20 December 2011


On Wednesday, December 21st from 8-11am CT The Komodo Dragon Show presents POSTCAGE, the latest from OgreOgress productions.

Their 27th release, POSTCAGE is scheduled to appear on disc in late December or soon after. This 124-minute 96kHz|24bit Audio DVD contains 14 chamber works composed or reworked after John Cage's 1992 death.

Says Komodo Dragon Show host Von Wichert: "Does John Cage cast a shadow? As evidenced by the composers on today's show, the influence of his listening and composing philosophy continues to ripple."

One of the works is a hybrid composition by Robert Moran and Philip Glass and it can be previewed online until December 31st.

In addition to Robert Moran and Philip Glass the project features works by Maria de Alvear [Spain, Germany], Arved Ashby [USA], David Beardsley [USA], Dionysis Boukouvalas [Greece], Marc Chan [Singapore, USA], J.R. Dooley [UK], Jürg Frey [Austria], Walter Horn [USA], David Kotlowy [Australia], Sergio Luque [Mexico, Spain], John Prokop [USA], Sebastián Jatz Rawicz [Chile] and David Toub [USA].

The album can be purchased in advance at Amazon.

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

-3. Erik Satie: Musique d'ameublement: tenture de cabinet préfectoral (1923)
6:06

-2. Erik Satie: Musique d'ameublement: tapisserie en fer forgél (1918)
3:05

-1. Erik Satie: Musique d'ameublement: carrelage phonique (1918)
2:30

0. Erik Satie: Vexations (1893)
9:47

Tracks -3-0
Marius Constant - conductor, Ensemble Ars Nova
Michael Dalberto - piano
Apex, 2564 60239-2

Set #2 - 8:30am - 9:30am

1. Maria de Alvear: Fuerzas (1994)
Christina Fong - violin
17:27

2. Arved Ashby: For Morton Feldman (1992)
Christina Fong - violin, Arved Ashby - piano, Glenn Freeman - glockenspiel
5:17

3. David Beardsley: November Test Pattern, the ecstasy of electric trees weeping in the twilight including recumbent bright insects and relevant footnotes (2009) for just intonation sine tones
David Beardsley - electronics
10:00

4. Dionysis Boukouvalas: Meditation (2010)
Paul Hersey - piano
14:30

5. Marc Chan: I Sail’d Out to Sea (2009)
Gwendolyn Faasen, Barbara Witham McCargar & Keith Fredlund - voices, Christina Fong - violin, Michael Kornacki - clarinet, Glenn Freeman - bowed vibraphone
11:00

Set #3 - 9:30am - 11:00am

6. J. R. Dooley: for violin and piano (2010)
Christina Fong - violin, Paul Hersey - piano
3:46

7. Jürg Frey: Viola, Klavier (1997)
Christina Fong - viola, Paul Hersey - piano
5:33

8. Walter Horn: Five Decadal Studies for Dick & Clyde (1972/2010)
Paul Hersey - piano, Christina Fong - viola, Glenn Freeman - vibraphone
8:00

9. David Kotlowy: Under Stars (2006) for 2 violins and piano
Christina Fong - violin, Paul Hersey - piano
12:05

10. Sergio Luque: My Idea of Fun (2010)
Michael Kornacki - clarinet, Glenn Freeman - percussion, Christina Fong - viola
6:44

11. Robert Moran & Philip Glass: Modern Love Waltz (1977/2010) version for 8 keyboards minus piano
David Toub - keyboards
4:21

12. John Prokop: for 1 or 7 pianists (1997) for 7 pianists
Paul Hersey - piano
6:49

13. Sebastián Jatz Rawicz: 4 Recipes:
IV. Electronic Antimusic
XIV. Antimusic of the Spheres
XXI. Disco Antimusic
XXIX. Merengue Antimusic
Chance Operations Collective of Kalamazoo
10:00
(Make your own antimusic at the link above.)

14. David Toub: dharmachakramudra (2010)
Glenn Freeman - vibraphone, Christina Fong - viola, Karen Krummel - cello
8:01

Tracks 1-14
POSTCAGE
OgreOgress productions, 885767 203839

13 December 2011

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

1. Elizabeth Raum: Pantheon (1999)
Erika Raum - violin, David Hoyt - horn, Janet Scott Hoyt - piano
Raum & Brahms
Arktos Recordings, 200481
28:41

2. Ruth Lomon: Odyssey (1997)
Charles Schlueter - trumpet, Ronald Feldman - conductor, Berkshire Chamber Orchestra
Statements
Kleos Classics, KL5155
14:15

3. Carl Ludwig Hübsch: Der erste Bericht (rec. 1996-97)
Carl Ludwig Hübsch - tuba
In + Out Records, IOR CD 77035-2
49:36

Set #2 - 9:30am - 11:00am

4. Elizabeth Raum: Processional Fanfare (1985)
Pacific Trombone Quartet: Brad Howland, Don McDougall, Bob Fraser & Kevin Thompson
2:38

