Saturday, December 26, 2009

Me Too

[The] great Romantic symphonists [are] great companions, especially on those nights when talk is impossible, when the only understanding companion is the radio. Some of the greatest pleasures I’ve had in life are late nights in bed, tired and restless, and turning on a low-fidelity clock radio. Classical music stations not infrequently abandon the Baroque and Classical top 40 late at night for the longer, deeper, darker works of Romanticism. I first heard [Ralph Vaughan Williams's] 9th and Prokoviev’s 7th in just those moments, and was utterly fascinated. It seemed I was hearing a profound riddle of a bed-time story, a lullaby of contemplation, and in my own moments of fear and doubt knew that there were others listening in tandem to the broadcast, and that the radio was offering companionship to us, and that we were not alone.

-- George Grella, writing at The Big City

Update:  A great radio tradition is going on right now:  the annual Bach Festival on WKCR, Columbia University's radio station. From December 21 to December 31, WKCR plays something like Bach's entire recorded output, and there are some neat oddball segments like jazz commentator Phil Schaap's show featuring Bach in jazz. Lots of room for great radio moments.  Listen here.

4 comments:

Maclin said...

As a teenager I had experiences with late-night radio that were equally powerful, though both the music and I were much less sophisticated. It's sad to think that such moments probably happen to fewer people now, with the range of entertainment in general and music in particular available from other sources.

Pentimento said...

A great radio tradition is going on right now: the annual Bach Festival on WKCR, Columbia University's radio station. From December 21 to December 31, they play something like Bach's entire recorded output, and there are some neat oddball shows like jazz commentator Phil Schaap's segment on Bach in jazz. Lots of room for those great radio moments.

Pentimento said...

You can listen online:

http://www.studentaffairs.columbia.edu/wkcr/content/bachfest-2009-schedule-0

Enbrethiliel said...

+JMJ+

I remember how bummed I felt when only classical music station in the country started going off the air at 10:00 pm instead of midnight. =(

I still have my own CDs, of course, but I miss the serendipity that comes from letting someone else choose the music for you.