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Howard's Day Off - April 30 2016

---FIRST HALF HOUR---

:04—Carl Nielsen (1865-1931): Symphony No. 3, “Sinfonia espansiva,” second move., excerpt, 1912, track 4, 10:09 Myung-Whun Chung, Gothenburg Symphony [BIS 321]. Nielsen allows the soprano to be replaced by a fourth clarinet and the baritone by a fourth trombone.

:06—Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): “Daphnis et Chloe,” track 23, 3:57, Charles Munch, Boston Symphony Orchestra, w/Robert Shaw, New England Conservatory Chorus and Alumni Chorus [RCA Red Seal 61388].

:11—Claude Debussy (1862-1918): “Sirens,” from “Three Nocturnes,” 1899, track 3, 9:47, Pierre Boulez, Cleveland Orchestra & Chorus [DG 439 896]. Two works using wordless choruses in their final movements.

--SEGUE—

:21—Gustav Holst (1874-1934): “Neptune,” from “The Planets,” 1918, track 7, 7:56, Charles Dutoit, Montreal Symphony [London 417 553]. Also two European composers who lived only to their fifties, performed by North American orchestras.

---SECOND HALF HOUR---

:30—Steve Reich (1936- ): Music for Mallet Instruments, Voices and Organ, excerpt, 1973, track 5, 16:50, Steve Reich & Musicians [Elektra Nonesuch 79220]. Sopranos are used.

:33—John Adams (1947- ): “Grand Pianola Music,” excerpt, 1982, track 1, 23:52  Ransom Wilson, Solisti New York [EMI 47331]. No strings; double winds plus tuba, three sopranos, three percussionists and two pianists playing the same notes slightly out of phase to create the pianola effect.

:37—John Corigliano (1938- ): “Anna’s Theme” from “The Red Violin,” 1997, track 1, 2:50, Mariam Stockley, vocal; Joshua Bell w/Esa-Pekka Salonen, Philharmonia Orchestra [Sony 63010].

:40—Karl Jenkins (1944- ): “Cantus Insolitus,” track 4, 5:38, from album “Adiemus: Songs of Sanctuary,” Karl Jenkins, London Philharmonic w/Miriam Stockley and singers [Virgin 67524].

:46—Karl Jenkins (1944- ): “Vocalise,” track 6, 2:22, Mariam Stockley and ibid, from “Adiemus II” [Sony 60282].

:54—Henry Mancini (1924-1994): “Breakfast at Tiffany,” 1961, track 7, 2:49, male singers take the (wordless) lead [RCA 67997]. Mancini won an Oscar for this score.

---THIRD HALF HOUR---

:04—Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958): “Sinfonia Antartica” (Symphony No. 7), finale, excerpt, 1953, track 5, 8:55 Bryden Thomson, London Symphony w/Catherine Bott, soprano [Chandos 8796]. Reworked from an earlier movie score.

:08—Darius Milhaud (1892-1974): Little Symphony No. 6, finale, 1923, track 6, 6:52 Darius Milhaud, Orchestra of Radio Luxemburg [Vox 5109].

:11—Germaine Tailleferre (1892-1983): Concerto Grosso for two pianos, singers, saxophones and orchestra, 1934, first move., track 1, 7:42, Bruno Poindefert, Paris Conservatory Orchestra [Elan 82298]. One of the most chipper pieces of music ever written.

:19—Karl Jenkins (1944- ): “Cantus Inaequalis,” track 3, 3:16, from album “Adiemus: Songs of Sanctuary,” Karl Jenkins, London Philharmonic w/Miriam Stockley and singers [Virgin 67524].

:23—Karl Jenkins (1944- ): “Cantus: Song of Tears,” from “Adiemus II,” track 1, 9:03, Karl Jenkins: London Philharmonic [Sony 60282].

---FOURTH HALF HOUR---

:30—Jon Anderson/Steve Howe: “South Side of the Sky,” excerpt, 1971, track 4, 8:09 Yes, from “Fragile” [Atlantic 82667].

:35—Stevie Wonder: “Contusion,” track 4, 3:46, Stevie Wonder, from “Songs in the Key of Life,” 1976 [Motown 157 357].

(TRICK QUESTION: WHO WROTE THIS?)

:40—Oliver: “Creole Love Call,” 1928, track 3, 3:14, Duke Ellington & His Orchestra [RCA Victor 1141/Smithsonian RD 104]. Duke Ellington’s saxophonist Rudy Jackson presented the melody to Ellington claiming it as his own. But King Oliver had been playing it for years under another title. Oliver sued. His suit failed on a technology but Ellington fired Jackson over the incident. Wordless vocal at beginning and end.

:44—Charles E. King: “Song of the Islands,” 1930, track 1, 3:32, Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra (actually backed up by the Luis Russell band. [C4K 57176]. Armstrong scat-sings about a minute and a half while two other guys hum in harmony behind him. He plays a cornet solo later. King wrote this in 1915 with the subtitle, “Na Lei o Hawaii” and the sheet music was reissued in 1929, only months before the Jan. 24, 1930 session.

:49—Pat Metheny (1954- ) and Lyle Mays (1953- ): “Minuano (6/8),” 1987, track 1, 9:28, Pat Metheny, electric guitar; Lyle Mays, synthesizer; Steve Rodby, bass; Paul Wertico, drums; Armando Marcal, David Blamires and Mark Ledford, wordless vocals [Geffen 24145].

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