Classic Ross Amico

Category: Daily Dispatch

Dead Poets Society Phony Movie Music From School

I ran this show a few years ago, and I must have been feeling particularly ill-tempered, as I totally went off on “Dead Poets Society” for being so phony. I was surprised to learn that many of you felt the same way. The comments were quite lively! I was amused when revisiting the old post here:

At any rate, it’s back to school time, so get out your Golden Rod tablets and No. 2 pencils. You don’t want to be held back (again) for flunking your exam about music from movies with academic settings.

I’ll be getting all pendantic, with selections from “Goodbye, Mr. Chips” (Richard Addinsell), “Dead Poets Society” (Maurice Jarre), “Back to School” (Danny Elfman), “Mr. Holland’s Opus” (Michael Kamen), and “Tom Brown’s School Days” (again, Richard Addinsell).

Minds will be sharpened and buttons will be pushed, on “Picture Perfect,” music for the movies, now in syndication on KWAX, the radio station of the University of Oregon!

Remember, KWAX is on the West Coast, so there’s a three-hour difference for the Trenton-Princeton area. Here are the respective air-times of my recorded shows (with East Coast conversions in parentheses):

PICTURE PERFECT, the movie music show – Friday on KWAX at 5:00 PACIFIC TIME (8:00 PM EDT)

THE LOST CHORD, unusual and neglected rep – Saturday on KWAX at 4:00 PACIFIC TIME (7:00 PM EDT)

Stream them here!

https://kwax.uoregon.edu/

September 1, 2023
Princeton Staffer’s Mom Shark Attack Fund

I only just learned of this: If you’ve had any dealings with Princeton University Concerts, you probably have had some interaction with Darya Koltunyuk – more familiarly known as Dasha. Dasha is the organization’s outreach manager. I’ve been getting press releases from and corresponding with her, in connection with newspaper and radio projects, since at least 2014.

On August 7, Dasha’s mother was swimming off Rockaway Beach, when she was attacked by a shark! Her mother has been in and out of surgery since, with a long road to recovery ahead of her. Dasha and her husband, Greg Kallor, both musicians and Princeton residents, have set up a fundraising page to help address spiraling medical costs. Please don’t hate sharks, but please do consider donating!

https://gofund.me/62504856

August 31, 2023
Gardiner’s Troubles Impact Princeton Performance

Unfortunately, Sir John Eliot Gardiner clocked somebody again, so he’s taking off the rest of 2023 to seek professional help and reflect. When he backed out of a touring production of Berlioz’s “The Trojans” last week, I was afraid it would come to this. Gardiner was scheduled to appear in Princeton this October to conduct Bach’s Mass in B minor with the Monteverdi Choir and the English Baroque Soloists. If the show goes on as scheduled, I’m guessing it will be taken over by his assistant conductor, Dinis Sousa. With all respect to Maestro Sousa, who may well do a fantastic job, this is a great disappointment.

I had the privilege to see Gardiner live in Princeton twice, in 2014 and 2015, thanks to the munificence of late philanthropist and humanitarian William H. Scheide, who kindly picked up the tab. I was hoping to have a chance to see him again, as both those concerts were stunners.

I also interviewed Gardiner in connection with his book, “Bach: Music in the Castle of Heaven.” I confess I was a little nervous, as he is a large man, and already there had been stories spread through social media about his temper. At the time, he had recently been alleged to have punched out a trumpet player in the London Symphony Orchestra! But I must say, I saw no evidence of any such prickliness. On the contrary, I found him to be quite the gentleman.

Gardiner established the Monteverdi Choir in 1964. He is especially renowned for his interpretations of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. In 2000, he undertook a Bach Cantata Pilgrimage, performing and recording all the sacred cantatas in liturgical order, in churches in Europe and New York City.

More recently, he conducted at the coronation of King Charles III in May.

I hope he gets the help he needs and that he is able to return to Princeton soon. Gardiner is 80 years-old.

PHOTO: Note the ponytail. If I were Gardiner, I would definitely have punched me!

August 31, 2023
700 Followers Thank You For Your Support

700 followers!

Here’s an image reflective of our unusual bond. Thank you for your interest in the page!

August 30, 2023
Byron Adams on Vaughan Williams & Bard

I just concluded a lively 40-minute conversation with composer and musicologist Byron Adams, emeritus professor at the University of California, Riverside, and artist-in-residence at this year’s recently-concluded Bard Music Festival.

Byron, an authority on the life and music of Ralph Vaughan Williams, co-edited (with Daniel M. Grimley) the festival’s tie-in book of scholarly essays, “Vaughan Williams and His World,” issued by University of Chicago Press.

I thank him for his time and generosity in sharing a few of his thoughts, in so doing, allowing me a stronger foundation on which to construct an article about the festival for an upcoming edition of the Ralph Vaughan Williams Society Journal.

August 29, 2023

Tag Cloud

RECENT POSTS