Main: Music for Shakespeare

Today's programme features a wide range of music, but around one common theme: the plays of William Shakespeare were the inspiration. The works you'll hear today range from classical – for example Tchaikovsky's fantasy overtures for Romeo & Juliet, Hamlet and The Tempest – to the modern: Gryphon's Midnight Mushrumps, also composed for The Tempest but this time by Richard Harvey for Peter Hall's 1973 National Theatre Company production; and a great deal more, such as Alfred Reed's evocative Shakespearian pieces for wind band. We'll also hear a selection of period pieces from Philip Pickett and the Musicians of the Globe - the marvellous recreation of the Globe Theatre in London.

Then please join us at 11am and 7pm Pacific Time (19:00 and 03:00 in the UK) for the latest instalments in our exciting radio adventures - Part 2 of Jack Flanders in Dreams of Bali and Part 2 of Ruby 8 - Good King Kapoor in The ZBS Radio Hour.

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.

From the Library - String Selection

Classical orchestration is often dominated by stringed instruments. Cellos, violins, violas, bass and guitar all contribute significant air time in classical compositions. Even today with the advent of electronic synthesizers, saxophones, and autotune (that's nearly become an instrument by itself), strings are still a dominant part of the music we listen to.

Today's From The Library features an assortment of classical music featuring strings. From chamber music to full orchestration. A little something for everyone.

From the Library is produced by gullar sahir in conjunction with the Alexandrian Free Library Consortium of Second Life. You can listen to the programme now in-world at http://music.radioriel.org, or click one of the buttons below. Today's programme is presented by Edward Pearse.

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

From the Library - Percy Grainger

On the 8th of July 1882 Percy Grainger was born in Melbourne, in the then Colony of Victoria (now part of Australia). His precocious musical talents saw him give public performances at the age of 12. Travels through Europe, and the US saw Grainger in contact with numerous musicians saw him build friendships with fellow composers such as Edvard Grieg, Frederick Delius, Vaughan Williams, Sir Edward Elgar, Richard Strauss and Claude Debussy.

While Grainger never quite achieved the fame of many of his contemporaries, his appreciation is slowly coming to light.

Today's programme includes recordings of Grainger's works in addition to those of contemporary composers, Grieg, Delius, Vaughan Williams, Holst and Elgar.

From the Library is produced by gullar sahir in conjunction with the Alexandrian Free Library Consortium of Second Life. You can listen to the programme now in-world at http://music.radioriel.org, or click one of the buttons below. Today's programme is presented by Edward Pearse.

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

Main: Pastorale

Today on gullar sahir, we present a programme of music evoking the countryside and rural life.

Mainly, but not exclusively, classical in nature, we'll hear music like Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony and the beautiful but lesser known Symphony No 3 from Vaughan Williams. There's The Lark Ascending and many other beautiful relaxing classics.

In addition, you'll hear some relaxing 'smooth jazz' and New Age pieces, again with a country air.

So kick back as the working week begins to draw towards its close, and enjoy the varied sounds of the countryside.

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.

Main: Piano-issimo - Classical Piano Music

Today we explore the world of classical piano music, including all your favourite piano concertos - Grieg, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, Gershwin and many more; along with solo piano works by the likes of Faure, Poulenc, Chopin, Debussy and Ravel... and some unusual pieces from lesser-known composers like Louis Moreau Gottschalk and Erik Satie. There are also some performances on the Fortepiano - an earlier, similar instrument to the pianoforte we know - and some pieces for Pianola and Reproducing Piano. In addition, we've included some beautiful jazz interpretations of classical pieces by the talented David Rees-Williams Trio.

It's a veritable feast of classical and neo-classical piano music today on gullar sahir, and we do hope you enjoy it.

Today's programme is presented by Elrik Merlin and produced by gullar sahir in conjunction with the Alexandrian Free Library Consortium of Second Life. You can listen to the programme now at http://loudcity.com/stations/radio-riel/tune_in; outside the US, tune to http://main.radioriel.org in-world, or simply click here if your browser is configured to launch a player automatically.

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.

Main: From the Library—Classical Landscapes

Today’s programme consists of music from some of the Great Masters of Classical and Romantic music (and a few from the Baroque), including Mozart, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky and many more. Sit back and enjoy some of the greatest music ever written, performed by the leading orchestras and solo performers of the world.

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.

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.

Main: From the Library - God Save the King!

Today marks two rather interesting musical anniversaries. This day in 1628 saw the death of John Bull, the composer believed to have writen the melody to England's National Anthem, God Save the King (or Queen, as appropriate). It was also the birth, in 1710, of Thomas Augustine Arne, the composer of Rule Britannia. Thus it's an appropriate day to present a programme of ceremonial music from the Renaissance period, through the Baroque to modern times. You'll hear processional music, music for royal events, military pieces and a great deal more, all with a sense of ceremony and pomp about it. And we'll be playing other pieces of music from composers known for their ceremonial works, such as Walton and Elgar. Huzzah!

The image is of a hand-coloured woodcut, A Perspective View of the Magnificent Structure Erected in the Green Park for the Royal Fire Works exhibited the 27 of April 1749, on account of the General Peace. Handel's Music for the Royal Fireworks is, of course, included in today's programme.

