This week on “Sweetness and Light,” I’ve assembled a playlist of avian music for the month of May.
Yes, yes, I’ve programmed Ottorino Respighi’s “The Birds,” his evergreen suite for small orchestra based on musical bird portraits of the 17th and 18th centuries, and Handel’s Organ Concerto in F major, “The Cuckoo and the Nightingale.”
But I’ve also included a lesser-heard selection by Hubert Parry, from his incidental music for Aristophanes’ “The Birds,” a bridal march revived for the weddings of both Princess Elizabeth (soon to be Elizabeth II) and Prince William; a piece of light music kitsch juxtaposing bird song and chanting monks by Albert Ketèlbey; and a galop by Danish composer Hans Christian Lumbye, the Johann Strauss of the North, celebrating the exotic birds of the Tivoli Volière.
Finally, it’s very much my pleasure to have dusted off some vintage recordings of Elisabeth Schumann (whose hobby it was to engage in bird-whistling) and John McCormack, who will sing works by Carl Zeller and Eric Coates, respectively.
Better start lining the cage with newspaper. It’s “For the Birds” this week on “Sweetness and Light,” this Saturday morning at 11:00 EDT/8:00 PDT, exclusively on KWAX, the radio station of the University of Oregon!
Stream it wherever you are at the link:
https://kwax.uoregon.edu/
Tag: Ottorini Respighi
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Autumn Music on The Classical Network
Now that we’ve changed the clocks, we’re officially in deep autumn – whether the temperatures happen to agree or not.
Join me this afternoon on The Classical Network, as we finally get around to giving the season its due. We’ll hear the Symphony No. 10, “Zur Herbstzeit” (“To Autumn Time),” by Joachim Raff; “Poema autunnale” for violin and orchestra by Ottorini Respighi;” “The Seasons” by Alexander Glazunov;” “Fall of the Leaf” by Gerald Finzi; the “Sinfonia di Caccia” by Leopold Mozart; “November Woods” by Sir Arnold Bax; “Autumn Crocus” by Billy Mayerl; the Symphony No. 4, “Fall of the Leaf,” by Rued Langgaard; and “Autumn Gardens” by Einojuhani Rautavaara.
Today’s Noontime Concert will be a comparatively brief one. John Mark Rozendaal and Adam Young will perform works for two violas da gamba by Tobias Hume and Johannes Schenck. The program, “Poeticall Musicke,” was presented as part of the Midtown Concerts series at the chapel of St. Bartholomew’s Church, 325 Park Avenue in New York City. Free concerts are held at St. Bart’s every Thursday at 1:15 p.m. For more information and a complete schedule, visit the website of Gotham Early Music Scene, gemsny.org.
Find a dry place and enjoy a nice hot cup of something. It’s autumn. Be good to yourself. Tune in today, from 12 to 4 p.m. EST, to WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.
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