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September 2008

Living Legend

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

As conductor Gustavo Dudamel said of New York Philharmonic principal clarinetist Stanley Drucker, "He's a legend. The history of the orchestra is in him." Drucker joins us to talk about his incredibly long career — which finally comes to a close next year after 61 years with the New York Philharmonic. Also, Sara Fishko revisits Leonard Bernstein's famous debut with the New York Philharmonic in 1943, followed by the historic broadcast itself.


A Rosh Hashanah Celebration

Monday, September 29, 2008

Beginning with the faith-based works of Leonard Bernstein, and expanding to modern interpretations of ancient prayers and early recordings of much-beloved African American spirituals, Terrance McKnight weaves a tapestry of music around the spiritual themes of renewal, reflection, and opportunity.


Spiritual Bernstein

Sunday, September 28, 2008

In addition to the many works Bernstein wrote that are rooted in his Jewish faith, he also wrote a non-traditional (and still controversial) Catholic Mass, at the request of Jackie Kennedy. David Garland explores this and other spiritual works of Bernstein, as WNYC continues its celebration of "Our Lenny." Also, at 9PM, we hear the fourth installment in Steve Rowland's documentary series Leonard Bernstein: An American Life.


West Side Story

Saturday, September 27, 2008

David Garland welcomes kaleidoscopic singer/songwriter Sport Murphy to the studio, as they revisit Leonard Bernstein's most famous musical, "West Side Story." Also, Sara Fishko provides her own take on this seminal work, and we hear another episode of Steve Rowland's acclaimed documentary series "Leonard Bernstein: An American Life."

Sport Murphy on MySpace
Download Sport Murphy tracks at amazon.com
Sport Murphy on Spinning on Air (September 5, 2003)


Trouble in Tahiti

Friday, September 26, 2008

David Garland explores Leonard Bernstein's opera/musical hybrid from 1952, "Trouble in Tahiti."

Bernstein on Bernstein: Trouble in Tahiti
Trouble in Tahiti at amazon.com


The Bernstein Songbook

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Jonathan Schwartz and Terrance McKnight co-host "The Bernstein Songbook," featuring an array of Broadway luminaries. Also, the second hour of Steve Rowland's documentary series, "Leonard Bernstein: An American Life."


WNYC Salutes "Our Lenny"

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

"How did Leonard Bernstein change your life?" — We put that question to an array of WNYC personalities, including Brian Lehrer, David Garland, Leonard Lopate, John Schaefer, Sara Fishko, and more. Hear their personal audio tributes, as WNYC salutes "Our Lenny."


Sacred Sundays: Glen Velez frame Drum Ensemble

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Live in the WNYC Studio—The Glen Velez frame Drum Ensemble presents "Sacred Frame Drums: Exploring the Shamanistic Trance Qualities of Drumming." Virtuoso hand drumming with rhythm vocals and overtone singing, drawing on the ensemble's extensive knowledge of drum traditions from the Arab, Central Asian and South Indian worlds. Host David Garland talks with Velez, and with Taoufiq Ben Amor, who is curating the Festival of Sacred Music at New York's Alwan for the Arts, where Velez will perform Sept. 26th.


World to Come

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Cellist Maya Beiser is a one-woman force in contemporary music, spiking her performances with turns of multi-media and bravado. We sample the title track from her 2003 album (and live multimedia tour) World to Come, with music by David Lang.

Maya Beiser Online
World To Come clip on YouTube


Adams: Naive or Sentimental?

Monday, September 15, 2008

In his 1795 treatise "On Naive and Sentimental Poetry," Friedrich Schiller divided the creative personality into two categories: "those who are not conscious of any rift between themselves and their milieu, or within themselves; and those who are so conscious." (trans. Isaiah Berlin) Composer John Adams takes this view as a launching pad for his own "Naive and Sentimental Music," which explores the often dichotomous nature of the artist.


