Friday Performance Pick – 202 (Advent)

Evans and Nordqvist, Jul, jul, strålande jul Composed in 1921 by Gustaf Nordqvist and Edvard Evans, Jul, jul, strålande jul has become a Christmas standard in Sweden. My search for an English translation turned up very little, and that suggests to me that the song has … Read more

Friday Performance Pick – 201 (Advent)

coventry

The Coventry Carol, arranged by Michael McGlynn Amid the joy and festivities of the Christmas season, we encounter a dark tale: the Slaughter of the Innocents. The story of King Herod ordering the death of Bethlehem’s male children under the age of two is recorded … Read more

Friday Performance Pick – 199

tsar-berendyey

Janáček, Pohádka Leoš Janáček (1854-1928) composed Pohádka in 1910. Pohádka means tale (or fairy tale) in Czech, so we can consider it in our recent series focusing on music for children. The tale is based on the epic poem The Tale of Tsar Berendyey by Vasily Zhukovsky (1783-1852). Zhukovsky’s life and … Read more

Friday Performance Pick – 198

warsaw-ghetto

Schoenberg, A Survivor from Warsaw I have a more sympathetic view of Schoenberg than many of my friends, and I think that owes something to the fact that one of the first works of his that I encountered was A Survivor from Warsaw. I have always … Read more

Friday Performance Pick – 197

sleeping-beauty

Ravel, Ma mère l’Oye (Cinq Pièces Enfantine) Maurice Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite consists of five short pieces for children. Originally written for piano four hands in 1910, Ravel created the orchestral version the succeeding year. We have featured works by Ravel several times in this series, more … Read more

Friday Performance Pick – 196

tosca

Puccini, Vissi d’arte (from Tosca) Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924) can claim several operas as being among the most frequently performed, La Bohème in particular. Within his operas are several arias that are among the most famous, Nessun dorma from Turandot in particular. Vissi d’arte from Tosca qualifies on both counts … Read more

Friday Performance Pick – 195

Saint-Saëns

Saint-Saëns, The Carnival of the Animals Returning to the subject of children’s music, we have to include in our list of works The Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921). He has been described as a greater child prodigy than Mozart, but his mother resisted exposing … Read more

Friday Performance Pick – 194

liszt

Liszt, Les Préludes I sometimes think of Franz Liszt (1811-1886) as a neighbor. You can find numerous references to him and to his house throughout the materials on this site. Professor Carol wrote about the house this past summer as she sat outside with the … Read more