Musical Interlude: I thought about posting "The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round" as a tribute to tomorrow's Roadeo but I couldn't inflict that you. I tried to think of something competition-related and remembered this tune, a musical depiction of a bullfight. Ole!
"Espana Cani," composed by Pascual Marquina Narro, performed by the Cincinnati Pops.
Musical Interlude: More Romanticism? You bet! Here's a composer more people should know.
"Piano Concerto in F Minor," composed by Anton Arensky, performed by the Russian Philharmonic, with Konstantin Scherbakov on piano.
Musical Interlude: Doing more Romanticism today; here's a fun one.
"Double Piano Concerto in A-Flat Major," composed by Felix Mendelssohn, performed by the Nieuw Sinfonietta Amsterdam, with Love Derwinger & Roland Pöntinen at the pianos.
Musical Interlude: All the news about deportations....and the callous attitude toward the safety of those being deported...brought this song to mind. The lyrics were written by Woody Guthrie, and set to music by Martin Hoffman. It's about a real-life disaster in 1980; look up the Los Gatos crash and you'll read the horrid details.
"Deportee (Plane Crash at Los Gatos)," performed by Arlo Guthrie and Hoyt Axton.
Musical Interlude: How about some piano? Delving some more into Romantic music, I found this lovely piece.
"Piano Concerto in E major," composed by Mortiz Moszkowski, performed by the Polish National Radio Orchestra, with Markus Pawlik on piano.
Musical Interlude: Here's something to ease you into a lovely weekend...no matter what weather you're having...
"Konzertstück for Cello and Orchestra," composed by Ernő Dohnányi, performed by the Budapest Sinfonia (I think).
Musical Interlude: Here's a bit of dark fun. This is a number from the Rogers & Hart musical "A Connecticut Yankee," in which Morgan le Fay sings of how, rather than cheating on her husbands, she just killed them. It wasn't part of the original musical, but was added for a revival where the character was made more a comic anti-heroine.
"To Keep My Love Alive," performed by Ella Fitzgerald.
Musical Interlude; In honor of today's blooming forsythia, here's a springime piece for you, from probably the only composer to really master musical Impressionism.
"Printemps," composed by Claude Debussy, performed by the Orchestre national de France, conducted by Emmanuel Krivine.
Musical Interlude: Hey, who feels like absinthe? Here's an amusing tribute to the Green Fairy...
"La Fèe Verte" performed by Winovino.
Musical Interlude: In honor of today's rain, here's a forgotten hit tune from 1961, the biggest of Dee Clark's career.
"Raindrops," performed by Dee Clark.
Musical Interlude: I've been binge-listening to Janet Klein's musical oeuvre in my car...I love her so. She's a songstress who does songs from 1910s, 20s, and 30s, and has a blast doing so. Here's a slightly naughty song from the 20s that makes me giggle.
"How Could Red Riding Hood" performed by Janet Klein and Ian Whitcomb.
Musical Interlude: OK, I was all of seven years old when this song came out. I thought it was about some annoying guy who kept hanging around and wouldn't leave no matter how much you hinted. It was only when I hit college and heard it again that it dawned on me....
Even if the lyrics seen nonsensical, it's an addictive song, and I look back on myself singing it as a kid...oh my.
"Little Willy" performed by Sweet, on a 1972 episode of "Top of the Pops."
Musical Interlude: Listened to an old favorite today, Holst's "The Planets." A fun work, based on astrology, not astronomy, but fun with its musical variations. (Holst himself came to resent it, as it was eclipsing his other works.) This piece is a favorite of mine; it perfectly reflects a D&D character I used to play, a bumbling, self-important warlock named Nox.
"Uranus, the Magician," composed by Gustav Holst, performed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Susanna Mälkki.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUyVFKA1MaU
#MusicalInterlude #ClassicalMusic #Uranus #GustavHolst #D&DCharacters #ThePlanets
Musical Interlude: An old old favorite from my childhood came to mind today. I couldn't find a link to the version I remember, but this is a merry rendition, with animation accompanying it, from the National Film Board of Canada.
"Mr. Frog Went A-Courting," performed by Derek Lamb, animation by Evelyn Lambart.
Musical Interlude: Listened to some good American folk today, and this tune jumped out at me. I saw John Prine a few times in concert, and loved this song...and his death, early during the pandemic, made me sad.
"Angel from Montgomery," performed by John Prine.
Musical Interlude: I love Richard Thompson, and some of his best work is when he's singing of heartbreak and love gone wrong. Here's a catchy song when a relationship doesn't live up to his partner's high-sounding words...
"She Said It Was Destiny," performed by Richard Thompson.
Musical Interlude: Now for something a little eccentric....here's some Handel pieces that were composed especially for automatic musical devices. They're sweet pieces, not complicated and with limited ranges, but pleasant. Makes me think of how Thomas Dolby made money for a while composing ringtones....
"Six Pieces for a Musical Organ Clock," composed by George Frideric Handel, performed by Tibor Pintor.
Musical Interlude: Jake Blount's recent CD is a fascinating concept album about the religious practices of a group of Black climate refugees after a series of future environmental disasters. Yup, this is Afrofuturist music, although not utopian. Blount is a great performer; I've seen him live a number of times.
"Didn't It Rain," performed by Jake Blount.
Musical Interlude: Harry Warren was a composer and songwriter whose songs are part of the American fabric..."Lullaby of Broadway," "I Only Have Eyes for You," "At Last," "Jeepers Creepers," and so many others, and it's a damn shame his name isn't invoked with people like Cole Porter and Irving Berlin. Here's a lesser-known song from his catalogue...
"My Heart Tells Me," performed by Susannah McCorkle.
Musical Interlude: Listened to some more baroque today. This is a very popular piece, for understandable reasons. The idea of music meant to be played through fireworks seems odd, but I'm told that the big sounds of fireworks are actually engineered, and they can be made more quiet if the manufacturers wanted to...
"Royal Fireworks Music," composed by George Frideric Handel, performed by The English Concert.
