Category: Daily Dispatch

  • Support Classical Music Donate to WWFM

    Support Classical Music Donate to WWFM

    Give, Bessie, give!

    The Classical Network needs nourishment!

    Tomorrow at 11:59 p.m. marks the end of our fiscal year. Under ordinary circumstances, most businesses are humming along in their mid-year groove, and the average worker is thinking about summer vacation. For non-profit organizations such as WWFM, this really is it. Listener contributions at this time have a powerful impact on what next year’s budget will look like and how much grant money we are able to secure.

    I know, as a devoted listener who is passionate about classical music, you want us to succeed, but I also know you are deeply invested in what we do – the specialty shows, the live concerts, the artist interviews, the lovingly curated playlists, and the symbiotic relationship with the local arts community. WWFM, as a medium, is in many ways a hub for the musical arts in central New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania. That hub is only as vital as we can make it.

    Now more than ever, musical artists struggle for exposure, as they seek fresh solutions to unforeseen challenges. Equally, we all crave a sense of connection – an environment of solace and normalcy, as we look to affirm our collective humanity in time of crisis. Maintaining great music on the radio, and keeping it accessible to everyone, not only provides an invaluable platform for musicians, it also serves to enrich our inner lives, and potentially those of anyone out there capable of being touched by it.

    We understand that times are tough, and that world events have had an unforeseen impact on just about everyone, but if you are in a position to do so, please do whatever you can so that the hub stays strong. Don’t let the herd run dry.

    You provide the milk, and we’ll supply the goodies. Make your donation today at 1-888-232-1212, or contribute online at wwfm.org. Thank you, sincerely, for your support of WWFM – The Classical Network!

    https://wwwfm.secureallegiance.com/wwfm/WebModule/Donate.aspx?P=DEFAULT&PAGETYPE=PLG&CHECK=vOU2bz5JCWmgCDbf53nm9ezWDeZ%2beA1M

  • Alexandre Dumas Music on The Lost Chord

    Alexandre Dumas Music on The Lost Chord

    He is best known as the author of “The Three Musketeers” and “The Count of Monte Cristo.” However, Alexandre Dumas churned out historically-inspired prose on all manner of subjects, and he did so by the yard.

    This Sunday night on “The Lost Chord,” we present an hour of music inspired by his writings, including rarely-heard incidental music composed for a revival of his play “Caligula,” by Gabriel Fauré; ballet music from an opera, “Ascanio,” taken from a novel featuring Benvenuto Cellini, by Camille Saint-Saëns; and a poetic monologue, “Joan of Arc at the Stake,” by Franz Liszt. We’ll also hear the suite for symphonic band “The Three Musketeers,” by George Wiliam Hespe.

    It’s all for one, and one for all! I hope you’ll join me for “The Lost Sword,” this Sunday night at 10:00 EDT, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

  • COVID Desert Island Crossword Beach Music Fun

    COVID Desert Island Crossword Beach Music Fun

    In time of COVID, these really are desert island classics.

    This week’s Classic Ross Amico crossword hits the beach, with musical selections about surf and sand.

    To fill out the puzzle, follow the link and select “solve online” at the bottom of the page. You’ll then be able to type directly into the squares. Once you feel you’ve exhausted the puzzle, you’ll find the solutions by clicking on “Answer Key PDF.”

    Behold, the sea itself,
    And on its limitless, heaving breast, the ships!

    Your search for buried treasure begins here:

    https://www.armoredpenguin.com/crossword/Data/2020.06/2806/28060950.436.html


    ERRATUM: In filling out the puzzle, I discovered I accidentally included the hyphen in the composer’s last name on 14 across. This means you’ll also have to use it in order to arrive at the correct answer for 7 down!

  • Alien Secrets & Star Trek Voyages with Roy

    In case you missed it (and you probably did), here’s last night’s bull session about “Alien,” in which Roy Bjellquist and I share abundant behind-the-scenes minutiae and personal reflections, all in celebration of the loving craftsmanship that went into every aspect of the making of this landmark science fiction horror classic – an unusually literate monster movie with ample sexual and socio-political undertones.

    “Roy’s Tie-Dye Sci-Fi Corner” is live-streamed on Facebook every Friday and Sunday night at 7:00 p.m. EDT.

    Join Roy this Sunday for a conversation with Marc Cushman, author of “These Are the Voyages,” a three-volume set, authorized by “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry, documenting each episode of the original “Star Trek” television series and offering behind-the-scenes glimpses into their creation. Roy and Marc will talk about Season One.

    Then, if you’re an “Alien” nut, definitely tune in on Sunday, July 12, at a special time – 4:00 p.m. EDT – as Roy’s guest will be special effects legend Brian Johnson, the Academy Award winning artist who worked on “Alien,” “The Empire Strikes Back,” “Dragonslayer,” “Space: 1999,” “Thunderbirds,” and “2001: A Space Odyssey.”

    Thanks, Roy, for inviting me back. Live long and prosper! Or, in light of the weather, perhaps, perspire.

  • Ross Amico Double Feature Tonight

    Ross Amico Double Feature Tonight

    It’s another Classic Ross Amico double-feature tonight, presented across two media!

    First, at 6:00 EDT, rediscover lost worlds and forgotten civilizations on “Picture Perfect,” with music from “King Solomon’s Mines” (Mischa Spoliansky), “She” (James Bernard), “The Man Who Would Be King” (Maurice Jarre), and “Lost Horizon” (Dimitri Tiomkin), on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

    Then, at 7:00 EDT, settle in for another deconstruction of a sci-fi classic from 1979, Ridley Scott’s “Alien,” with Roy Bjellquist, on “Roy’s Tie-Dye Sci-Fi Corner.” Our bull session will be live-streamed on Facebook. Follow the link at 7 for a window-in – and to leave a question or a comment!

    https://www.facebook.com/roytiediescificorner/

    And yes, I will be talking about Jerry Goldsmith!

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Aaron Copland (93) Beethoven (95) Composer (114) Film Music (137) Film Score (143) Film Scores (255) Halloween (94) John Williams (195) KWAX (229) Leonard Bernstein (103) Marlboro Music Festival (125) Movie Music (152) Mozart (88) Opera (208) Philadelphia Orchestra (89) Picture Perfect (174) Princeton Symphony Orchestra (108) Radio (88) Ross Amico (244) Roy's Tie-Dye Sci-Fi Corner (290) The Classical Network (101) The Lost Chord (268) Vaughan Williams (103) WPRB (396) WWFM (881)

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