Small Scale Schoenberg

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Musical rebel Arnold Schoenberg rattled the compositional world with his theory (and practice) of 12-tone music, often reveling in the intricacies of smaller mediums — which showcased his talent for creating complexity out of simple means. We mark the 134th anniversary of his birth with an eclectic survey of those smaller works, including the Chamber Symphony No. 1, one of his "Pieces for Piano," and the second String Quartet.


Brooklyn Rider

Friday, September 12, 2008

Brooklyn Rider embraces the modern music movement with the raw energy and form of the classical string quartet. Long-time participants in Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Project, the group has performed cross-cultural music throughout the world — as well as having established a strong presence on the New York music scene. We hear a piece by violinist (and member) Colin Jacobsen that uses gypsy themes in tribute to the group's base of operations, "Brooklesca" ("in the Brooklyn style").
http://www.brooklynrider.com/

Related Audio: Brooklyn Rider on Soundcheck (September 11, 2007)


Loss and Remembrance

Thursday, September 11, 2008

We mark today's date with music of loss and remembrance, as well as self-reflection. In addition to works by Morten Lauridsen, Gabriel Fauré, and John Tavener, we feature Tibetan composer/performer Yungchen Lhamo's plaintive memorial hymn, "9/11."


Are You Experienced?

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

One of the founders of Bang on a Can, composer David Lang was also the recipient of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize in music. We hear an earlier Lang work from 1991 which pays tribute to Jimi Hendrix in the title, "Are You Experienced." Written for for amplified tuba, orchestra, and narrator, "Are You Experienced" evokes a hallucinatory experience suffered by a music listener — after getting banged on the head.


The Power of Twelve

Tuesday, September 09, 2008

The number 12 has an ancient and mystic significance: twelve signs of the Zodiac, twelve months in the year, twelve apostles — and the list goes on. We hear from a musical twelve, in The 12 Cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic (actually there are 13 cellists, but only 12 play together at any given time). They perform a John Williams track, "Catch Me If You Can," from their album of movie music, As Time Goes By

Visit the 12 Cellists' Website


Sacred Sundays: Lisa Bielawa

Sunday, September 07, 2008

Composer and vocalist Lisa Bielawa recently returned from a visit to the Republic of Armenia, where she discovered a world of music permeated with a sense of the sacred. Bielawa joins David Garland in the studio to talk about the experience, and to share some of the musical treasures she brought home from that journey.


Tower @70

Saturday, September 06, 2008

American composer Joan Tower turns 70 today. One of the most successful composers of her generation, Tower's catalog is full of bright, energetic and richly scored works. We offer a sampling with several chamber and orchestral pieces, including "Made in America," "Petroushskates," and the Violin Concerto.


Birth of a Maverick

Friday, September 05, 2008

We're talking about a musical maverick here, in the person of John Cage. Born on this date in 1912, Cage transformed the way people thought (and think) about music (Cage passed away in 1992). We mark the occasion with several selections from throughout his development, including "Mysterious Adventure," "In a Landscape," and a special live recording of Joan La Barbera singing "A Flower" from the WNYC Archives.

Want more John Cage? Check out WNYC's 24:33 festival.


Four Fugitive Pieces

Wednesday, September 03, 2008

Married to one brilliant composer and drawn to another, Clara Schumann had a turbulent personal life — no doubt complicated even more by her own formidable music talents. She often wrote spry little keyboard works, however, that belied the tension she must have felt at home. We hear an example in a brief but delightful set of piano diversions, "Four Fugitive Pieces."


Dancing Solo

Tuesday, September 02, 2008

Composer Libby Larsen has written for ensembles large and small during her fruitful career. We hear one of the latter tonight in "Dancing Solo," a work for for solo clarinet. According to Larsen, "Dancing Solo" is "a dance for clarinet, a dance composed of color, rhythm, beat implied and explicit, and breath: the music is the dance and the dance is the music."