Terrance,

Great presentation and explanations as usual for tonight's Bartok Strings, Percussion and Celeste.

A little note on pronunciation, however, which I hope you don't consider too bothersome a detail as most people do get it wrong...as a Hungarian-American, the pronunciation of Magyar as Mag-Yar just sounds grating.

Since I know you are careful with your language, I'm wondering if you might consider saying it as "Mudge-Are" (emphasis on the first syllable), which is much closer to the way Hungarians actually pronounce their own name.

Hoping you take this as respectful encouragement, I remain an ever faithful listener and supporter!

Terrance,
I already left you a message on " Being on QXR " about the 2 beautiful and moving (to me) pieces you played last night. They are still not available on the playlist. I am writng this here again just in case, you did not go to this other blog (which I would not blame you, in view of the nasty venom that goes on there on a daily basis).I still would like to know the name of that second piece with stirring vocals. Please help with this playlist. You are my last resort. I have tried and tried in vain. Keep up the good work!! Do your best to ignore the men and nasty voices. Just keep improving!!!!!

We are almost into December and the Christmas Season. And there is one piece, quite beautiful, that is played endlessly during this season. Can you guess what it is? The answer is at the end of this story: About twenty years ago I was in a library on an unusually warm day in late December. The windows were open and we could hear the traffic outside. There was a loud boom, probably a truck backfiring. Somebody broke the silence in the library and asked, "What was that?" And someone else answered, "Probably Pachelbel's Cannon." Everyone laughed because we were all pretty sick of hearing this piece on the radio and in the canned background music in stores during the Christmas Season. There are many beauitiful performances of this piece. Two that come to mind are the choral piece at the beginning of the film ORDINARY PEOPLE and George Winston's piano version. I guess WQXR will be playing the Canon a few times, but I hope not excessively.

Last night I heard a wonderful piano concerto with Ashkenazai at the piano and Andre Previn with the LSO. Can you tell me the name of the composition? I missed it.

Thanks for that inspired "Laudate".

First let me shock the purists by saying that my favorite "November" piece is "November Rain" by Guns 'n' Roses. But Terrance, I'm listening to you talk about Berlioz tonight, and though I've been following Berlioz closely since the late 1960s your take on his "love and dating" habits was priceless and original. Thank you! And now you're playing a Magnus Lindberg piece. I never heard of him before this season, but I think he's super and have already bought a CD of his music.

Terrance, I already posted this, but I think in the wrong place:

The Glass tonight is just terrific. more power to you.

Liviu

The Valentin Silvestrov - Luollaby for Pietr Tchaikovsky is from a Louth Contemporary Music Society release featuring the Cailino Quartet.

Terrance, I love J.S. Bach, but why, oh why, do you seem to always refer to him as Sebastian Bach rather than Johann Sebastian Bach? And I think I've also heard you call Mozart by his last two names too, rather than by his 3 names. Small point, but I wondered if this had a significance.

Why does WQXR insist on playing the same compositions and conductors over and over again?

I must have heard the brandenburg concerto a dozen times these past few weeks. Bach does have other works.

I understand this is a New York radio station and there are some listeners who have an affinity for Leonard Bernstein and all things New York but can we stretch the repertoire a bit? It is getting really OLD fast.

How about some guest conductors for the NYPO if you want to keep a NY theme here and a broader range of pieces.

So many November associations. One in particular: the original, terrifying 1973 "Wicker Man." We went to see that just after Halloween and I was so badly frightened that I had to go home and play the "Moonlight Sonata" over and over to get my center back.

Trevor, I thought you were a pianist?! How could you ask such a question re the Bach suites? Come on, man!

I seem to have missed the deadline to be included in your Q2 program, but I have always had a soft spot for Handel's Ode to St. Cecelia's Day. Cecelia was the patron saint of music, and her feast day is celebrated on November 22. The piece is a collection of arias, marches and choruses lovingly dedicated to different types of music. A personal favorite is "What passion cannot music raise and quell?" This work is not very well known, despite being by Handel. There used to be a great recording on the Archiv label, conducted by Trevor Pinnock, but I think it's been deleted. I always play the CD around Thanksgiving time.

Any chance of getting the music and sound effect intros and outros for "Symphony Hall" weeknights? I loved the clock, the sound of the audience filing in for the concert and the grand music. It set one for the feeling of going out to attend a concert. Many programs have established signature themes. I'm hoping this one can be re-established. Thanks.

Valentin Silvestrov - Luollaby for Pietr Tchaikovsky was played sometime in the past couple of nights.
No recording credit was given and I would like to to find it and purchase it.
Can you or someone else be more specific about this piece and how it can be acquired?
Thanks.

November is a time to settle in for a long winter,it was the first time I was introduced to Baroque music, more specific Wynton Marsalis' "Baroque Music For Trumpets" on a snowy evening in 1988

Yesterday you said something to the effect that you didn't the difference between the ornamentations for the French and English Suites of J.S. Bach.

For the keyboard pieces, the name has nothing to do with form. The suites were asked and paid for by patrons form each these countries, thus the names of the suites.

It is not the same as something written in the Italian or, German style.

You can check the liner notes for Murray Perahia's recording of the English Suites -
SK 60277 on Sony.

Thanks,
Robert M