Main: From the Library - A Sense of Place with Elrik Merlin

Today's programme concerns itself with the "sense of place" or genius loci, as the Romans called it, that has informed much of Western art through the centuries. We'll be attempting to capture the feeling of presence that characterises many locations, and to do so we'll be visiting sites, cities and spots around the world, and travelling beyond, studying ancient maps and even going out into space and journeying to the Centre of the Earth (and a few other imaginary places while we're at it).

So you'll hear pieces from Respighi's Fountains of Rome to Mitchell's Statue of Zeus at Olympia; Fingal's Cave from Mendelssohn to Gershwin's An American In Paris, Holst's The Planets, Elgar's Cockaigne (In London Town), and many more. Most of the music is in a classical vein, but we'll also be playing recent compositions, for example music by Sheridan Tongue for Professor Brian Cox's stunning BBC television series Wonders of the Universe. Immerse yourself in the music and travel with us on our own, rather extensive and a little unusual, Grand Tour.

The ZBS Radio Hour

Then join us at 11am and 7pm Pacific Time, that's 18:00 and 02:00 GMT this week, for two exciting adventures from our friends at ZBS Foundation in the ZBS Radio Hour. At the top of the hour, Jack Flanders returns to where it all began - his aunt's mysterious Victorian mansion where all manner of strange goings-on unfurled and he discovered many other worlds both within and without, over 35 years ago, in Part 4 of Return to Inverness. Then at the bottom of the hour it's Ruby the Galactic Gumshoe, in Part 4 of Ruby 5.

Today's programme is presented by Elrik Merlin and produced by gullar sahir in conjunction with our friends at the Alexandrian Free Library Consortium of Second Life. You can listen to the programme in-world now at http://main.radioriel.org, or simply click here to start your player, if your browser is configured to do so. Listeners in the United States are encouraged to tune in using this link: http://loudcity.com/stations/radio-riel/tune_in

For more information on the Alexandrian Free Library, current exhibits and the work of Consortium members in general, please visit the Alexandrian Free Library website, or one of their branches in-world.