5. Elizabeth Raum: Fantasy (1981)
Brad Howland - trombone, Frances Perriam - piano
6:14

Tracks 4-5
Northern Soundings: Music for Trombone by Canadian Composers
Lassus Audio, LP-CD314

6. Jules Cantin: Grande Messe de Saint Hubert
Compiled & arranged for horns & organ by Hermann Baumann
Hermann Baumann, Eckhardt Schaar, Markus Hartz & Almut Wittekind - natural horns, Deutsche Naturhorn Solisten, Folkwang Horn Ensemble
Hermann Baumann Collection Disc 7
Newton Classics, 8802035/7
34:44

7. Hans Kennel: Mytha (rec. 1991)
Hans Kennel, Carlos Baumann, Bill Holden & Marcel Huonder - alphorns, büchel [alphorn variant] & vocals
Hat Hut Records, hat ART CD 6110
<63:28
(As much of the album as will fit into remaining time.)

06 December 2011

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

1. Ralph Vaughan Williams: Five Variants of Dives & Lazarus (1939) for string orchestra & harp
12:39

2. Ralph Vaughan Williams: Flos Campi (1925) for solo viola, small orchestra & wordless choir
Sally Peck Lentz - viola, University of Utah Chamber Choir
19:03

Tracks 1-2
Maurice Abravanel - conductor, Utah Symphony Orchestra

3. William Alwyn: Sinfonietta for String Orchestra (1970)
David Lloyd-Jones - conductor, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
22:51

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

4. Mieczyslaw Weinberg: Symphony No.7 (1964) for string orchestra & harpsichord
Rudolph Barshai - conductor, Moscow Chamber Orchestra
26:09

5. Ruth Lomon: The Butterfly Effect (1989)
The Lydian String Quartet: Daniel Stepner - violin, Danielle Maddon - violin, Mary Ruth Ray - viola, Joshua Gordon - cello
n.l., n.n.
7:45

6. John McCabe: Red Leaves (1991)
10:02

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

7. Malcolm Williamson: Symphony No.7 (1984) for strings
21:54

Tracks 6-7
Christopher Austin - conductor, Brunel Ensemble

8. Pēteris Plakidis: Concerto for Two Oboes & Strings (1982)
Uldis Urbāns & Vilnis Pelnēns - oboes
10:59

9. Pēteris Plakidis: Music for Piano, Strings & Timpani (1969)
Pēteris Plakidis - piano
21:14

Tracks 8-9
Normunds Šnē - conductor, Riga Chamber Players

29 November 2011

Set #1 - 8:00am - 10:00am

Oliver Knussen - conductor, London Sinfonietta
Virgin Classics, VCD 7 91103-2
119'

Set #2 - 10:00am - 11:00am

2. Colin McPhee: Tabuh-Tabuhan (1936)
Andrew Burashko & Peter Longworth - pianos
16:21

3. Colin McPhee: Symphony No.2 (1957)
18:38

4. Colin McPhee: Concerto for Wind Orchestra (1960)
14:34

Tracks 2-4
Alex Pauk - conductor, Esprit Orchestra
CBC Records, SMCD5181

15 November 2011

Three hours of laid back Sundanese tunes greet the morning on this week's Komodo Dragon Show, from 8-11am Central Time on 101.5 FM in Winnipeg, www.umfm.com in the stream.

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

1. Upacara Pengantin (rec. 1957-59)
Lokananta Series, LOK 001
57:48
("Gamelan music for the Javanese wedding.")

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

"Suara Parahiangan" Group
Suara Parahiangan Records, SPCD 001
59:30

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

Evergreen Club Contemporary Gamelan: Richard Sacks, Paul Houle, Andrew Timar, Mark Duggan, Blair Mackay, Bill Parsons, Ryan Scott, Graham Hargrove
Naxos World, 76061-2
56:53

08 November 2011

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

Joko Sutrisno - music director, Schubert Club Gamelan Ensemble
Ten Thousand Lakes, CD116
47:59

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

2. The Sound of Sunda (rec. 1989)
Euis Komariah - voice, Yus Wiradiredja - voice, Jugala Orchestra & Pateraman Dasentra Group
GlobeStyle Records, CDORB 060
59:13

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

3. Shadow Music of Java (rec. 1991)
Hardo Budoyo Ensemble
Rounder Records, CD 5060
74:47

02 November 2011

Under construction.

