Musical fantasies and visual piano music.

Set #1 - 8:00am - 9:00am

1. Leoš Janáček: On an Overgrown Path I (1900-11)
Ewa Kupiec - piano
Leos Janáček: Works for Piano Solo
Hänssler Classic, CD 93.181
27:57
(Where's Monsanto when you need 'em?)

2. Deems Taylor: Through the Looking Glass (1917)
Ilkka Talvi - violin, Raymond Davis - cello, Christopher Sereque - clarinet, Seth Krimsky - bassoon, Victoria Bogdashevskaya - piano, David Taylor - contrabassoon, Glen Danielson - English horn, Gerard Schwarz - conductor, Seattle Symphony
The Musical Fantasies of Charles Griffes & Deems Taylor
Delos, DE 3099
31:24

Set #2 - 9:00am - 10:00am

3. Enrique Granados: Goyescas: Los majos enamorados (1909-11)
Michel Block - piano
Pro Piano Records, PPR224518
51:57

Set #3 - 10:00am - 11:00am

4. S.C. Eckhardt-Gramatté: Piano Caprice No.1 "Portrait F.E." (1931)
4:10
("Portrait Ferdinand Eckhardt." A waltz in 5/4 time.)

5. S.C. Eckhardt-Gramatté: Piano Caprice No.2 "Gute Ruh!" (1936-37)
7:59
("Good rest!" Nocturne based on rhythm and contour of couple's good-night wish.)

6. S.C. Eckhardt-Gramatté: Piano Caprice No.3 "Aufschrei" (1932)
5:35
("Outcry." Eckhardt-Gramatté at her most expressionistic, falling into a bottomless pit in a nightmare.)

7. S.C. Eckhardt-Gramatté: Piano Caprice No.4 "Wohin?" (1936-37)
4:57
("Where to?" Uncertainty in 1930s Germany. Personal, perhaps political. Performed at a house concert in the early 40s, not played in public until 1948.)

8. S.C. Eckhardt-Gramatté: Piano Caprice No.5 "Meeresmuschelperlchen" (1937)
7:15
("Sea clam pearls." Inspired by the aquarium at the Berlin Zoo. Suggestive of darting fish and waves washing on shore.)

9. S.C. Eckhardt-Gramatté: Piano Caprice No.6 "Klavierstück" (1948)

4:25
("Piano piece." A musical self-portrait hides behind that generic title. Reworking of a piano piece composed at the age of six. See below.)

Tracks 4-9
Megumi Masaki - piano
Megumi Masaki Plays Eckhardt-Gramatté: The Six Caprices & Other Works for Piano
Eckhardt-Gramatté Foundation, EGF 300D

10. S.C. Eckhardt-Gramatté: Letter S "Sonia" (1905-10)
Karin Redekopp Edwards - piano
Golden West Broadcasting: 40th Anniversary 1957-1997
Golden West Broadcasting, GWB 01997
0:58

11. David Maslanka: A Child's Garden of Dreams (1981)
Mallory Thompson - conductor, Northwestern University Symphonic Wind Ensemble
Heroes, Dreams & Icons
Summit Records, DCD 294
34:28

After tuning into this week's episode you may concede that it is possible to have too much of a good thing. An exercise in long attention spans.

Set #1 - 8:00am - 9:30am

1. Olivier Messiaen: Fête des belles eaux (1937)
Ensemble d'Ondes de Montréal: Marie Bernard, Suzanne Binet-Audet, Geneviève Grenier & Estelle Lemire - ondes Martenot; Louise Larose & Jean Laurendeau - guest ondes Martenot
ATMA Classique, ACD2 2621
35:22

2. Silver Apples: Decatur (1998)
Silver Apples: Simeon - oscillators & keyboards, Xian Hawkins - keyboards, Michael Lerner - percussion
Whirlybird Records, WR106
42:10

Set #2 - 9:30am - 10:30am

3. Dennis Báthory-Kitsz: Detritus of Mating (1997)
Maltedmedia, malt9703-2
62:55
(Created for Sex and Death: Offerings, a sculptural installation by Pavel Kraus. Here are photos from the exhibit.)

