It was a pretty tiring day yesterday. You know, after listening to all that Mozart. (Too many notes!) But it would be rude of me, now that my powdered wig is at the cleaners, not to at least take up my quill and scratch out a belated thank you note for your continued support of WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org. You are the strings in our fiddles. You are the buckles on our shoes. Your generous patronage lends extra lift to our mincing minuets. Sirs and Madams, we are your most obedient servants.
Tag: Mozart
-
Mozart Anniversary Broadcast on WWFM
Mozart, take me away!
I’m getting ready to hit the air waves with more Mozart – an assortment of symphonies, concertos, operas, orchestral, choral, vocal, chamber and instrumental music – in honor of the 264th anniversary of his birth.
Along the way, we’ll hear selections performed by violinist Jaap Schröder and hornist Barry Tuckwell, both recently deceased, and a recording of Christopher Hogwood playing a clavichord that once actually belonged to the composer.
If you enjoy the programming, please support it, with your contribution at 1-888-232-1212 or online at wwfm.org.
As an added incentive, this time around we’re offering, among our thank you gifts, a 2-CD set, “Quiet Time: The Music of Mozart,” available for your donation of $60.
At 7:30 tonight, I’ll be manning the board for a special broadcast of Westminster Choir’s Homecoming Concert, coming your way live from Princeton University’s Richardson Auditorium. David Osenberg will be your host for that. Then I’ll be back, following the concert, with more music until 10:00 EST.
Forget your cares with Wolfgang. Grab your shades and join the Wolf Pack, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org. Thank you for your support!
-
Mozart’s Humanity Celebrate His Birthday on WWFM
There’s a lot of art in Mozart. But also a lot of humanity.
Join us today on The Classical Network, as we celebrate the 264th anniversary of the birth of Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart – better known as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Current events got you down? Take the long view. This music from over two centuries ago still has the ability to touch our hearts, soothe our minds, and reach into our souls. Mozart’s music reflects what is best in Man.
Tune in for a broad sampling of his extraordinary output, including symphonies, concertos, operas, orchestral, choral, vocal, chamber and instrumental music. If you enjoy it, please support it, with your contribution at wwfm.org.
While you’re at it, pick up a thank you gift. Of course, we’ve a broad array of music-oriented loot. This time around, we’re adding a 2-CD set of Mozart adagios. This is the perfect collection to insulate yourself from the cares of the world.
The saying goes that the best things in life are free, but it sure does cost money for us to bring you the music. We’ve been able to hang in there for 37 years, thanks to the generosity and perspicacity of listeners just like you.
Please call us at 1-888-232-1212, or make your donation online at wwfm.org. Thank you for your continued support of WWFM – The Classical Network!
FUN FACT: Mozart signed his name “Amadeus” only a few times in his life, when he was playing around in letters written in a kind of mock Latin. In fact, “Amadè,” “Amadé,” or simply “Amade” were his preference (“Amadeo” in Italy). He was fairly cavalier in the placement of the accent. It was only on his death certificate that the form “Amadeus” took root. His widow, Constanze, picked up on it and used it in her appeal to the Emperor for a pension (ultimately successful), citing Mozart’s contributions. As her late husband became increasingly venerated, “Amadeus” became the standard.
Of course, we can be as pedantic as we like. But nothing changes the transcendent quality of the music and its enduring ability to elevate our mood.
Find peace with Mozart on WWFM The Classical Network.
-
Mozart at Marlboro: An Oasis of Musical Sanity
With the world hurtling toward destruction, we’ll do our best to offer an oasis of sanity on the next “Music from Marlboro.”
Find solace in Wolfgang’s Amadeus Mozart’s Piano Trio in B flat major, K. 502. The composer took evident pleasure in writing for the combination of violin, cello and piano. For one thing, these works provided him opportunities to connect with fellow musicians as a performer. He even regarded some as party pieces.
K. 502 was written when Mozart was 30 years-old and at the peak of his powers. It was composed in 1786, the year of the premiere of “The Marriage of Figaro.” Like the opera, Mozart’s trio subverts a kind of class stratification, elevating the stringed instruments, formerly relegated to supporting roles, so that they attain equal footing with the piano. This egalitarian gesture allows for a kind of civilized discourse between friends.
We’ll hear it performed at the Marlboro Music Festival in 1968, by violinist Jaime Laredo, cellist Madeline Foley, and pianist Rudolf Serkin.
Then Mozart reaches for the stars, both figuratively and by association. It was probably nowhere in the composer’s thoughts that his Symphony No. 41, composed in 1788, would bear the subtitle “Jupiter.” Like most nicknames, the sobriquet was bestowed by others. That said, it could hardly be more appropriate, as this is one of Mozart’s most Olympian works. It turned out to be his final symphony – and what a way to go!
The fugato passages of the finale, with the effortless interweaving of no less than five harmonious themes, is breathtaking in its ambition and scale. The spirit of indomitable optimism is just the thing we need right now.
We’ll hear it performed by the Marlboro Festival Orchestra in 1967, conducted by a 90 year-old Pablo Casals.
Music may not be a cure-all, but it sure does serve to remind us that there is still beauty in the world and something noble in humanity. Would that everyone could tap into that largeness of spirit and aspire to something greater.
It’s Mozart for sanity, on the next “Music from Marlboro,” this Wednesday evening at 6:00 EST, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.
Marlboro School of Music and Festival: Official Page
Tag Cloud
Aaron Copland (94) Beethoven (95) Composer (114) Film Music (149) Film Score (143) Film Scores (255) Halloween (97) John Williams (197) KWAX (232) Leonard Bernstein (105) Marlboro Music Festival (125) Movie Music (164) Mozart (91) Opera (215) Philadelphia Orchestra (90) Picture Perfect (174) Princeton Symphony Orchestra (110) Radio (90) Ross Amico (244) Roy's Tie-Dye Sci-Fi Corner (290) The Classical Network (101) The Lost Chord (269) Vaughan Williams (107) WPRB (397) WWFM (881)