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

Gamelan ensemble Lingkungan Seni Degung Jugala, Bandung
PAN Records, PAN 2053CD
52:57

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

2. Kenneth Newby: Dreams He Is a Ball of Fire... Or a Hummingbird (1995)
14:16

3. Chris Miller: thinly, roundly
16:13

4. Michael O'Neill: Lessons of the Garden (1994)
11:28

5. Mark Parlett: Intimate Distance
7:54

6. Chris Miller: whining horses eat more HEY doncha no (1994)
5:45

7. Paul Plimley: Born Again Needle Dancers
8:48

Tracks 2-7
Gamelan Madu Sari
Songlines Recordings, SGL 2404-2

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

Music of the World, CDT-116
50:59

26 October 2011

Three whole albums of Javanese music.

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

K. R. T. Wasitodiningrat - director
Elektra Nonesuch, 9 72044-2
45:11
("Slow and stately, this music... offers both constant movement and the floating sense of standing still.")

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

2. Pande Made Sukerta: Mana 689
10:35
("... improvisation on traditional Indonesian instruments and vocal styles as well as unusual sources like pebbles rattled in bottles, marbles thrown at a corrugated tin thundersheet, and the composer's children laughing.")

3. I Wayan Sadra: Stay a Maverick
5:36

4. Blacius Subono: Griting Rasa
15:32
("... for small chamber ensemble of high-pitched gamelan instruments.... The text in Part I, in Javanese, describes the confused feelings of a good person whose principles are compromised by attaining a high bureaucratic post.... The text in Part II, declaimed in Indonesian, warns of the danger of seeking authority and power....")

5. Otok Bima Sidarta: Mubeng Beteng
12:03

6. I Wayan Sadra: Terus dan Terus/On and On!
10:12

Tracks 2-6 (rec. 1989)
Mana 689: New Music of Indonesia Vol.2 (Central Java)
Lyrichord, LYRCD 7420
("Innovative composers from the Central Javanese cities of Surakarta and Yogyakarta use the Javanese gamelan and other traditional Indonesian instruments to explore new musical ideas and textures.")

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

7. Kecapi Suling (rec. 1998)
The group Bale Seni Megasari
Playa Sound, PS 65225
52:21
(A set of duets. Kecapi is a zither. Suling is a bamboo flute. "Several varieties of kecapi are used, generally functioning both as the rhythmic base and the tonal center of the pieces, allowing the suling to float and pirouette above. Their sound ranges from what one might expect from a plucked, zither-like instrument to bell tones more readily associated with Balinese gamelan; their effect over time becomes hypnotic, although to Western ears this may be equivalent to repetitive. The suling playing is really wondrous, seemingly unfettered by any musical system, and sounding as natural and unforced as a bird's song.")

19 October 2011

Under construction

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

1. Leopold Godowsky: Java Suite (mid 1920s)
Esther Budiardjo - piano
Pro Piano Records, PPR224529
51:52
Set #2 - 9:00am - 10:00am

2. Gambir Sawit
Lokananta Series, LOK 004
57:22
("One of the primary light classical pieces in the Central Javanese repertoire." "Several versions of the piece performed without a break.")

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

3. Madura: Musique savante (rec. 1982)
Ocora, C 560083
71:58

12 October 2011

It's Show n' Tell on this week's Komodo Dragon Show, Wednesday from 8-11am CT. We dissect the Ramayana monkey chant and later compare different performances of the same Sundanese song. The frequency is 101.5, www.umfm.com in the stream.

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

1. Ancient Cak
Anthologie des musiques de Bali Vol.1: Traditions populaires
Buda Records, 92600-2
25:15

2. The Kecak (rec. 1998)
Kecak Puspita Jaya
Bali: Le Ketchak
Playa Sound, PS 65212
65:44

Set #2 - 9:30 - 11:00am

*3. Nano Suratno: Anjeun (1980s)
9:11

†4. Nano Suratno: Anjeun (You) (1980s)
9:16

*5. Unknown-Sundanese: Jeruk Bali (1980s)
3:26

†6. Unknown-Sundanese: Jeruk Bali/Kunang Kunang (Sweet Grapefruit/Fireflies) (1980s)
7:24

*7. Burhan Sukarma: Samagaha (1997)
7:57

†8. Burhan Sukarma: Samagaha (Solar Eclipse) (1997)
10:12

*9. Unknown-Sundanese: Sorban Palid (1930s)
7:13

†10. Unknown-Sundanese: Sorban Palid (Turban Floating Away) (1930s)
8:09

*Tracks 3, 5, 7, 9
Evergreen Club Contemporary Gamelan
Solo
Artifact Music, ART-027

†Tracks 4, 6, 8, 10
Evergreen Club Contemporary Gamelan
Sunda Song
Naxos World, 76061-2

11. Colin McPhee: Lagu Dèlem
Steffen Schleiermacher - piano
Hommage à Walter Spies
Musikproduktion Dabringhaus & Grimm, MDG 613 1171-2
1:38

28 September 2011

This week's show begins with high-energy gamelan from Bali, moves through more laid-back tunes from Java and concludes with the Ramayana monkey chant. The time is 8-11am CT; the frequency, 101.5 / www.umfm.com.

