Classic Ross Amico

Tag: Sosi

Hovhaness’ Cat Rajah A Musical Muse

Why can’t my cat be as well-behaved as Rajah Mahatma Hoyden? Rajah was the favorite cat of composer Alan Hovhaness.

Hovhaness dedicated his work “Sosi: Forest of Prophetic Sounds” to Rajah. No telling how his little friend would have reacted to this piece for violin, piano, horn, timpani, giant tam-tam and strings. Many cats aren’t too fond of the violin, but I would think the giant tam-tam would have sealed it. However, Rajah seemed to be of a particularly placid disposition.

Long after Rajah’s death, Hovhaness’ correspondence alluded to ongoing spiritual visitations from his little companion, and he continued to leave milk out for him overnight.

Happy birthday, Alan Hovhaness (1911-2000). God bless your beautiful music and your beautiful heart.

March 8, 2016
Ross Amico’s Summer Music Escape & So Percussion

Nocturnes, gardens, getaways and plenty of water – that’s Classic Ross Amico’s prescription for summer survival this week.

Perhaps you are fond of summer. Or perhaps, like me, you live in a third-floor walk-up in the middle of a paved-over hell-hole, in which case you probably harbor more ambivalent feelings. To be fair, yesterday was actually quite lovely.

Either way, I hope you’ll join me this morning for music related in some way to summer and summery diversions. We’ll have vacation music, works about leisurely pursuits, water music, and aural evocations of perfumed breezes wafting through gently swaying greenery.

Members of So Percussion will drop by in the 8:00 hour to talk a bit about their own positive contribution to the season, the So Percussion Summer Institute (SoSI), now in progress at locations in and around Princeton University. The two week program for college-age percussionists and composers is chock-full of free concerts, some of them in very public places, such as Princeton Record Exchange, Small World Coffee, and Albert Hinds Plaza. If you haven’t looked into it, you can find more information and the complete schedule here:

http://sopercussion.com/sosiconcerts

SoSI runs through August 1.

It’s only two months until autumn. Think cool thoughts and stay hydrated with Classic Ross Amico. I’ll be poring over the Farmer’s Almanac from 6 to 11 a.m. ET, on WPRB 103.3 FM or online at wprb.com.

PHOTO: No one captures the creepy agonies and ecstasies of summer quite like Edvard Munch

July 23, 2015
Summer Music on WPRB with So Percussion

I suppose there’s no point in denying it after this week, so I’m going to jump right in. This Thursday morning on WPRB, it’s all music related in some way to summer and summery diversions. There will be music inspired by this, my most-hated season, as well as works about water, gardens and getaways.

Members of So Percussion will drop by in the 8:00 hour to knock some sense into me and to talk a bit about the So Percussion Summer Institute (SoSI), now in progress at locations in and around Princeton University. The two week program for college-age percussionists and composers is chock-full of free concerts, some of them in very public places, such as Princeton Record Exchange, Small World Coffee, and Albert Hinds Plaza. If you haven’t looked into it, you can find more information and a complete schedule here:

http://sopercussion.com/sosiconcerts

SoSI runs through August 1.

I hope you’ll slather yourself with lotion, put on some shades, and join me in my air conditioned, subterranean bunker this week, as we celebrate summer, tomorrow morning from 6 to 11 ET, on WPRB 103.3 FM or at wprb.com.

Keep it cool with Classic Ross Amico.

July 22, 2015

Tag Cloud

RECENT POSTS