Nobody knew how to revolt like the French. French history reads like a wine list of revolution, from 1789 forward. With that in mind, we’re celebrating Bastille Day today on WPRB.
Few symbols of French pride are more widely recognized than the Eiffel Tower. Yet to come this morning, we’ll hear the collaborative ballet, “Les mariés de la tour Eiffel” (“The Wedding Party on the Eiffel Tower”), by members of Les Six – Georges Auric, Arthur Honegger, Darius Milhaud, Francis Poulenc and Germaine Tailleferre (only Louis Durey opted out) – a surreal romp conceived by Jean Cocteau. The action takes place on a deck of the tower on Bastille Day, July 14.
We’ll also hear selections from the album “Tower Music,” a recent release on the Innova Recordings label, on which mad visionary Joseph Bertolozzi plays the actual Tour Eiffel like a giant percussion instrument. Bertolozzi will present a multi-media concert, Joseph Bertolozzi’s Bridge & Tower Music (he’s also played the Mid-Hudson Bridge), tonight at 7:00 at Live at The Falcon in Marlboro, NY.
Right now, we’re listening to Franz Liszt’s “Héroïde funèbre,” his memorial to the fallen heroes of the July Revolution of 1830. We’ll also have an opportunity to hear Hector Berlioz’s “Symphonie funèbre et triomphale,” which was written to accompany the dead as their remains were transferred to a newly erected monument in the Place de la Bastille.
I’ll be asking you to pardon my French until 11 EDT on WPRB 103.3 FM and at wprb.com. What’s creepier than a crêpe? Why, Classic Ross Amico, of course.