Set #1 - 8:00am - 9:15am

Gamelan of Munduk Village
Jiva Media, 96873 08784
71:04

Set #2 - 9:15am - 10:15am

2. Nano Suratno: Anjeun (You) (1980s)
9:16

3. Unknown-Sundanese: Jeruk Bali/Kunang Kunang (Sweet Grapefruit/Fireflies) (1980s)
7:24

4. Nano Suratno: Pengkolan (On the Corner) (1980s)
8:29

5. Unknown-Sundanese: Arang Arang
3:32

6. Unknown-Sundanese: Sorban Palid (Turban Floating Away)
8:09

7. Nano Suratno: Kalangkang (Illusion) (c. 1986)
7:10

8. Mang Koko Koswara: Tina Jandela (From the Window) (c. 1970s)
2:41

9. Burhan Sukarma: Samagaha (Solar Eclipse) (1997)
10:12

Tracks 2-9
Evergreen Club Contemporary Gamelan: Richard Sacks, Paul Houle, Andrew Timar, Mark Duggan, Blair Mackay, Bill Parsons, Ryan Scott, Graham Hargrove
Sunda Song
Naxos World, 76061-2

Set #3 - 10:15am - 11:00am

10. The Kecak (rec. 1998)
Kecak Puspita Jaya
Bali: Le Ketchak
Playa Sound, PS 65212
<45'

21 September 2011

Indonesian and Indonesian-inspired sounds continue on this week's Komodo Dragon Show, Wednesday from 8-11am CT on 101.5 / www.umfm.com. For a refresher on what a gamelan is click here.

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

1. John Cage: Haikai (1986)
Road to Ubud
Artifact Music, ART-021
12:20
(Haikai is the plural of haiku? Cage instructs his performers to use non-traditional techniques, e.g., playing a gong with a violin bow. Spare musical gestures appear against a background of silence. The pertinent Wikipedia quote: The poetic genre "haikai involved a combination of comic playfulness and spiritual depth, ascetic practice and involvement in human society.")

2. Nano Suratno: Anjeun (1980s)
9:11

3. Unknown-Sundanese: Jeruk Bali (1980s)
3:26

4. Unknown-Sundanese: Pulo Ganti (1960s)
8:09

5. Mark Duggan: Gamelan Solo (2000)
19:39

6. Burhan Sukarma: Samagaha (1997)
7:57

7. Burhan Sukarma: Rengga-Renggi (1999)
2:57

8. Unknown-Sundanese: Sorban Palid (1930s)
7:13

Tracks 2-8
Evergreen Club Contemporary Gamelan: Bill Brennan, Mark Duggan, Paul Houle, Blair Mackay, Andy Morris, Paul Ormandy, Bill Parsons & Andrew Timar
Solo
Artifact Music, ART-027
(The whole album. A suite of popular Sundanese tunes, plus world music at its finest: Mark Duggan's composition Gamelan Solo. "The intended mood is one of open spaces, simplicity and elegance with a narrative quality connecting the nine movements. The overall esthetic is not at all Indonesian, but rather, draws from a dramatic, minimalist language.")

Set #2 - 9:30am - 11:00am

9. Formes vocales
Anthologie des musiques de Bali Vol.1: Traditions populaires
Buda Records, 92600-2
65:15

10. Gamelan Angklung (rec. 1970)
Bali South: UCLA Ethnomusicology: Archive Series Vol.1
UCLA Ethnomusicology Publications, 88251 70003 2 8
35:08
(Gamelan angklung is "characteristic of rituals related to death, and therefore connected in Balinese culture to the invisible spiritual realm and transitions from life to death and beyond." It evokes a "combination of sacred sweetness and sadness.")

07 September 2011

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

1. Musique pour le Gong Gédé (rec. 1972)
Musicians of Batur & Tampaksiring temples
Ocora, C559002
67:28

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

2. Music of Bali Vol.1: Jegog
Swara Cipta Priyanti
Celestial Harmonies, 13136-2
56'

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

4. Gilles Tremblay: L'arbre de Borobudur (1994)
21:21

5. James Tenney: The Road to Ubud (1986, rev. 1996)
20:53

Tracks 4-5
Evergreen Club Contemporary Gamelan
Road to Ubud
Artifact Music, ART-021

31 August 2011

More Indonesian sounds fill the airwaves this Wednesday from 8-11am CT on 101.5 / www.umfm.com. Gamelan is the Indonesian percussion orchestra, which, due to an acoustical quirk, is known for its shimmering, hallucinatory sound.

