 to 4:00 EST, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

IMAGES: The original “Bad Santa” (left); with Thomas Nast’s reinvention, after Clement Moore

December 6, 2016
Krampusnacht Creepy Christmas Traditions

Get ready, kids! It’s December 5. Krampusnacht. Have you been good this year?

The eve of St. Nicholas Day kicks off a season of creepy Christmas traditions. Long-time followers of this page know I have a weakness for the whacked-out pagan lore that still surges beneath the anodyne veneer of the holidays. Christmas isn’t just about buying things. It’s about scaring the bejeezus out of your kids.

What exactly is Krampus? He’s St. Nicholas’ dark helper. Horned, hairy and horrendously long-tongued, Krampus emerges from his Alpine domain to dole out corporal punishment to the young and the wicked. For milder offenses, there is the sting of the switch; but for the especially ill-behaved, there are chains, a short ride in a wicker basket, and then drowning in a stream or immolation by hellfire. When a naughty child hears the dull clatter of approaching cow-bells, he knows it’s all over. He only wishes his stocking were full of coal.

Last year, Krampus became the subject of a major motion picture. It’s ironic that this ultimate expression of anti-commercialism would himself become commercialized. Then again, Krampus cards were once widely circulated, not only on Christmas, but also on Valentine’s Day. I can think of no better way to catch a sweetheart.

Happy holidays, everyone! Get ready for Black Pete, the Yule Lads, and the Gävle goat. Wait a minute. Better strike that last one. This year’s Gävle goat, apparently, didn’t even last 24 hours. You can read the full, moving account here:

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/11/30/503881528/swedish-revelers-get-their-goat-again-as-holiday-tradition-meets-annual-arson

“A Krampus Carol” (incorporating a stop motion Krampus!):

Family-friendly segment on the Krampus Renaissance in Bavaria, produced by The New York Times:

A real, old-fashioned Krampuslauf:

Pretty good Krampus carol (full text when you click on “show more”):

Here comes Krampus:

Nicholas and Krampus play “good cop/bad cop” with Tobias:

Small child cowers behind door at 1:25:

Academy Award-winner Christoph Waltz explains Krampus to Jimmy Fallon:

The commercialization of Krampus:

December 5, 2016

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