Classic Ross Amico

Category: Daily Dispatch

Weinberger’s One-Hit Wonder Schwanda

Despite having composed over 100 works, Jaromir Weinberger remains a one-hit wonder. In 1927, his opera, “Schwanda the Bagpiper” became an international sensation. But beyond a couple of orchestral highlights – the polka and fugue – even that “one hit” isn’t terribly well known.

This Sunday night on “The Lost Chord,” learn more about this rollicking farce, involving a love triangle, a card game with the devil, and the beguiling power of the bagpipes.

There’s still plenty of bounce in this Czech. That’s “Czech in the Balance,” this Sunday night at 10:00 EST, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

January 12, 2020
Classical Music Weekend on The Classical Network

Hungry for stimulating music and entertainment? As always, The Classical Network offers up a banquet of vittles for your weekend delectation.

Pianist Orli Shaham will be guest host for this week’s “From the Top.” “From the Top,” of course, is a weekly program dedicated to celebrating young, classically-trained musicians. Hard to believe this show has now been around for 20 years! “From the Top” will air today at 12 p.m. EST on wwfm.org. You can also hear it at https://www.fromthetop.org/show/nprs-from-the-top-portland-me-show-380/

Shaham has no shortage of experience working with young folk. She has brought her popular “Baby Got Bach” program to Princeton several times. Shaham will return in the spring with “Bach Yard,” an interactive program for kids, at Richardson Auditorium on March 14. For more information, visit babygotbach.org.

As one who has been picking his way through “The Pickwick Papers” (what’s Christmas without 800 pages of Charles Dickens?), I also want to thank Ted Otten and Michael Kownacky for putting together what promises to be another lively and entertaining show, on this week’s “The Dress Circle – Public Radio Dedicated to the Performing Arts.” “Going to the Dickens, Part the First” will present numbers from stage and musical adaptations of Dickens’ evergreen stories and novels. Thank you very much! “The Dress Circle” will air on Sunday at 7 p.m. EST.

And in case you’re curious, I’ll be presenting highlights from Jaromir Weinberger’s “Schwanda the Bagpiper,” a Czech folk opera for the young at heart, on “The Lost Chord,” Sunday at 10 p.m. I know you’re wondering what else it possibly has to offer beyond the famous Polka & Fugue!

Please, suh… I want some more. Further listings available at wwfm.org. Sate yourself with a balanced diet of great musicmaking on WWFM – The Classical Network!

January 11, 2020
Hitchcock’s Harpsichords Crime Scores

In trying to convey the tone he was looking for in his latest motion picture, director Alfred Hitchcock stated drolly to his composer, “Mr. Williams, murder can be fun.” With this in mind, John Williams, who had just won an Academy Award for his music to “Jaws,” turned to the harpsichord.

Because of its use in mysteries and thrillers, the harpsichord – in context, a fusty-sounding instrument – had taken on a certain mischievous quality.

This week on “Picture Perfect,” we’ll hear selections from “Family Plot” (1976), a neglected score from the dawn of Williams’ widespread popularity, alongside Ron Goodwin’s music for “Murder She Said” (1961), the first of Margaret Rutherford’s Miss Marple films; John Addison’s “Sleuth” (1972), an adaptation of Anthony Shaffer’s play, with Sir Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine engaged in a perilous battle of wits; and André Previn’s “Dead Ringer” (1964), starring a post-“Baby Jane” Bette Davis as dysfunctional twins whose fraught relationship leads to murder.

The order has been placed for ham on wry. Join me for an hour of wicked fun with arch harpsichords, on “Picture Perfect” – music for the movies – this Friday evening at 6:00 EST, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

January 10, 2020
Help Wildlife Rescue Support Our Animals

I hope if you can do something, you will. It doesn’t have to be for this particular organization, which happens to be Australia’s largest wildlife rescue, based in New South Wales. I’m sure there are plenty of other groups that can use your help. Thanks for whatever you can do.

January 9, 2020
Abbey Simon Centennial WWFM Broadcast

Today would have been the 100th birthday of “supervirtuoso” Abbey Simon. Simon, who studied with legendary pianist Josef Hofmann at the Curtis Institute of Music, died only a few weeks ago, on December 18.

We’ll celebrate his artistry alongside that of Vladimir Feltsman, also born on this date, and Liszt rival Sigismond Thalberg.

If that seems like an awful lot of piano music, we’ll also send birthday greetings to Zdeněk Mácal, one-time music director of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, and composers Hans von Bülow (the celebrated Wagner conductor), Jaromir Weinberger (of “Schwanda” fame), Benjamin Lees (a pupil of George Antheil), and Philadelphia’s own Robert Moran.

Sorry, no time for Elvis!

At 6:00, it’s another “Music from Marlboro.” Keep looking up, with an all-Mozart hour, including his “Jupiter” Symphony, conducted by Pablo Casals.

I hope you’ll join me, as always, in marking time with the timeless, from 4 to 7 p.m. EST, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

January 8, 2020

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