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

*1. Mark Duggan: Evocation...Gentle Rain Falling
9:04

*2. Lou Harrison: Ibu Trish
8:37

3. Between Heaven & Earth: Traditional Gamelan Music of Bali
Music Club, 50113
66:59

Set #2 - 9:30am - 11:00am

*4. John Wyre: Islands of Silence
15:44

*5. John Siddall: Palace
12:20

*Tracks 1, 2, 4, 5
Evergreen Club Contemporary Gamelan: Bill Brennan, Mark Duggan, Paul Houle, Blair Mackay, Andy Morris, Paul Ormandy, Bill Parsons & Andrew Timar
Palace
Artifact Music, ART-012

6. The Earth Meets the Sun: Gamelan Music from Bali (rec. 1972)
Gong Kebyar, Sebatu
Deutsche Grammophon, 447 499-2
61:22

24 August 2011

Indonesian and Indonesian-inspired vibrations continue on this week's Komodo Dragon Show, Wednesday from 8-11am CT on 101.5 / www.umfm.com

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

*1. Paul Intson: Rainforest
2:44
("An energetic work characteristic of Intson's rhythmic compositional style.")

2. Bali: Gamelan & Kecak [minus the Kecak] (rec. Bali 1987)
Elektra/Nonesuch, 9 79204-2
64'
(Another smorgasbord of Balinese musical forms. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamelan)

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

*3. Jon Siddall: Greenhouse: Act IV
16:38
("Finale from a music-theatre work... with puppets, set-as-sculpture, projected images and dance.")

*4. Larry Lake: Three Bagatelles
Larry Lake - computer
10:14
(Suite of three short pieces combining computer synthesis and gamelan. "The computer acts as soloist, as accompanist, and as a member of the ensemble.")

*5. Andrew Timar & Mark Duggan: Rasa Sunda II (1988)
4:50
("The interplay between the instruments [flute and zither] was intended to conjure in the listener a particular feeling of sadness and reflect a sense of melancholic loss.")

*6. Andrew Timar: North of Java (1983)
11:07
("Adapted from a series of field recordings of folk music from the mountains of Vietnam... I set these pieces for six equal voices/instruments – each playing one note...." Plus taped nature sounds capturing a contemplative environment.)

*7. Paul Intson: Two Paths
Paul Intson - electric bass
8:30
("There are always at least two options in all situations. Two Paths seeks to represent this musically by juxtaposing traditional gamelan instruments with computer instrumentation and electric bass, the feeling of different rhythms and textures, and certain popular and classical approaches to music writing. The intersecting point of two paths becomes the starting gate for a new idea.")

*Tracks 1, 3-7
Evergreen Club Gamelan Ensemble: Jon Siddall, Bill Brennan, Michael Cote, Mark Duggan, Blair Mackay, Paul Ormandy, Richard Sacks & Andrew Timar
North of Java
Arjuna Records, 291

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

8. Balinese Gamelan Gong: Music from the Island of the Gods
Sekaa Gong Bina Remaja Ubud
Interra, IN5700
61:09

17 August 2011


You want to enjoy a steaming cup of coffee from your very own Komodo Dragon Show coffee mug, don't you?

This limited edition, heavy-duty vessel for beverages is available for $10 in Winnipeg, shipping and handling extra for locations farther afield.

And don't forget to tune into 101.5 / www.umfm.com every Wednesday from 8-11am CT for music from the land of the Komodo.

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

*1. Bill Parsons: Kissed (2003)
3:39

2. Bali
26:15
(A smorgasbord of musical styles from Bali.)

3. Indonesia
24:12
(Indonesian angklung orchestra. Angklung = a frame-mounted bamboo rattle.)

Tracks 2-3
Islands of the Indian Ocean Vol.1: Indonesia, Bali & Sri Lanka
Arion, ARN 60485

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

*4. Andrew P. MacDonald: The Eleusinian Mysteries (1998)
Erica Goodman - harp
18:23

*5. Bill Parsons: For There & Then (2003)
Bill Parsons - electric guitar
10:59

*6. Ronald Bruce Smith: Rain Cycles (1991)
William Beauvais & Stephen Wingfield - nylon string guitars
11:58

*7. Daniel Janke: Main Road (1994)
Daniel Janke - kora
8:34

*Tracks 1, 4-7
Evergreen Club Contemporary Gamelan Ensemble: Mark Duggan, Graham Hargrove, Paul Houle, Blair Mackay, Bill Parsons, Rick Sacks, Ryan Scott & Andrew Timar
For There & Then
Artifact Music, ART-034
(Works for gamelan plus strings. If you don't know what a gamelan is, look it up here.)

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

8. Jegog: The Rhythmic Power of Bamboo (rec. Bali 1995)
I Nyoman Jayus' Bamboo Ensemble
Music of the Earth: Indonesia
Multicultural Media, MCM3012
66:09
(Jegog = gamelan of bamboo instruments.)

