Guest Host Helena Della: My Favorites

Saturday's show was presented by Helena Della, a guest host!

Here's the transcript.  Helena Della writes:

Surprise, it’s not Arch, it’s Helena Della, your guest host tonight for the Archives!   Arch has graciously invited me to play whatever I like, as long as at least half the program is classical.

Most of what I like in classical music I absorbed as a very small child, when it came pouring out of my parents’ Hi Fi.   It is so easy to picture my mother’s head bobbing and elbows flying as she ironed in time to the music, or my father puffing on his 99th cigar and sipping his third whiskey, with his elbows on the kitchen table and his face in a book.

Part A: Music my Mom would have enjoyed.

Mom, Anne Moller, loved warm, emotional composers like Gershwin, Prokofiev, Debussy, and Ravel.  She had a rich alto voice and adored choral music.  My Dad, George Moller had a lot of folk music in his collection – the Brothers Four, Leon Bibb, and some marvelous 78s of traditional English folk songs.  His classical taste was light and lively.  Enesco rhapsodies, Chabrier, and Rossini were up his alley.  He also admired classical guitar.

Here are three of mom’s:  Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3; with Martha Argerich and the Berlin Philharmonic; then Philip Glass’ Beauty and the Beast, played by Angele Dubeau and Pieta; and finally, “My Man’s Gone Now” from Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, sung by Inez Matthews for the 1959 movie version.

Part B: Some music from Dad's collection, and more.

From my Dad’s collection, first we’ll hear Chabrier’s Espana, played by Michel Plasson and the Toulouse Capitol Orchestra, then Khachaturian’s Sabre Dance with the Royal Philarmonic, and a selection from Mario Castelnuovo Tedesco’s Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra.   That one is played by Miguel Gomez-Martinez and the English Chamber Orchestra.

The next two coming up are:  Signor Bruschino Overture by Rossini, with Neville Mariner and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields.  Then two Debussy piano arabesques played by Alain LeFevre.

Part C: More Helena Della favorites

The next set of two are performed again by the all-female Canadian ensemble, Angele Dubeau and Pieta.  Archie and I saw these women at Bucknell a few years ago, they are wonderful performers.  Angéle Dubeau can make her Stradivarius do anything she wants.   The CD named Fairy Tales was made for lullaby time.  Parents, are you listening?  This stuff puts me in a serene and restful state of mind, so it should work well on small rambunctious children.  (It’s better than strangling them.)  First, we will hear Fantasia para un Gentilhombre, then another version of Beauty and the Beast, this time not by Philip Glass but by Francois Dompierre.

Part D: Wake Up!

Wake up! Want to hear “Lost in Space” played by the Czech Philharmonic?  How about a ditty called “Birds Chirping” played on a Wurlitzer Theatre Organ?  (That’s played by an organ roll, not a person.)  And I KNOW you need to hear Enesco’s Roumanian Rhapsody No. 2 played on the harmonica (by Larry Adler).

[I did not introduce the next three, because they were chosen after the announcements were taped.  They are the King's Singers, who usually sing a capella, but are accompanied here by a few instruments, singing three unidentified songs.  These were recorded for me by Arch back in 2009, and we weren't very careful about keeping track of the names of the pieces.  But Arch still has the CDs, and if you're interested, we can do some research.]

Part E:  Crossover and New Age music before New Age was born.

Renaissance,
Gryphon, and
Winter Consort

To finish up, I want to play some music of the 70s that uses classical instruments played by classically trained musicians, but adding rock influences.  Remember Gryphon, King Crimson, Emerson Lake and Palmer, the Moody Blues, and all those classy, rich rock songs of the early 70s?  You’ll recognize most of what I have coming up next.  On the air, I promised to put the playlist right here, and here it is:

Stupidity Tries: Radiohead, performed by Christopher O'Riley
Running Hard: Renaissance, vocals by Annie Haslam
Second Spasm: Gryphon
Black Flame: Renaissance, Annie Haslam
Icarus: Paul Winter Consort
Opening Move: Gryphon
Bordel 1900: Astor Piazzola, performed by Al di Meola

[Added by Archie: the amazing Annie Haslam was performing as recently as two years ago; search for her on YouTube.]

Thanks for everything, and become a member and support the Station!

Helena Della