Shrove Tuesday. Mardi Gras. Fastnacht Day.
The last day to stuff down as many doughnuts as you can before the start of Lent.
To mark the occasion, this afternoon on The Classical Network, we’ll glut ourselves with music related to Carnival.
Among the featured highlights will be Heitor Villa-Lobos’ fantasy for piano and orchestra, “Momôprecóce” (“Carnival of the Brazilian Children”); Robert Schumann’s cryptogrammatic “Faschingsschwank aus Wien” (“Carnival Jest from Vienna”); and Igor Stravinsky’s Shrovetide ballet “Petrouchka,” in a recording conducted by Princeton Symphony Orchestra music director Rossen Milanov.
We’ll also enjoy a touch of Mardi Gras, with some pieces on Creole themes; a set of variations on “Carnival of Venice;” musical depictions of stock characters of the commedia dell’arte; and “Manhã de Carnaval,” from the film “Black Orpheus.”
First, on today’s Noontime Concert, it’s a Telemann blow-out. Tempesta di Mare – Philadelphia Baroque Orchestra will present “Fire and Invention,” part of its Telemann 360° project.
Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767) left behind an enormous catalogue of monumental compositions in every style and genre (with 3000 works to his credit, the Guinness Book lists him as the most prolific composer of all time), yet so much of it remains unrecognized, or even unperformed.
The sheer volume of his output has made it difficult for posterity to wrap its collective head around the full scope of his accomplishments. Tempesta is doing its best to change all that. Today’s concert will include a Concerto for Orchestra, a collection of Entr’actes, and a Violin Concerto, featuring Tempesta principal violinist Emlyn Ngai.
Tell your friends to tune in for Telemann. Then stick around for plenty of fried, buttery goodness. Abandon yourself to the debauchery of Carnival, from 12 to 4 p.m. EST, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.