The ZBS Radio Hour

Then join us at 11am and 7pm Pacific Time, that's 19:00 and 03:00 GMT, 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 3 of Return to Inverness. Then at the bottom of the hour it's Ruby the Galactic Gumshoe, in Part 3 of Ruby 5.

Off the Shelf

And join us at 1pm Pacific Time (21:00 GMT) for another edition of Off the Shelf, our regular series on books and the people who love them.Today, an interview with Donna Fletcher Crow, author of The Monastery Murders series. Read more about the programme at The Bookstacks.

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.

From the Library: Pianoforte Performance

On this day in 1853, Henry Engelhard Steinway, a German immigrant to New York, founded his new company, Steinway & Sons, in a loft on Varick Street in Manhattan, to make pianos of the finest quality. Henry and his sons went on to build possibly the best-known name in pianoforte craft in the world.

Henry had built 482 pianos by hand in his native Germany. Number 483, the first made by the new company, was sold to a New York family for the princely sum of $500.

Over the next three decades, Steinway's company essentially developed the modern piano, introducing 127 patents and dramatically improving the design of the instrument. Steinway's musical innovations were both an art and a science: the 19th century was a time of scientific discovery, not least the birth of the science of acoustics.

In 1866, the company opened the Steinway Hall, a 2000-seater auditorium and home for the New York Philharmonic. By this time, the company had moved to new premises in Astoria, Queens, and built the Steinway Village, which located all the materials and craftspeople required to build Steinway pianos together in one place.

In recognition of the Steinway anniversary, today's programme features piano music and piano composers, including a wide range of material, primarily but not exclusively in a classical vein. As usual there will be a few surprises - music of Erik Satie performed by chamber orchestra and solo Moog synthesiser, for example, and a collection of classical pieces interpreted by David Rees-Williams - and a few special treats, like the original piano version of Mussorgsky's Pictures At An Exhibition,  but throughout the day you'll be treated to some wonderful music for the pianoforte. And if you'd like to read more about the history of Steinway, here's the History page of their web site.

The ZBS Radio Hour

Then join us at 11am and 7pm Pacific Time, that's 19:00 and 03:00 GMT, 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 Return to Inverness. Then at the bottom of the hour it's Ruby the Galactic Gumshoe, in 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.

From the Library: Russian Classics

From today, Elrik Merlin takes over the mid-week slot on gullar sahir's main stream, exchanging days with Otenth Paderborn, who now programmes Tuesdays. Elrik Merlin writes:

"Traditionally, Otenth has played a 'World Wednesdays' programme on this day, and although he will now be playing his own unique collection of world and other music on Tuesdays, I thought I'd start my Wednesday slot off with some music from a particular part of the world, and I've chosen to showcase the impressive collection of Russian classical composers. I'll be playing Russian classics from the likes of Borodin, Mussorgsky, Shostakovich, Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky and many more."

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.

We Wish You a gullar sahir Christmas!

Today we will be bringing you a selection of seasonal music from many of the genres we cover on gullar sahir's Main Stream, from Early Music to New Age, including classical, folk and other genres.

In addition we'll be bringing you radio drama in two segments: The ZBS Radio Hour at its regular times - 11am and 7pm Pacific (19:00 and 03:00 GMT) where we will be bringing our two current adventures to a close*; and also the complete gullar sahir Players presentation of A Christmas Carol, in three parts, back to back.

Included in the music programming today will be a special treat: a compilation of excellent Christmas music, mainly in a classical and Early Music vein, originally compiled by John Whiting, a staff member of the famous KPFA radio station in Berkeley in the 1960s. He writes,

"When I joined the staff of the UC Berkeley Music Library in 1958, I was asked to put together a selection of appropriate music for the University Library’s Christmas party. For a couple of delightful weeks I spent my spare time going through various record collections, including my own, and making a selection of Christmas music, ancient and modern, that avoided the usual war-horses. (Bing Crosby’s lugubrious rendition of Silent Night was conspicuous by its absence.) The tapes were played every subsequent Christmas.

"Four years later at KPFA I put them up as miscellany to fill the odd gaps in the broadcast schedule during the Christmas season. In 1966 I brought the masters with me to London, where, as sound technology evolved, I transferred them successively to compact cassette, then to minidisk, then to CD and ultimately into mp3..."