Where to buy CDs featured on today's show:
Evergreen Club Contemporary Gamelan Ensemble: For There & Then - Canadian Music Centre
Islands of the Indian Ocean Vol.1 - Amazon
Jegog: The Rhythmic Power of Bamboo - Multicultural Media

27 July 2011

The Komodo Dragon Show is on hiatus for the next three weeks, returning to the air on Wednesday, August 17th with the results of the country (geographical region, not twangy songsters) poll.

20 July 2011

The 100th of Marshall McLuhan
Who gave us words to clue in
On the relationship between media and messages
Which were good guessages.

With an assortment of sonic documents from 1966-69 the Komodo Dragon Show celebrates McLuhan's centenary.

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

1. Jerry Goldsmith: Seconds: Suite (1966)
William Motzing - conductor, City of Prague Philharmonic
Fantastic Voyage: A Journey through Classic Fantasy Film Music
Silva Screen Records, FILMCD 146
8:00

2. Be-In (A Psychoacoustic Experience) (rec. Central Park, NYC 6 Apr. 1969)
Environments 3
Atlantic, SD 66003
34:18

3. Marshall McLuhan: The Medium Is the Massage (1967)
Marshall McLuhan - narrator
CBS Records, CS 9501
42:41

Set #2 - 9:30am - 11:00am

4. Timothy Leary: Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out (1967)
Timothy Leary - narrator, Maryvonne Giercarz - veena, Lars Eric - guitar, Richard Bond - tabla
Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Performance Records, PERF 389CD
36:09

5. Duke Ellington & Billy Strayhorn: The Far East Suite (rec. NYC 19-21 Dec. 1966)
Duke Ellington Orchestra
Bluebird, 82876-55614-2
45:14

Where to buy CDs featured on today's show:
Fantastic Voyage - Amazon
Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out - Amazon
The Far East Suite - CD Universe

13 July 2011

Every Wednesday morning between 8-11am CT I have the pleasure of presenting three hours of music from all over the world.

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

1. Raga Bihag (rec. 2009)
Utsav Lal - piano, Suryaksha Deshpande - tabla
Ragas Dance Off Piano Keys
Utsav Lal, n.n.
60:48

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

This week I solicit listeners' input: Where do you want to spend the rest of the summer: Bali, Burma, China, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, or Thailand? Tune in and cast your vote through the usual channels.

2. The Gamelan of Bali
6:58

3. Burma
6:30

4. China
5:41

5. India & Nepal
17:52

6. Sri Lanka
11:32

7. Thailand
5:15

Tracks 2-7
Percussions d'Asie
Playa Sound, PS 65026

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

8. Lubomyr Melnyk: Prelude Nr.2
14:17

9. Lubomyr Melnyk: The SELF-LUMINOUS WAY
7:59

10. Lubomyr Melnyk: The Realm of Synchronicity
30:40

Tracks 8-10
The Self-Luminous Way: Works for Solo Piano
Bandura Records, n.n.

Where to buy CDs featured on today's show:
Utsav Lal -
CD Baby
Percussions d'Asie -
Amazon
Lubomyr Melnyk - Bandura Records

06 July 2011

It's an out-of-body Komodo Dragon Show this Wednesday from 8-11am CT on www.umfm.com

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

1. La vision de Tondal (12th century)
Katarina Livljanić - conductor, Dialogos
La vision de Tondal: A la recherche des chantres glagolitiques & latins de la Dalmatie médiévale
Arcana, A 329
73:05
(Reconstructed from medieval Croatian manuscripts, this spiritual narrative is sung with an austere serenity in Latin and Church Slavonic by an all-female ensemble. The soul of the knight Tondal, having left his unconscious body, visits both Hell and Paradise accompanied by an angel. Transformed by the experience, his soul returns, and he resolves to lead a more exemplary life. Above right, Hieronymous Bosch's take on Tondal's Vision. Below, Simon Marmion's The Visions of the Knight Tondal (ca. 1470). Read the whole story on the Getty Museum's website.)

Set #2 - 9:00am - 11:00am

For the last two hours of the show chance operations will determine the placement of cuts from the two Russian bell CDs below. Follow the results live on Twitter @vonwichert.

Chimes of Russian North (rec. Arkhangelsk museum reserve "Malyie Karely" 1990)
Vladimir Petrovsky - bell ringer
Melodiya, SUCD 11-00326
60:58
(Russian concert chimes.)

Glocken russisch-orthodoxer Kirchen: Originalaufnahmen aus berühmten Kirchen und Klöstern
Christophorus, CHR 4007
46:25
(Slav-Byzantine liturgical Church bells.)

Where to buy CDs featured on today's show:
La vision de Tondal - CD Universe
Chimes of Russian North - Amazon
Glocken russisch-orthodoxer Kirchen - CD Universe

29 June 2011

Apocalyptic works for choir.

