Classic Ross Amico

Tag: WWFM

Sherlock Holmes Movie Music on WWFM

The game’s afoot! It’s an afternoon of mystery and imagination.

This week on “Picture Perfect,” the focus will be on films inspired by the world’s greatest detective, including “Sherlock Holmes” (2009), with music by Hans Zimmer, “The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes” (1970), with music by Miklos Rozsa, “Without a Clue” (1988), with music by Henry Mancini, and “Young Sherlock Holmes” (1985), with music by Bruce Broughton. That’s all coming up at 6:00 EDT.

To get you in the mood, I’ll be playing Rozsa’s Violin Concerto in the 4:00 hour, a work director Billy Wilder listened to incessantly while writing his screenplay for “The Private Life” and upon which he requested the composer base his film score.

Then in the 5:00 hour, we’ll have the Sherlock Holmes ballet, in all-but-name, “The Great Detective,” by English composer Richard Arnell.

In the words of Holmes himself, “Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.” Join me for an afternoon of improbably good music, from 4 to 7:00 EDT, on WWFM – The Classical Network and at wwfm.org.

November 4, 2016
WWFM Today Orli Shaham Newman & Oltman

I hope you’ll tune in to WWFM this afternoon, as I’ll be joined by a couple of special guests.

In the 4:00 hour, pianist Orli Shaham will chat with me by telephone about her Baby Got Bach program, which she’ll be bringing to Princeton University’s Richardson Auditorium as part of the Princeton University Concerts Series, this Saturday at 1 p.m. Baby Got Bach is designed to introduce children 3 to 6 to the joys of interactive music-making. You can find out more at babygotbach.org.

Then we’ll be sampling from Orli’s performances of music by Alberto Ginastera, from a new album celebrating the centenary of one of Argentina’s most famous composers.

In the 6:00 hour, Michael Newman of The Newman & Oltman Guitar Duo will swing by to talk about a special Veterans Day concert, presented by Raritan River Music, that will be held at historic Bethlehem Presbyterian Church, near Pittstown, NJ, on Sunday at 2 p.m. Guest artists will include singers-songwriters-storytellers Sally Rogers and Claudia Schmidt. For more information, look online at RaritanRiverMusic.org.

For the rest of this afternoon, we’ll be observing the birthdays of an eclectic assortment of composers and conductors, including Karl Ditters von Dittersdorf, John Foulds, Friedrich Kalkbrenner, Douglas Lilburn, and Giuseppe Sinopoli.

There’s a lot to celebrate, from 4 to 7:00 EDT, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

November 2, 2016
Spooky Classical Halloween Soundtrack on WWFM

Happy Hallowe’en, everyone!

As you prepare the little monsters for Trick-or-Treat, I hope you’ll make us your macabre and amusing soundtrack this afternoon, as I’ll be weaving a spooky and sometimes silly tapestry of music evocative of ghosts, vampires, demons and haunted landscapes.

Sir John Gielgud will recite eerie poems of Aloysius Betrand as pianist Gina Bachauer performs Maurice Ravel’s “Gaspard de la Nuit.” Composer of British light music Frederic Curzon will give us the playful “Dance of an Ostracised Imp.” We’ll hear the original version of “Danse macabre,” conceived as a song by Camille Saint-Saens. We’ll also have the tongue-in-cheek “Dracula’s House-and-Court Music” by Kurt Schwertsik. In addition, we’ll enjoy selections from “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” “Psycho,” and “The Bride of Frankenstein.”

In short, we’ll be up to our elbows in French horns, gore, and candy corn, this All Hallows’ Eve from 4 to 7:00 EDT, on WWFM – The Classical Network and at wwfm.org.

Cartoon (below) by Jeffrey Curnow, associate principal trumpet of the Philadelphia Orchestra

October 31, 2016
Beethoven’s 9th Princeton Performance Celebrated

Hooray! We made our goal! Now here’s a little something for YOU.

To celebrate the successful conclusion of WWFM’s Autumn Membership Campaign, I will introduce a new recording, which turned up in my mailbox only yesterday afternoon, of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, conducted by Mark Laycock.

Mark Laycock, long-time music director of the Princeton Symphony Orchestra and former associate conductor of the New Jersey Symphony, will be joined by soloists, the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, and the Westminster Symphonic Choir, in this performance that took place at Richardson Auditorium, in Alexander Hall, on the campus of Princeton University.

Beethoven’s symphony was the capstone of a concert given on January 25, 2014, to celebrate the 100th birthday of American scholar, philanthropist, and human rights advocate William H. Scheide, who was in attendance. The event was televised as part of PBS’ “Great Performances” series earlier this year.

Join us as I share this “Ode to Joy” – a new recording of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with Mark Laycock – this afternoon at 4:00, on WWFM – The Classical Network and at wwfm.org. And thank you for making our autumn membership campaign a success!

PHOTOS: Mark Laycock (left) and William H. Scheide, pictured with his wife Judith, accepting a bouquet at his 100th birthday concert at Princeton University’s Richardson Auditorium

October 28, 2016
Support Classical Music Before Winter Arrives

The day of reckoning is upon us!

October is membership month at WWFM – The Classical Network, and while we have been soft pitching for weeks, today we take to the air waves to rake up the stragglers like so many autumn leaves.

We’ve affectionately dubbed October Procrastinator’s Amnesty Month. Believe me, we know what it’s like to put things off. Often, it’s not so much procrastination as it is simply not having enough time, the needs of the moment generally foremost in our thoughts. But with autumn upon us, it’s time to be like the ant, not the grasshopper, and to fortify ourselves against the winter.

Think of the cozy months ahead, and how we warm your cockles around the clock with music from Abel to Zelenka. You can also warm yourself with our “What Makes It Great” mug. Named for Rob Kapilow’s popular show, the mug answers its own question. Turn it around, and it on the reverse you’ll find the exclamation “You!” It’s because of you that we are able to pay for programs like “What Makes It Great.” We are only as good as our member support. The mug is yours for a contribution to The Classical Network in the amount of $75. If you commit to a sustaining membership of $5 a month, we’ll send it to you for $60 (charged in monthly installments, of course). That $15 in savings will buy you a lot of cider.

The sooner we reach 3500 members, the sooner we get back to uninterrupted music. So lend us a hand, won’t you? Your vital contribution will fortify us as the days grow shorter. Make your commitment at wwfm.org, or by calling 1-888-232-1212.

We can enjoy the fiddling once the stores are full. Thank you, as always, for your warming support!

October 26, 2016

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