John Whiting's compilation lasts for two hours and will be broadcast at 4am and 4pm Pacific (noon and midnight GMT). His programme notes list some of the pieces included in the programme:

• Corelli, Christmas Concerto   First of several recordings by I Musici
• A Mediaeval Christmas    New York Pro Musica, conducted by Noah Greenberg. 
• Traditional French carols    Choral/instrumental arrangements from an LP that a friend had brought back from France.
• Benjamin Britten, Ceremony of Carols   Conducted by the composer. (The pronounciation and intonation of the Danish boys choir leaves something to be desired.)
• Traditional Early English Carols   Performed by Alfred Deller and the Deller Consort.
• Hans Leo Hassler, Motets   Deutsche Grammophon Archiv.
• Hector Berlioz, L’Enfance du Christ   Boston Symphony, conducted by Charles Munch.
• J. S. Bach, Christmas Oratorio, Opening Chorus & Sinfonia   Deutsche Grammophon Archiv ARC3079. This was one  of the great German conductor Fritz Lehmann’s last recordings before his death in 1955; Gunther Arndt conducted the last two of the six cantatas in 1956. I still have the original LPs.
• Music of Medieval Court and Countryside  Russell Oberlin, New York Pro Musica conducted by Noah Greenberg. Half a century ago the fans of Russell Oberlin and Alfred Deller were as passionate in their divergence as the followers of Stravinsky and Schoenberg. We in the Oberlin camp prized his instrumental purity and austerity and his extended range, totally free of falsetto; today I metaphorically embrace them both.

Here's a quick-reference guide to today's special programming elements:

4am PST/12:00 GMT: A KPFA Christmas

11am PST/19:00 GMT: ZBS Radio Hour

1pm PST/21:00 GMT: The gullar sahir Players Present: A Christmas Carol 

4pm PST/00:00 GMT: A KPFA Christmas

7pm PST/03:00 GMT: ZBS Radio Hour

9pm PST/05:00 GMT: The gullar sahir Players Present: A Christmas Carol

* Following today's programme, the ZBS Radio Hour will be on hiatus until the last Saturday in January, when we will be beginning two new adventures.

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.

From the Library: Piano-issimo

Today we explore the world of classical piano music, including all your favourite piano concertos - Grieg, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, Gershwin and many more; along with solo piano works by the likes of Faure, Poulenc, Chopin, Debussy and Ravel... and some unusual pieces from lesser-known composers like Louis Moreau Gottschalk. In addition, we're featuring some of the works of Erik Satie, and we don't just mean the Gymnopedies, nice though they are.

There are also some slightly unusual instruments on the programme today, such as a "proto-piano", the Fortepiano. Other unusual instruments in today's programme include the Pianola and the Reproducing Piano. The Pianola was an attachment to a regular piano, with hammers that pressed on the keys in response to instructions from a punched paper roll. The tempo and dynamics were supplied by the operator, who pedalled more or less furiously to get the desired effect. The Reproducing Piano takes that one stage further, with the pianoroll mechanism built-in and with a recording capability too, which could capture a player's dynamics.

It's a veritable feast of classical and neo-classical piano music today on gullar sahir, and we do hope you enjoy it.

And don't forget to join us at 11am and 7pm SLT (19:00 and 0:300 UK time) for the first instalments of our two thrilling new ZBS serials: Dreams of Rio, which features wonderful live atomospheres captured in Brazil; and, at the half-hour, Ruby 3: The Invisible World, brought to you courtesy of our friends at ZBS.org. You can tune in at home, or join us in the Clarendon Conservatory in New Babbage (http://slurl.com/secondlife/New%20Babbage/218/29/104).

Today's programme is presented by Elrik Merlin and produced by gullar sahir in conjunction with the Alexandrian Free Library Consortium of Second Life. You can listen to the programme now at http://loudcity.com/stations/radio-riel/tune_in; outside the US, tune to http://main.radioriel.org in-world, or simply click here if your browser is configured to launch a player automatically.

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.

From the Library: Music for Shakespeare

John William Waterhouse's painting of Miranda and The Tempest (1916)

Today's programme features music written to accompany Shakespeare's plays, in particular Romeo & Juliet, The Tempest and A Midsummer Night's Dream by such composers as Purcell, Prokofiev, Sibelius, Sullivan, Walton and, of course, Mendelssohn.

In addition we'll hear some other pieces in a Shakespearian vein, such as settings of some of the Sonnets, and some contemporary quotations from theatre-goers. These latter, along with some Elizabethan incidental music for some of the plays, come from the wonderful albums released by Shakespeare's Globe, the marvellous recreation of the Globe Theatre on London's South Bank, where you can experience Shakespeare in as close to the original theatrical environment as is possible today. For more details on Shakespeare's Globe, please visit their web site.

The musical genres represented today are quite extensive, from Early Music, through orchestral classical settings, to the relatively modern interpretations of The Third Ear Band's music for Polanski's Macbeth and Principal Edwards' Magic Theatre. All this will make for a varied programme.

Then join us at 6pm Pacific for Mondays at Madhu's: a programme of world music presented weekly by Carter Denja live from Madhu's Café. This week it's International Jazz – more details here.

Today's programme is presented by Elrik Merlin and produced by gullar sahir in association with the Alexandrian Free Library Consortium of Second Life. You can listen now at 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.

From the Libray - Random Riel

With Main covering the opening of the Seraph Club on Friday night, I've decided to put today's broadcast on random. A selection of some 80+ hours of music means you shouldn't hear the same track twice but who knows! Until this evening I hope you enjoy a random selection of tunes from my library.

From the Library is produced by gullar sahir in conjunction with the Alexandrian Free Library Consortium of Second Life. You can listen to the programme now in-world at http://music.radioriel.org, or click one of the buttons below. Today's programme is presented by Edward Pearse.

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