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

1. Leoš Janáček: Glagolitic Mass (1926-27)
Evlyn Lear - soprano, Hilde Rössel-Majdan - alto/contralto, Ernst Haefliger - tenor, Franz Crass - bass, Bedřich Janáček - organ, Rafael Kubelik - conductor, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Bavarian Radio Chorus
Deutsche Grammophon, 459 360-2
38'

2. Alfred Schnittke: Concerto for Choir (1984-85)
Text by Gregor Narekatsi from The Book of Mournful Songs (late 10th century)
Translated into Russian by N. Grebnev
Elena Dof-Donskaya - soprano, Valery Polyansky - conductor, USSR Ministry of Culture Chamber Choir
35:02

3. Alfred Schnittke: Two Small Pieces for Organ (1980)
Oleg Yanchenko - organ
8:15

Tracks 2-3
Melodiya, SUCD 10-00066

Set #2 - 9:30am - 11:00am

4. Steve Reich: The Desert Music (1983)
Text by William Carlos Williams (1954-62)
Steve Reich & Musicians, Michael Tilson Thomas - conductor, Chorus & Members of Brooklyn Philharmonic
Nonesuch, 7559-79101-2
48'

5. Karel Husa: Apotheosis of This Earth (1973)
Karel Husa - conductor, Louisville Orchestra, University of Louisville Concert Choir
First Edition Recordings, LCD005
27:24

Where to buy CDs featured on today's show:
Janáček - CD Universe
Schnittke - CD Baby mp3
Reich - CD Universe
Husa - CD Universe (different recording)

22 June 2011

More chant, less cant. This week I attempt, in my halting way, to demonstrate the development of Oriental Christian chant from the 13th to the 19th century. (It gets more complex.)

"The sounds in these chants are majestic and prolonged... They express the groaning of the repentant soul which sighs in the land of its expulsion for the blessed, longed-for land of eternal joy, of pure divine pleasure...."

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

1. Disc One: The Founders of Grottaferrata
Ioannas Arvanitis - cantor & director, Alexander Lingas - artistic director, Cappella Romana
Byzantium in Rome: Medieval Byzantine Chant from Grottaferrata
Cappella Romana, CR403-2CD
31'
(Greek hymns from 13th and 14th century manuscripts.)

2. "Liturgy of the Faithful" from The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom
The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom: Mediaeval Chant of the Russian Orthodox Church
Bishop Hilarion (Alfeyev) - celebrant, Choir of Danilov Monastery Moscow, Georgy Safonov - director
Christophorus, CHR 77287
42:27
(Chants from 16th century manuscripts.)

Set #2 - 9:30am - 11:00am

3. Matins of the Holy Easter
Archimandrite Matthew (Mormyl) - conductor, Choir of the Trinity-St. Sergius Laura & the Moscow Theological Academy
Melodiya: The Russian Label: Highlights
Melodiya, 74321 27247 2
27'
(19th century homophonic settings. Ring dem bells!)

4. Gregorian Chants, Eternal Chants
Benedictine Monks of the Abbey at Ganagobie
Milan, 73138 35653-2
61'
(A mixed bag. Purists beware! 18th and 20th century organ music interludes!)

Where to buy CDs featured on today's show:
Byzantium in Rome - CD Universe
Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom - CD Universe
Matins of Holy Easter - Amazon
Gregorian Chants, Eternal Chants - CD Universe mp3

15 June 2011

This week's episode intimates a similarity between Byzantine chant and the devotional ceremonies of the Sufi mystics.

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

1. Disc Two: The Feast of Pentecost (rec. 2006)
Ioannas Arvanitis - cantor & director, Alexander Lingas - artistic director, Cappella Romana
Byzantium in Rome: Medieval Byzantine Chant from Grottaferrata
Cappella Romana, CR403-2CD
51'
("The Abbey of Grottaferrata in the suburban hills of Rome has used the Byzantine Rite for over a millennium since its founding in 1004.... antedating the upheavals of the Fourth Crusade's sack of Constantinople in 1204." Sorry about that.)

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

2. Celebrations: Turkish Classical Music: Tribute to Yunus Emre
Nevzad Atliğ - conductor, National Choir of Turkish Classical Music
Auvidis, D 8303
66'
(Poet and mystic Yunus Emre lived from ca. 1240-1321. "His poems... mainly concern divine love as well as human destiny." This is the first CD I illegally copied onto my iBook back in '01.)

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

3. Ioannis Koukouzelis: Kratime (14th cent.)
Lycourgos Angelopoulos - director, Greek Byzantine Choir
Ioannis Koukouzelis: The Byzantine Maestro
Jade, 73138 35809-2
35:58
(Kratime are "free compositions set to diverse syllables that make no sense, such as Te-ri-rem and Ne-ne-na and others, in lieu of a text.... [T]he substitution of free syllables to a text produces a psalmody similar to the unending psalmody of the angels in Heaven (a psalmody without words). Moreover, according to symbolic theology, it is meant to signify the incomprehensibility of the godhead." The cardiovascular workout of these choristers is up there in the marathon range.)

