The Mouse Tango

I came across this classical website today while referencing a particular piece of music. The name of the site, hardly evokes the kind of dignity, respect and - dare I say it? - pomposity that is often expected in the world of classical music but the results are often hilarious. Check out their clip section for more videos, including a lightning fast performance of Rimsky-Korsakov's "Flight of the Bumblebee by punked up Croatian pianist Maksim Mrvica and what I'm calling the "Salute to David Letterman throwing things off of tall buildings" approach to Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture." Enjoy!

The Cycle Begins!

Beginning Monday, November 10th you can hear the entire cycle of Beethoven piano sonatas recorded by
Andras Schiff.
Tune into my morning show on Northwest Public Radio as I focus on one sonata per day throughout the months of November and December.

It's a big deal in the classical music world whenever an artist takes on this fulfulling challenge. Music critic Tom Manoff has been eagerly anticipating Schiff's final recording in the series and you can listen to his review here.

Check out this site to listen to Schiff's lectures about each of the sonatas.

Admittedly apropos of nothing but.....

Van Morrison

or Andras Schiff








You decide!

Celebrate & Collaborate with Yo-Yo Ma!

So...wouldn't you like to record with Yo-Yo Ma? Just the two of you? Wouldn't that be amazingly cool?! Yo-Yo recorded the melody of "Dona Nobis Pacem" and you can add a counter-melody, or a new set of variations. Click on the link to find out how!


Look at how much fun Yo-Yo and Bobby McFerrin are obviously having! Imagine....a Northwest Public Radio listener in a one-on-one recording session with Yo-Yo Ma? Make it happen, people! Visualize....



Dream....
















Do!

Super Classical Thursday!!!

Okay, so the studios of Northwest Public Radio don't actually look like this, but we certainly feel this festive on Super Thursday our one day pledge drive!

This Super Thursday you will hear the latest cd from Yo-Yo Ma featuring a duet with Renee Fleming that will leave you weeping into your hankie....but in a good way!

You will also walk down the "Streets of Laredo,"























receive "Grace" from Jonathan Elias' beautiful choral work "The Prayer Cycle," and hear a classical cowboy tribute.



Join us for a lot of great music and thanks for supporting Northwest Public Radio!

Minute or Minute?

I had a conversation with John from Yakima today about the "Minute Waltz." His theory is that the nickmane of one of Chopin's most famous pieces has been incorrectly pronounced and understood for years. In other words, is the "Minute Waltz" about time (MIN-iht) or size (mi-N(Y)UT)? In the words, or rather word, of Keanu Reeves "Whoa!" In 19 years of hosting classical music this never occurred to me which seems kind of silly, actually, because it's impossible to properly play the piece in one minute or under. So what happened?



There's been a legend or rumour, call it what you will, that Chopin was trying to depict a dog chasing its tail, perhaps even inspired by his own dog. That seems a pretty fair assumption since Chopin's own name for the piece was "Petit Chien" (Little Dog). It was his publisher at that time, however, who attached the name "Minute Waltz" to the piece and it seems he was, indeed, referring to the size (mi-N(Y)UT)of the piece, rather than the time (MIN-iht).

Here are some fun examples of a few of the many, many people who have been wrong.

Here is Barbra Streisand's version of the "Minute Waltz." I've posted the lyrics below so that you can follow along.




I have got a minute, just a little minute,
I have only got a minute, just minute,
I have only got a minute that is all the time
I have to sing this tiny minute waltz
It isn't easy but I'll try it
Than I gotta say goodbye
But first I take a minute
And put in it every note that Chopin wrote
and I shall sing the little minute waltz
And hope that I can sing with no faults
and though it's difficult
I'll give it every gust of air I got within in my body
Hope that my performance will be very shiny
Singing every note will not do wonders for my throat
I probably will end up hoarse
Of course I will have done it
And a will for that I made
That what I want is not the money
but the satisfaction that I get
from winning money on this silly kind of bet
Though this kind of solo wasn't his intention
Chopin isn't here to make an intervention
So with your permission and no intermission
I will sing each note that that composer wrote
as you can hear my trilling isn't very thrilling
but no one can say I wasn't very willing
to attempt a thing that's not been done
and just for fun to sing the minute waltz
As I sing the seconds fly, oh too soon the minute waltzes by
And now I ask you where am I halfway through the tune
and I'm falling far behind
I have less than 30 seconds
less than 30 seconds
less than 30
less than half a minute
I have less than 30 seconds
I have less than half a minute
to complete this little minute waltz
And every note that's its score
While the sands of time I know are pouring
Let me win my bet and I'll run with the money
Down to some drug store whare I will buy a honey
Or a trophy for myself to put upon a shelf to show the world I've won
Oh the second hand is rushing round the dial
And though I'd like to end this torture with a smile
Unless someone knows how to stop the clock
you gonna see me cry before I said goodbye
Eight little measures to complete this song
But I'm afraid my little lungs will burst before to long if
Only I can last the scale
I won't have failed to sing the minute waltz!

