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Soundcheck

Tuesday, December 14, 2004
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  • Terry Teachout - Photo WNYC/Margo McLean
    Terry Teachout (WNYC/Margo McLean)

    Welcome to the Nut house

    For millions of Americans, it just wouldn't be Christmas without seeing a production of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker. Surprisingly, the ballet never really took off in Russia, its country of origin. It was first performed in St. Petersburg in 1892, where it was panned by the local critics. Nevertheless, it’s become a national institution in North America, being performed with hula dancers in Hawaii, cowboys in Arizona, and ice-hockey players in Winnipeg. Today, Jennifer Fisher, a Los Angeles-based dance writer and author of “Nutcracker Nation,” joins us to shed some light on this timeless holiday classic. We’re also joined by Terry Teachout, drama critic for the Wall Street Journal and music critic of Commentary. He discusses the most famous Nutcracker production of the last 50 years, that of the New York City Ballet.

Additional Resources:
» Nutcracker Nation Web site
» About Last Night
  Terry Teachout's blog about the arts
» 2004 Holiday Chestnuts - Nutcrackers in New York


audience

Soundcheck Smackdown: When Contemporary Met Classical

Soundcheck

Like vegetables stuck into a delicious meal, contemporary classical music is forced on concert audiences before they are allowed to enjoy their Brahms. So says humorist, critic and author Joe Queenan. Today, Queenan and John Berry, Artistic Director with English National Opera, join us for a Soundcheck Smackdown debate on the merits of contemporary music.

musical clouds

You Are What You Hear

Soundcheck

Washington Post reporter Paul Farhi takes us through some of the most famously botched song lyrics in rock history. We’ll explore why the words we make up are usually more interesting than the real version. Then, listeners confess their favorite and most embarrassing reinvented lyrics.

Leave a comment: Give us your favorite set of misheard lyrics! Were you disappointed when you learned the actual words?

Rosanne Cash and Mark O'Connor

Soundcheck

For her, he was a father. For him, he was a boyhood hero. For the nation, he was an icon. Singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash and composer and violinist Mark O'Connor join us to talk about how Johnny Cash has inspired their musical collaboration. And they will play live.

Katy

Soundcheck's Summer Song Poll

Soundcheck

Every year, popular and critical opinion somehow converge to settle on a "summer song." In 2007, it was Rihanna's "Umbrella." The year before, it was "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley. The practice stretches back to the very dawn of pop radio. Yet defining the essence of a "summer song" is a bit elusive. We enlist the help of Blender editor at large Lizzy Goodman -- and of our Soundcheck listeners, in an online poll.

Cast your vote: Soundcheck's Summer Song Poll 2008

Can't decide? Check out audio and video clips of the contestants here.

Our blog: John Schaefer asks what makes a good summer song,

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