Classic Ross Amico

Tag: WWFM

Koechlin’s 150th A Neglected Genius?

Today is the 150th anniversary of the birth of French composer Charles Koechlin. If anyone can find even a single mention, anywhere on the internet, of an official sesquicentennial observance, I would be very curious to know. Alas, it would seem he is the very definition of a neglected composer.

You can refer to my Saturday post on this fascinating polymath to learn more about his eclectic interests and his close associations with Gabriel Fauré and Claude Debussy. Things will only get more Koechlin-intensive as the week progresses and I pull out all the stops. (You certainly won’t catch me pulling at that beard.)

For today, I hope you will join me for a selection from Koechlin’s music inspired by Rudyard Kipling’s “The Jungle Book” and some of his very famous work as an orchestrator. The music will be recognizable, even if, apparently, the orchestrator is not.

We’ll be crushing on Koechlin, among our featured composers, this Monday from 4 to 7 p.m. EST, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

November 27, 2017
Homebodies American Composers on WWFM

With the lingering evidence of Thanksgiving both in our refrigerators and around our waistlines, it’s hardly surprising that our thoughts and memories would be full of home. Perhaps you still are “home,” with family and a full day of travel ahead of you, or you can’t wait to get home (your own).

Whatever the case may be, this Sunday night on “The Lost Chord,” we’ll have music by American composers inspired by the idea of home.

We’ll have a work by the “Dean of American composers,” Aaron Copland – his “Letter from Home,” from 1943-44; then a recent piece by John Fitz Rogers, “Magna Mysteria,” from 2010.

Rogers, who studied with Steven Stucky, Roberto Sierra, Martin Bresnick, and Jacob Druckman, is an associate professor at the University of South Carolina School of Music and the founder of the Southern Exposure New Music Series, which received the 2005-2006 Chamber Music America/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming.

“Magna Mysteria” was commissioned in 2009 to celebrate the restoration of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral (Columbia, South Carolina). From its very title, which translates as “Great Mysteries,” it is clear that this is a work about questions. Its intent is nicely encapsulated in the promotional material accompanying this release from innova Recordings.

“Weaving together Latin biblical texts and poetic verse from the sixth-century philosopher Boethius, the composition explores ideas of home and the seeking of home, the elevation of home to a metaphorical or spiritual realm, and the nature of time.”

What is clear is that the work is gorgeous. If you have a fondness for the choral music of Morten Lauridsen or Stephen Paulus, you will enjoy this, though Rogers is very much his own man. His music is tonal, melodic, and quite lovely.

We’re home for the holidays this week. I hope you’ll join me for “Homebodies,” this Sunday night at 10:00 EST, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

November 26, 2017
Thanksgiving Music on WWFM

Saint Cecilia’s Day AND the eve of Thanksgiving. Give thanks for a bounty of American music, between 4 and 7 p.m. EST, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

November 22, 2017
Henry Kramer’s Sweeping Piano Program on WWFM

Judging from the content of today’s Noontime Concert on The Classical Network, pianist Henry Kramer crams a lot into his programs. Join me for a journey from Mozart to Stravinsky, by way of Brahms, Albéniz, and Ravel.

On the program will be Mozart’s Piano Sonata No. 9 in D major, K. 311; Brahms’ Six Pieces for Piano, Op. 118; Albéniz’s Iberia: Book I; Ravel’s “Gaspard de la Nuit;” and Stravinsky’s Etudes, Op. 7. The concert took place at Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Music Center in New York City on October 31.

Merkin’s Tuesday Matinees present a new generation of critically acclaimed, extraordinary young performers in a concert hall known for its near-perfect acoustics. The next concert in the series will take place on November 28. Violinist Stephen Waarts will join pianist Chelsea Wang for Schumann’s Sonata No. 1 in A minor, Op. 105; Schubert’s Sonata in A major “Grand Duo,” D. 574; Ravel’s Sonata No. 1 in A minor “Posthumous;” and Stravinsky’s Divertimento from “The Fairy’s Kiss.” More information is available at kaufmanmusiccenter.org.

We’ll also remember Malcolm Williamson, on the anniversary of his birth, as part of an hour devoted to works by former Masters of the Queen’s Music. In fact, I’ll be using the royal “we” until 4:00 EST, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

November 21, 2017
Chanticleer Walden on WWFM This Monday

“I do not propose to write an ode to dejection, but to brag as lustily as Chanticleer in the morning, standing on his roost, if only to wake my neighbors up.” So wrote Henry David Thoreau in his preface to “Walden.”

American composer Daniel Gregory Mason’s “Chanticleer Festival Overture” will lead off music for your afternoon commute.

“All climates agree with brave Chanticleer. He is more indigenous even than the natives. His health is ever good, his lungs are sound, his spirits never flag.”

I’ll give you something to crow about, this Monday from 4 to 7 p.m. EST, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

November 20, 2017

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