Capitalizing on the widely-held belief that the proper domain of the bagpipe is Hell, Jaromir Weinberger crafted his most popular hit. In fact, “Schwanda the Bagpiper” (in Czech, “Švanda dudák”) was his only hit. In 1927, the opera became an international sensation. But beyond a couple of orchestral highlights (the Polka and Fugue), even that one hit isn’t all that well known.
Learn more about this rollicking farce, involving a love triangle, a card game with the devil, and the beguiling power of the bagpipes. Jaromir Weinberger may have been a one-hit wonder, but there’s still plenty of bounce in this Czech. I hope you’ll join me for “Czech in the Balance” on “The Lost Chord,” 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!
