Thursdays at 8 pm on SCPR Classical Stations. 90.1 Greenville and parts of North Carolina and Georgia. 89. 3 Charleston. 91.3 Columbia. Find the live playlist and listen live online here: https://www.southcarolinapublicradio.org/show/on-the-keys
On this show we only had time for two works on the program. The first was the Carnival of the Dinosaurs by Tom Woods. This was an interesting piece and kids might love it. I think it has a good chance (if some revisions are made like removing the drum set, and tidying up the story progression. Was there a moral? I wasn't sure). The music was tuneful and at times completely terrifying as it mimicked the antics of the terrible Regina. Woods tells us in the notes that the original work was also for orchestra and the two pianos which was then reduced to a chamber orchestra and then this version for the pianos and narrator only (and the drum set!). I could do without the political bashing in the notes (even if it is deserved).
I started composing and my original idea was for something like “The Carnival of the Animals” but using Dinosaurs. This quickly ended when I realised that, musically speaking, the dinosaurs would all sound like each other; large and threatening. So I began sketching a story that would give me the opportunity to write more varied music, and to present the dinosaurs in a variety of con- texts, something more like “Peter and the Wolf ” but with Dinosaurs.--Thomas Woods
The program closed with a selection from APR's release of Wilhelm Kempff's Polydor recordings 1927-1936. I chose his Mozart Sonata K. 331. Even with the remote sound this recording is worth a listen for the way he plays the ornaments alone.
Have a musical week and I wonder what are your favorite versions of K. 331?
-David
Comments