Check out this funny bit about the waltz by the famous Danish musician and comedian Victor Borge.



Enjoy this clip of the BBC radio show "Just a Minute" which uses the "Minute Waltz" as their theme.



And finally, who knew that Bugs Bunny would be the one to get it right?!

Shop 'Til You Drop!

This could be you at Northwest Public Radio's giant cd sale! Of course, the cds are not giant, but the bargains are! Every cd sells for only $4.00 per disc and boxed sets for $3.00 per disc. We have everything from classical to jazz to folk to world to blues!

Best of all you'll be supporting Northwest Public Radio! Come to the Cougar Depot tomorrow, September 27th, from 8:00 to Noon.

Symphony of Sorrowful Songs

Henryk Gorecki's "Symphony No. 3" topped the classical charts in both Britian and the U.S. when it was released back in 1992. To date it has sold over a million copies, a feat that is rare in the world of classical music.

Learn more about the piece and read the poetic texts in this beautiful work, also known as the "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs."

Road Trips

What is it about a road trip that makes us long to collect our favorite tunes, our favorite snacks, get behind the wheel and take off for parts unknown? This summer NPR featured a number of stories about this quintessential American automotive adventure.

"A Cross Country Road Trip Back in Time"

"Songs for the Gas-Guzzling Blues"

"Take Me To Your Leader: The Road Trip

The siren song of the open road strongly appeals to me even when it's over a route I've made so many times I could probably do it in my sleep (NOT RECOMMENDED).

The journey from the
Palouse


to Portland





is one that I know by heart. Over the years I've become rather fond of a series of landmarks, mostly geopgraphical, that mark the passing of time, climate and red vines reduction on a typical trip to my home town.

1.) Pepto Pig: If you travel on 26 between Colfax and Washtucna you know Pepto Pig!




With a face this attractive a close up is surely called for!





2.) Red Rocks!




3.) Connell National Forest It must be seen to be believed! A few years ago I met a native of the area who told me that the tree was once much bigger. A vandal cut it down in the middle of the night. Fortunately, the resilience of nature overcame the destructive qualities of humankind and out of the stump grew a shoot!



4.) Sundale Park






5.) Amazing Rock Formations Also found along the Lewis Clark Highway.







6.) Corral



7.) The Dalles Fish Bridge






8.) Meredith Gorge Hotel Sign
Sadly, to my shock and dismay I discovered that the hotel went out of business. The big sign that sat on the bluff above the river just outside of Hood River was like the final lap bell in a track meet! I'll miss you.


9.) Wind Surfers
The Columbia River Gorge is known to many as the "windsurfing capital of the world."






10.) View from Starvation Creek rest stop



11.) Hill And now I'm only about 18 miles from Portland.

Gil Shaham & "Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto"

Violinist Gil Shaham with the 1699"Countess Polignac" Stradivarius. Shaham's latest recording on his own label Canary Classics features Chen Gang's "Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto."

http://www.musicianguide.com/biographies/1608003153/Gil-Shaham.html

Listen to my interview with Gil Shaham about "The Butterfly Lover's Violin Concerto."

Enjoy an acrobatic telling of this classic story of unrequited love.

"O Fortuna" - The "Unplugged" version!

Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana" as you've never seen it before!

Read the "classics" this summer!

Your "Sunday Baroque" host Suzanne Bona adds her suggestions to our summer book lists.

- Companion to Baroque Music (Compiled and edited by Julie Anne Sadie; University of California Press 1990) This is a good all around reference book.
- Evening in the Palace of Reason: Bach Meets Frederick the Great in the Age of Enlightenment (by James R. Gaines; Harper Perennial 2005)
- The New Bach Reader: A Life of Johann Sebastian Bach in Letters and Documents (edited by Hans T. David and Arthur Mendel, revised and expanded by Christoph Wolff; WW Norton 1998)
- Handel (by Christopher Hogwood; Thames & Hudson 1996)
- Johann Sebastian Bach: The Learned Musician (by Christoph Wolff; WW Norton 2000)
- Vivaldi: Voice of the Baroque (by H.C. Robbins Landon; University Of Chicago Press 1996)
- Master Musicians Series: Vivaldi (by Michael Talbot; Oxford University Press 2000)
- Master Musicians Series: Handel (by Donald Burrows; Oxford University Press 2001)

Here's a link to more summer reading recommendations.