Set #3 - 10:30am - 11:00am

4. J. A. Granelli: El Leo Nora (2001)
J. A. Granelli - bass, Jamie Saft - organ, David Tronzo - slide guitar, Kenny Wollesen - drums
J. A. Granelli & Mr. Lucky: El Oh El Ay
Love Slave Records, LVS 107
8:57

5. Maurice Ravel: First movement: Allegro moderato from String Quartet in F (1903)
Transcribed by Ensemble d'Ondes de Montréal
Ensemble d'Ondes de Montréal: Marie Bernard, Suzanne Binet-Audet, Geneviève Grenier & Estelle Lemire - ondes Martenot
ATMA Classique, ACD2 2621
8:30

I woke up feeling fluey and decided to stay home. The episode planned for today will be broadcast next week.

The Komodo Dragon Show returns to UMFM today. Tune in for musical icicles from Greenland, an electroacoustic portrait of January, as well as music by Denmark's foremost "classical" composer, Carl Nielsen. We compare two performances of his Sinfonia semplice, which is anything but.

Set #1 - 8:00am - 9:00am

1. Carl Nielsen: Incidental music from The Mother (1920)
Members of the Athena Ensemble: Richard McNicol - flute , unknown - viola, David Watkins - harp
Carl Nielsen: Music for Wind Instruments
Chandos Records, CHAN 8680
4'

2. Carl Nielsen: Wind Quintet (1922)
Aeolian Winds: Fiona Wilkinson - flute, Ian Franklin - oboe, Peter Shackleton - clarinet, David Haward - bassoon, Derek Conrod - horn
The Devil's Dictionary
CBC Records, MVCD 1142
26:14

3. Carl Nielsen: Chaconne (1916)
9:23

4. Carl Nielsen: Suite "Den Luciferiske" (1919-20)
21:18

Tracks 3-4
Leif Ove Andsnes - piano
Nielsen: Piano Pieces
Virgin Classics, 7243 5 45129 2 6

Set #2 - 9:00am - 10:00am

(Three duel songs followed by three qivittoq-songs. Qivittoq is a homeless dead spirit. You become one if you have done something bad, like running a Ponzi scheme, and you can't always tell who might be one.)

5. Entertaining Song (rec. Tiniteqilaaq, East Greenland 1980)
Hendrik Singerdât - voice & drum
2:51

6. Duel-song (rec. Kuumiut, East Greenland 1961)
Lauritz Ningâvan - voice & drum
3:07

7. Uaajeerneq-song (rec. Kulusuk, East Greenland 1961)
Vilhelm Kûitse - voice & drum
3:19

8. Mournful Song (rec. Nanortalik, South Greenland 1980)
Karen Hansen - voice
1:01

9. Qivittoq-song (rec. Illorpaat, South Greenland 1963)
Juliane Mouritzen - voice
4:32

10. Mournful Song (rec. Illorpaat, South Greenland 1963)
Juliane Mouritzen - voice
2:21

Tracks 5-10
Inuit: Fifty-Five Historical Recordings
Le Coeur du Monde/Sub Rosa, SR115

10. Gunner Møller Pedersen: "January" from A Sound Year (1977-82)
Dacapo Records, 8.224174-79
30:12

Set #3 - 10:00am - 11:00am

11. Carl Nielsen: Symphony No. 6 "Sinfonia semplice" (1924-25)
Leopold Stokowski - conductor, New Philharmonia Orchestra
BBC, BBCL 4059-2
30:41

12. Carl Nielsen: Symphony No. 6 "Sinfonia semplice" (1924-25)
Adrian Leaper - conductor, National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland
Naxos, 8.550826
34:24