It’s still days away at this point, but I wanted to let you know that, because Yom Kippur falls on a Wednesday this year, I will be swapping mornings with Marvin Rosen next week at WPRB 103.3 FM. That means that Classical Discoveries will be heard on Thursday, from 5:30 to 11 a.m. EDT, and that Classic Ross Amico (who needs his beauty sleep) will muddle through on Wednesday from 6 to 11 a.m.
Since Wednesday happens to be October 12, the birthday of Ralph Vaughan Williams, and since Vaughan Williams happens to be one of my very favorite composers, the morning will be devoted to a good number of RVW gems and rarities from my own extensive collection. These will include historic recordings, some featuring the composer himself, archived radio broadcasts, and at least one LP that was issued in 1977, now long out-of-print, which to my knowledge has never been reissued in any form. If you love Vaughan Williams, have affection for English music, or hunger for curiosities, you will not want to miss this show!
Of course, I may be tossing in one or two favorites most everyone will recognize, in luminous performances from one of my favorite Vaughan Williams albums, in honor of the late Sir Neville Marriner, who died last week at the age of 92. But most of what you hear will be off the beaten path, of historic interest, or just plain beautiful and underexposed.
Eight hours after Marvin concludes his special edition of “Classical Discoveries,” WPRB will commence a week-long Autumn Membership Campaign, on Thursday night at 7:00. The station conducts one pledge drive per year, so this will be your only chance to step up and support the music. It’s a little-known fact that WPRB, though housed in the belly of Princeton University’s Bloomberg Hall, receives no funding from the university. The hosts are all volunteers, given just about complete artistic control over their programs, and the playlists are assembled with love, passion and personality.
If you care about classical music on WPRB, and in particular, if you like what I do on “Classic Ross Amico,” I hope you will consider taking your penny jar down to the financial institution of your choice and then pledging your commitment to thoughtful programming of unusual and neglected repertoire, all presented under the umbrella of vast, unwieldy themes.
Please call 609-258-1033 on the morning of October 20, between 6 and 11 a.m. to pledge your support of the show. It will be the last day of the drive, so don’t think that your pledge won’t make a difference! I expect it’s going to be a tough row to hoe, since by then everyone will have supported their favorite shows of the previous six days, including “Classical Discoveries” and “Sunday Morning Opera.” So set aside a bone for “Classic Ross Amico,” if you are able. Mentioning that you like what I do when you call in to support somebody else’s show is nice, but in the end, if you really want to send a message to anyone who is not answering the phones, it is the tallies that do the talking.
Do not think that $10 or $20 is not enough. Every little bit counts. But if you are able to pledge at a level of $45 or over, I will be happy to send you a very nice CD as a token of my thanks. All the CDs I will be offering will be hand-selected by me and sampled during the show on October 20. So you’ll have a chance to listen before you pledge, but please understand that copies will be limited, in some cases to a quantity of one!
“Classic Ross Amico,” now in its second year, is but a blink in WPRB’s 75-year history. With your support, I’m hoping two years will turn into three, and three into ten. Who knows how far this thing will go. Yours is the juice that can fuel classical music’s heavy Chevy, the wind beneath the wings of “The Lark Ascending.” Thank you for your consideration. I’m sure RVW would concur!