4. Bestenigar Pesrev (rec. 1974)
6:36

5. Mevlevi Whirling Dance (rec. 1974)
10:03

Tracks 4-5
Mevlevi Dervishes
Ecstatic Dances of the Whirling & Howling Dervishes of Turkey & Syria
ARC Music, EUCD 1580
(Aldous Huxley reminds us about the effect of extreme cantillation on the amount of carbon dioxide in the bloodstream. He posits that the increased level of CO2 lowers the efficiency of what he calls the "cerebral reducing valve", opening the door to visionary experience.... Only he's WRONG. Tune in to get the lowdown on hyperventilation.)

Where to buy CDs featured on today's show:
Cappella Romana - CD Universe
Tribute to Yunus Emre - out of print
Ioannis Koukouzelis: The Byzantine Maestro - CD Universe
Ecstatic Dances of the Whirling & Howling Dervishes - CD Universe

08 June 2011

Did they laugh at you in Prague? Did they belittle you in Budapest? Did they ridicule you in Rome? Did your ideas go over the heads of the Academy in Aarhus?

Well, you're invited to discuss your theories on the air during the Komodo Dragon Show this Wednesday, June 8th, in celebration of UMFM Open House Week.

Listeners are invited to drop by the station on the 3rd floor of University Centre or to call the broadcast studio at 204-269-8636 between 8-11am Central Time on Wednesday, June 8th. Your input will preempt three hours of traditional Laplandish moss-gathering chants.

The only pre-requisite is to have something interesting to say. I am a fair man, but I am also the final, pitiless arbiter of what gets aired on my show. Here's the bed for my interview with you:

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

Dan Gibson's Solitudes Vol.10
Solitudes, CCDG 10
60'

Played simultaneously with:

Dan Gibson's Solitudes
Solitudes, CCDG013
51'

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

2A. Brian Eno: Music for Airports (1978)
Ambient 1
Virgin, EEGCD 17
48:32

Played simultaneously with:

2B. Brian Eno: Music for Airports (rec. 1998)
Bang on a Can All-Stars
Point Music, 314 536 847-2
49:15

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

3A. The Bagpipe of Turkey (rec. 2002)
Bülent Bekar - bagpipe
Earthcds, nn
77:24

Played simultaneously with:

Murat Avhan - bagpipe, Yaşar Çorbacioğlu - bagpipe
Earthcds, nn
66:33

01 June 2011

As one reviewer said: "I need to get out more." Well... do just that, this Wednesday, June 1st, from 8-11am CT, on http://www.umfm.com/ The musical inflection continues being Eastern.

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

1. Raga Malya Maruttam
17:58

2. Pahadi Dhun
8:35

Tracks 1-2 (rec. 2007)
Ronu Majumdar - bansuri flute, Durga Prasad Majumdar - pakhavaj [double-sided drum], Vilas D. Pednekar & Kalpesh Sachla - tanpuras
Ronu Majumdar: Master of the Indian Bansuri
ARC Music, EUCD 2056


3. Ned Rorem: Flute Concerto (2002)
José Serebrier - conductor, Jeffrey Khaner - flute, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
Naxos, 8.559278
31:21

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

4. Viktor Suslin: Lamento (1989)
Friedemann Herz - organ
White Music
Olympia, OCD 679
10:51

5. Mikhail Nosyrev: Concerto for Violin & Orchestra (1971)
Andrei Anikhanov - conductor, Mikhail Gantvarg - violin, Mussorgsky Opera & Ballet Theatre Orchestra, St. Petersburg
Olympia, OCD 691
36:23

6. Ahmed Adnan Saygun: Third movement: Largo from Sonata for Violin & Piano (1941)
Selim Giray - violin, June Chun-Young - piano
Turkish Music for Violin & Piano
ERM Media, ERM7107
6:16

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

7. Ahmed Adnan Saygun: Concerto for Cello & Orchestra (1987)
Howard Griffiths - conductor, Tim Hugh - cello, Bilkent Symphony Orchestra
CPO, 777 290-2
24:19

8. Rodion Shchedrin: Concerto for Orchestra No.4 "Korovody" (Roundelays) (1989)
Kirill Karabits - conductor, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
Naxos, 8.572405
28:13

Where to buy CDs featured on today's show:
Majumdar - CD Universe
Rorem - CD Universe
Herz - Amazon
Nosyrev - out of print
Saygun Sonata - CD Universe
Saygun Concerto - CD Universe
Shchedrin - CD Universe