Victoria Symphony Splash!

What a gorgeous setting for the August 3rd Victoria Symphony Splash! The concert includes a world premiere by local composer Tobin Stokes, the South Island Dancers and pieces premeired in 1858, the year of the founding of the Crown Colony of British Columbia. The concert ends with Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" complete with bells, cannons and who knows what else?!

Over The Rainbow

Remember Paul Potts from "Britain's Got Talent?" "Britain's Got Talent" has a way of finding some amazing people.

What's playing!?!

Northwest Public Radio recently changed our afternoon classical music service. You will notice some new voices including Julie Amacher and Valerie Kahler. Check out their biographies.

We are still working on adding the new playlists to our site. In the meantime, if you have any questions please feel free to contact me at rilette@wsu.edu.

La Ronde des Lutins! (The Goblin's Dance)

Look at those fingers fly!

Happy Birthday James Levine!

Thirty seven years ago Conductor James Levine made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera. In the ensuing years he has left a vivid and lasting legacy, and given new meaning to the words "multi-tasking" as both the Director of the Metropolitan Opera and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. As you can imagine, being the Music Director for either of these legendary institutions in the classical music world would be a major achievement.


Maestro Levine turns 65 today and Northwest Public Radio celebrates by showcasing some of his many stellar performances. Youc an purchase James Levine recordings, and support Northwest Public Radio through arkivmusic.

Happy Spring from Owl Jolson!

Doesn't this kitten look like Owl Jolson when he's singing "Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes?" I found him on cuteoverload.com.

Happy Juneuary!

You know when something unusual happens at work and everyone gathers in the hall to discuss? It feels a bit like that this morning at Northwest Public Radio. It's been snowing since early this morning and it just seems so bizarre that you can't help commenting about it.

Our "Weekend Edition" host, Thom Kokenge, and I took some pictures. The beautiful snow covered Iris is one of his, as is the self portrait below. Thom! No offense but that's a pretty serious dandruff problem you've got going on there!


Footprints in the snow on June 10th! The world is a wonderful place. And it's still coming down as of 10:38 am!







For some strange reason I feel compelled to eat spritz cookies!

4.1?

Today I took the ecological footprint test on the "Our Northwest" section of Northwest Public Radio's website. I selected my avatar (who looked stunning by the way!) and proceeded to take the test, fully confident that my composter, numerous recycling bins, energy efficient windows, washing machine, gas efficient car, and my car pooling would leave me with a smug, satisifed feeling. Take a bow Robin!



Much to my horror I found out that it would take 4.1 planets to sustain my life style! For about three hours I felt very discouraged. "What's the point?" I said. Then I spoke with a colleague who lives about a half a mile from work and walks every day. She rarely drives, is a vegetarian, lives in a house that is less than 600 square feet, recycles, etc; and still has a score of over 1 planet.

So I decided to take one of the other eco quizzes on "Our Northwest" and discovered that in spite of my horribly selfish lifestyle I am still considered an ecoally with a score of 55!



The moral of this ecological story? I will continue to do my best to conserve, be a wise consumer and encourage others to do the same in spite of the discouraging news story that a massive bill to deal with global climate change died today in the Senate.

The Swell Season (and I'm NOT talking about spring in the Pacific Northwest!)

Last Monday I saw "The Swell Season" in concert at the Keller Auditorium in Portland. It was amazing! One of my all-time favorite concert experiences. "The Swell Season" is comprised of musicians Glen Hansard and Market Irglova who starred in the 2006 film "Once" about a week in the life of a Dublin busker and a Czech immigrant. If you follow my blog you may remember a posting I did last August after seeing "Once" for the first time.

I can't remember the last time I was so excited about a concert. Since seeing the movie a lot has happened in the lives of Glen and Marketa. Perhaps you caught their interview with Terry Gross last week on NPR's "Fresh Air?" They fell in love in "real" life, earned an Oscar for best song, made another record together and are now on tour togther. Would all their recent acclaim adversely effect the raw and real quality that came across so strongly in the film? No!

