October 31, 2008
The razor's edge
Sharp objects and sharp performances, in honor of Halloween. Josef Haydn was frustrated with a dull razor one morning, and offered to give his best string quartet for a decent shave. Someone produced one, and the "Razor" quartet was born. If that's not scary enough, we'll have music from Stephen Sondheim's "Sweeney Todd," the demon barber of Fleet Street.
Today's Playlist
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Franz Waxman
Music from "Bride of Frankenstein"
The Westminster Philharmonic Orchestra with conductor Kenneth Alwyn
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Johann Sebastian Bach
Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565
Organist Paul Jacobs with the Pacific Symphony and conductor Carl St. Clair
Orange County Performing Arts Center, Costa Mesa, California
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Igor Stravinsky
"Eccentric," from "Three Pieces for String Quartet"
The St. Petersburg String Quartet
The New York Society for Ethical Culture, New York City
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Gustav Mahler
Two movements from Symphony No. 1 in D ("Titan")
The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra with conductor Leonard Bernstein
The Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Leos Janacek
Music from "In the Mist"
Pianist Leif Ove Andsnes
The Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Antonio Bazzini
"Dance of the Goblins"
Violinist Shannon Lee and pianist Pamela Mia Paul
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Josef Haydn
String Quartet in F Minor, Op. 55/2 ("Razor")
The Meta4 String Quartet
Wartburg Castle, Eisenach, Germany
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Stephen Sondheim
"The Ballad of Sweeney Todd"
George Hearn and Company with the New York Philharmonic and conductor Andrew Litton
Avery Fisher Hall, New York City
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Richard Strauss
"Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks," Op. 28
The Aspen Festival Orchestra with conductor David Zinman
Aspen Music Festival, Aspen, Colorado
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Franz Schubert
"The Erlking"
The Bergonzi String Quartet
Festival Miami, Miami