The theme for this show is magic, but I have also included a number of cuts by the group Swingle Singers, who are famous in certain knowledgeable quarters, and a few seasonal pieces (most shamelessly a piece commonly played at Holiday time, arranged by myself, in my teens, to be sung by my siblings and myself at our parents' wedding anniversary. You can watch an animated version of it here).
America: You Can Do Magic
This happens to be the fighting song of the Williamsport Millionnaires at one time, and I put it in at the last second, because I had forgotten all about it!
Mozart: Magic Flute and Magic Bells from Der Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute)
This Singspiel (music folk-drama) by Mozart has lots of magical artifacts in it, and this scene has the Magic Flute itself, and Papageno's magic bells making an appearance.
Please Release Me (Let Me Go), sung by Engelbert Humperdinck
The singer who became popular in the sixties under the name Engelbert Humperdinck was born with an entirely different name (Dorsey, if I remember correctly). The name Engelbert Humperdinck actually belonged to a writer of opera of the Wager school, whose best-known opus is the children's opera Hansel and Gretel, excerpts from which are described in the next item.
Engelbert Humperdinck: Overture, "Little Brother, dance with me!" from Hänsel und Gretel
This story is, of course, all about magic. Two of the most memorable tunes from the opera are the Children's Prayer, and the little duet Brother, dance with me sung by the two children.
Wagner: Themes from The Ring Cycle
One of my most treasured compact disc albums is this one by musicologist Deryck Cooke, who made a study of the themes from the Wagner operas Das Rhinegold, Die Walküre, Siegfried, and Gotterdammerung. Wagner developed the idea of associating a musical fragment with a particular idea (or psychological element) to a very high level, which was necessary, Deryck Cooke says, to give coherence to the enormous work consisting of these four operas, which would last for close to 15 hours, if played continuously one after the other. Many of the objects of importance in the drama have their own themes, and we play excerpts from Cooke's recording which illustrate the themes or motifs, and their development.
Cooke: The Joy of the Rhinegold
Almost the very first piece of sung music in the entire drama is the three Rhinemaidens (sort of river nymphs) singing the praise of their nugget of magic gold. Cooke is able to trace, from this simple melodic fragment, the themes that represent the ring forged from the gold, and its various aspects.
Wagner: Magic Fire Music
The chief of the Valkyries is Brunhilda. (In a sense, the four operas are the story of Wotan, and his machinations.) Wotan has arranged for a child to be born from Siegmund, and Sieglinde, who happens to be married to another man. Siegmund and Sieglinde have eloped, and spent the night, and the child has been conceived. But Wotan's wife sees what is happening, and insists that the child and its mother should be allowed to die. So a showdown is on the way, and Wotan is forced to warn the valkyrie Brunhilda not to interfere. Brunhilda's sympathies are with Siegmund and Sieglinde, and despite Wotan's warning, when Siegmund is killed, she puts the pregnant woman on her horse and rides furiously away. But she can't elude Wotan; when the chief of the gods catches up with her, she has already stashed the pregnant woman in a deep cave. Wotan reads her the riot act, and puts her into a magical sleep, and calls upon Loki (or Loge), the god of Fire and Mischief, to raise a ring of magical fire around the sleeping Brunhilda. In this entirely instrumental cut, we hear Wotan's parting words to the Valkyrie, the entrance of Loki, the magic fire music, and the magical sleep music.
Could It Be Magic, sung by Barry Manilow
This song, popular in the eighties, is based on Chopin's Prelude no. 20 in C minor. This particular extended version of the song starts off with the prelude, and after the song ends, a few bars of the prelude close it.
Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op28 - 20 in C minor
This is the original prelude, played by Maurizio Pollini
Magic, sung by Olivia Newton-John
This song from the movie Xanadu was a multi-million-seller for Ms Newton-John. It was written by a team including John Farrar.
Archie: Twelve Days Of Christmas
This arrangement of the popular Christmas song, is from my misspent youth. It has all twelve days, and is arranged for two groups, with a flute, clarinet, bassoon and trombone on one side, an oboe, English horn, and two bassoons on the other side. Enjoy!
Wagner Parsifal Overture
A large part of the King Arthur legend has to do with the search for the Holy Grail, which was for centuries considered to be simply the vessel from which Jesus and the disciples drank at the Last Supper. Since Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code, however, we have been made aware that a significant number of people take the view that it was code for the descendants of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. The mere suggestion that these two could have had children infuriates most believing Christians. At any rate, Sir Galahad was a most determined seeker of the Holy Grail, and Percival is his son. In the particular legend that Wagner has chosen to set to music in his opera, Percival ---or Parsifal has lots of miracles in it. So here is an abbreviated version of the Overture to the opera.
Mozart: Die Zauberflote - Overture, sung by the Swingle Singers
I was completely dumbfounded by many of the pieces automatically selected by the computer system that ran the program for me last week, especially the lovely pieces by the Swingle Singers, formed by Ward Swingle in the early Sixties in Paris. So this week, I'm playing a lot of Swingle Singers. This is the overture to the Magic Flute.
Mozart: Minuetto from Symphony No 40
We've listened to this piece in the show whose theme was dances.
Mozart: Finale from Symphony No 40
The last movement from the same symphony.
Mozart: Un' Aura amorosa sung by the Swingle Singers
This aria is from Cosi fan Tutte which means, in Italian "So do they all," meaning that women are sentimental and easily influenced creatures.
Mozart: Eine kleine Nachtmusik - Finale Swingle Singers
Mozart: Canzonetta from Don Giovanni
Another lovely aria, with an interesting countermelody, also sung by the Swingle Singers.
Mozart: Cosi fan tutte - Terzettino
An utterly bewitching ensemble number from the opera.
Mozart: Piano Concerto No 21 - Andante
The melody made famous in the movie Elvira Madigan
Mozart: Requiem - Hostias
Mozart: Piano sonata in A major - Finale, Alla Turca
Another famous tune from Mozart, the last movement from the sonata which opens with a set of variations we played some weeks ago.
Mozart: Fantasia in F minor and major
This is from one of Mozart's little-known organ pieces.
Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker - Waltz Of The Flowers
There is a lot of magic in The Nutcracker, which is also a piece with a Christmas theme, so it seems to fit in well with the music for this week.
Nina and Frederik: Little Donkey
The group of Nina and Frederik were well known in the Fifties. I was dismayed to learn that after the couple divorced, Frederik joined a drug trafficking gang in the Philippines, and was gunned down in a gang-related shooting. That has little to do with this piece, so I will leave it alone.
Nina and Frederik: Mary's Boy Child
This is my favorite version of this carol. It is from an album featuring Louis Armstrong, but I'm not sure whether we can conclude that the trumpet solo is by him...
Archie
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