The concert opened with vocalist and bodhran player, Ronan O Snodaigh and pianist and vocalist Paul (whose last name I've forgotten). We had no idea what to expect from them because for us they were total unknowns. They were amazing! From the nose bleed section Ronan looked like the middle-aged version of Richard Harris in a karate suit and bare feet. The karate outfit made sense once he started playing. He jumped, crouched, twirled and spun while playing the heck out of that drum. Cool! Toward the end of their set they sang a different version of the White Paternoster and invited us to join in, which I did with some fine harmony if I do say so myself! It created a beautiful, peaceful and thoughtful ambience. The song, not my singing.

After the intermission Glen walked out on stage solo and sang "Leave," one of the most gut wrenching break up songs ever. The crowd, as they say, went wild! I was wondering if he would have his old, trusty, beaten up guitar with him; the one in the movie with a big hole in it. I'm happy to say that he did. Frankly, it wouldn't have been the same if he came out with some new, slick looking instrument.

He brought Ronan and Paul back on stage at one point and talked about how they mentored him when he first started busking at the age of 13. Isn't that great? He hits the big time and he brings along his mentors. If you're interested in a second career here's some information on busking.

Later in the concert the most amazing and wonderful thing happened. Glenn started talking about this guy, Paul, that he and Marketa met on the riverfront while walking around downtown Portland earlier that day. He said that most of the time when you meet people in those circumstances you just say, 'Hi, how are you? Love your music, etc;" that it's a nice, pleasant encounter and that's it. He went on to say, "There was something special about this guy Paul. We started talking about the music and he told me that he was a singer but had such fears about getting up in front of people so Paul, are you out there?" From the audience comes this voice, "It's Jacob!" "Oh, right...Jacob! I even wrote your name down on my hand....see (shows the audience his hand)...to make sure that I remembered it and I still got it wrong! So Jacob, glad you made it...how would you feel about coming up on stage and singing a song with the band?"

The crowd rose to its feet and we were screaming and cheering and clapping as Joseph eventually made his way to the stage. This is the first time that I've actually seen someone that I would say was literally "in a daze." He looked like a deer caught in the headlights. He conferred with the band for a few minutes and then came to the center stage mic and said that he could only think of one song (nerves, right?) and the band didn't know it. They told him to start and they would come in. And that's what he did, and that's what they did.

Frankly, it was kind of a stupid song but that's not the point. This guy had a good voice and, aside from a wobbly bit in the bridge, he did a good job. What made it so extremely cool is that Glenn did it in the first place, and that when the band came in they were so great. These are real musicians. They can pick up anything. When Joseph finished his song thunderous applause broke out and he just stood there looking dazed again. Glen came over and gave him a big hug and he went around and shook the hands of the band members.

When they came back for their encore they didn't play one or two songs. They played for another half hour or so. At one point Glen said, "We're having so much fun we're throwing away the song list" and they went into this cool cover of Van Morrison's "Into the Mystic."

I went to the concert with Colleen, my best friend from high school, and a lass with a fine Irish name. We both really loved the concert and our only critique was that it was too short. Were we ever shocked when we got to the car, started the engine and looked at the clock to discover that it was 11:30! The concert was over three hours long.

Sweet Honey in the Rock

My colleague Sarah McDaniel and I were in Ellensburg Saturday for the Sweet Honey in the Rock performance at C.W.U.'s beautiful New Music Building. The five members present treated a very appreciative audience to a rare musical experience. It was, for me, another example of the unique power of live performance. For the past few weeks I've been listening to their "Selections 1976 - 1988" cd. The cd is a great listen but it's not the same as seeing them in person.

Aisha Kahlil, trained in African dance traditions, was mesmerizing as she sang and danced to a haunting song. At times her voice was like a whisper, at other times almost a wail. It was very powerful and when the song was finished and the applause died down I could hear many sniffles in the audience.

Dr. Ysaye Maria Barnwell taught us a really cool, short chant that we sang in a round form. She started by singing it about six or seven times. A number of us started joining in very quickly. At the end of the demonstration Carol Maillard expressed surprise that we were already singing before the official "practice" session had begun. I almost shouted out that it was because C.W.U. has such a stellar music department!



Check out Sweet Honey in the Rock's website for more information on the group.

Thanks to C.W.U., Music Department Chair Dr. Peter Gries and President Jerilyn McIntyre for being such great supporters of the arts and for Marian Lien in doing such a great job of organizing the event. As always, NWPR received a very warm welcome from Ellensburgians! Ellensburg rocks!

The Church of American Idol

I'm watching "American Idol" this year. I don't usually watch the results show but I did last night and am very glad that I did. The Clark Brothers were the guest performers last night and they blew me away! I will never sing "This Little Light of Mine" in the same passive way again!

They are based in Nashville and feature Adam on the mandolin and guitar, Austin, vocals and dobro and Ashley, also a vocalist who plays the guitar and the fiddle.

Later in the program Dolly Parton sang "Jesus and Gravity" from her new cd "Backwoods Barbie." Who knew that watching "American Idol" would be like going to a great gospel church? I don't have any of her cds but I think that I'm going to have to get "Backwoods Barbie."

Honestly, I can't relate to her false eyelashes, wigs, rhinestones, etc; but I can relate to the sense of real genuine warmth and sincerity that strikes me whenever I see or hear her.

Michael Johns is one of my favorite singers on the show this year. A real singer. This is a powerful song. You can tell the relative youth of this audience by the predictable scream when he sings "tell me sexy, loving, lies." They don't really understand what this song is about, their squeal strikes me as Pavlovian in nature. Hear the word "sexy?" Squeal!

"People may say I can't sing, but no one can ever say I didn't sing."

I first heard about Florence Foster Jenkins because of a program that Gillian Coldsnow and I hosted on Northwest Public Radio called "First Friday." It was a request show that aired once a month from 9-4. We received some really interesting requests and stories over the years and FFJ was one of the best!

One day while preparing for the program I received a call from Coyne Burnett asking me to play something from the famous soprano named Florence Foster Jenkins. At the time we had a vast LP collection and I searched through that until I found the LP. I put it on to take a listen and was - how can I say this tactfully? - astonished! I called Gillian over to listen and we both stared at each other with looks approaching horror on our faces.

Gillian and I both have a great sense of humor and it still puzzles me as to why we didn't pick up on the joke immediately, but we didn't. We thought that Coyne was serious about this woman's talent, so we called him back and that's when we finally got the joke! Good one, Coyne! Well, we did play a song from her LP "The Glory of the Human Voice??!!" and it was an instant, or perhaps infamous, hit.

Florence Foster Jenkins was born in 1868 and died November 26, 1944.

FFJ still has her fans! Learn more in the article That (ugh) voice!

It's time for another video on great horsemanship...or should I say horsewomanship!

A horseback riding friend of mine sent this to me with the caption of "Almost as good as you and me." I wish.......

If you're not a rider I need to tell you that this kind of riding is pretty amazing and takes a lot of skill, patience, practice and communication between horse and rider.

Here's a few things to look for while you watch. You'll see the horse licking his lips. This is usually a sign of receptivity and relaxation in a horse. If you're working with a horse whose head is way up, is not looking at you but looking all around they are not generally ready to work well. A horse with a lowered head, an eye toward you, ears flicked toward you and/or licking lips is a relaxed horse and a horse that is willing to work with you and not against you.

After she spins her horse in both directions, she settles both of them and starts a series of figure eights at the canter (or lope). If you look closely you'll see that when they are going clockwise the horse's right foreleg extends further forward than the left foreleg. This is called being on the "right lead." Look closely again and you'll see that when they come down the center of the arena, right before turning in a counter-clockwise direction she signals the horse to change leads. This time you'll see his left foreleg extend further forward. This is called a "flying lead change" because it's done with the horse at a full canter.

Beavers!!!

Okay, so I don't have the best zoom lens, but if you look carefully you can see to the right and left of the tree, two pair of beavers. Try clicking on the photos as sometimes that will bring up a bigger version on your screen.

This is the beaver family that lives on the Palouse River in Palouse, WA. I've been "stalking" this family for the past year since I first saw one of the adults last February in the ice congested river. All spring and summer (until I broke my foot) I made regular walks all along the river hoping for a siting of the entire family but to no avail. Apparently, patience and persistence have their rewards.


What looks like a log in the middle of the river is actually one of the young beavers floating away after a family squabble.




Both pair of adult and young were engaging in mutual grooming.




If I get home from work in time to make it down to the river before dark I head down there with Miles to watch the beavers. I could watch them for a long time.



There can sometimes be disgruntled property owners living near beaver habitat. People see fruit trees and beavers see building material! In these cases education is the key. Beavers actually create wetlands that in turn provide new habitat for wildlife. When the clash between beavers and property owners becomes unmanageable communities are turning to The Beaver Deceiver.

In addition, there are many on line sites that offer tips on how to protect property.