Category Archives: Programming
Big Band and Swing
Today we’re taking a trip back to the heyday of the big bands in the first half of the 20th century, featuring a wide range of Big Band jazz and swing.
The programme includes a mixture of original period recordings and more recent material.
You can also hear episodes of Engines of Our Ingenuity from the University of Houston every four hours from 12:00 UTC
And tune in today at 12 noon or 4pm Pacific (20:00 or 00:00 UTC) for a new episode of Where’ve You Been?, where we look at places and events across the Second Life grid (see separate entry).
The Grove: New Age Music By A Starlit Sea
Join us today — Saturday 13 February at 22:00 GMT / 2pm Pacific Time — for the first in an occasional series featuring 90 minutes of New Age music, presented from The Grove, a beautiful specially-created environment in the virtual world of Second Life — http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Chestnut%20Hills/127/78/3805 - or simply tune in at http://main.vcradio.org
The Grove harks back to the musical experience of tuning in to the early “New Age” radio stations on the West Coast of the USA in their heyday in the late 1980s: stations like KTWV, “The Wave” in Los Angeles and KLRS (“Colors”) in Santa Cruz. You’ll hear a wealth of music of the period, primarily but not exclusively instrumental, featuring both synthesisers and natural instruments. A little more lively than “space music” in most cases, the music is by and large tuneful, melodic and relaxing.
These radio stations and their compatriots in other markets gradually shifted towards “smooth jazz”, “New Adult Contemporary” and beyond, and thus lost some of the atmosphere that the stations originally created. We hope the show will bring back some memories if you were there at the time, and present some harmonious musical vistas if the music is new to you.
Pastorale
It may be freezing and snowing outside, but just think: Spring is not that far away. Tune in today for a programme of melodic, often orchestral music as we feature music that evokes the natural world in all its glory.
And don’t forget that at 22:00 GMT / 2pm Pacific, we’ll be holding our first gathering at The Grove for 90 minutes of New Age music — and if you are in Second Life, do join us in The Grove: SLURL http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Chestnut%20Hills/127/78/3805
The Black Mass: Fridays at 4pm Pacific
Join us on Friday at 4pm Pacific time (midnight Fri/Sat GMT), join us for another episode from the landmark radio drama series The Black Mass, created at the Pacifica radio station KPFA in Berkeley, California, over fifty years ago. In 30 chilling tales of mystery, imagination and the human mind, The Black Mass brings you some of literature’s most haunting stories, by masters of the craft.
Note that episodes will not start until the track playing at the top of the hour has finished, so the actual start time of the episode may be a few minutes after the hour.
Our apologies: the show scheduled for Friday 12th did not go out due to a technical issue.
The Black Mass artwork was produced by Terry Lightfoot.
Ancient Journeys
Today, Weds 10 February, join us on a journey across the Ancient World, guided by the ancient and mysterious Piri Reis Map.
We visit Ancient Greece, Rome and beyond to encounter the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. We rediscover lost Atlantis, the ancient civilisations of South America, cross the Pacific and even travel to Antarctica and the Moon.
Genre Day: Music of the Baroque
Today, Saturday February 6th, we explore the music of the Baroque era. We’ll be including the work of a wide range of composers. Many will be familiar; other perhaps less so — or they may have written pieces that we know well but have no idea of who composed them — for example English composer Thomas Arne, who wrote Rule Britannia but also a range of other pieces which deserve more interest than is usually paid to them.
The Black Mass: Fridays at 4pm Pacific
Every Friday at 4pm Pacific time (midnight Fri/Sat GMT), join us for an episode from the landmark radio drama series The Black Mass, created at the Pacifica radio station KPFA in Berkeley, California, over fifty years ago. In 30 chilling tales of mystery, imagination and the human mind, The Black Mass brings you some of literature’s most haunting stories, by masters of the craft.
Realised with the minimum of audio equipment, the performances were quite remarkable and trod ground seldom covered by radio drama before — or since. The series includes a little over 30 episodes of eight to 30 minutes each. They will be randomly selected for broadcast.
Note that episodes will not start until the track playing at the top of the hour has finished, so the actual start time of the episode may be a few minutes after the hour.
New Series: Where’ve You Been?
Join Caledonia Skytower and Elrik Merlin on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 12 noon and 4pm Pacific/Second Life Time (8pm and midnight GMT) for Where’ve You Been? — our new series that goes out and about in Second Life, finding interesting places to visit and fun things to do.
We’ll usually cover one attraction in a show, but as this is the very first episode, we’re covering two! There’ll be a new episode every couple of weeks.
Genre Day: The Early Music Show
Today, Weds February 3rd, join us for a day of Early Music from the Renaissance period of North-West Europe. Many of today’s pieces are played on original and replica instruments, and there are some lively modern interpretations too. Composers range from the well known, such as Michael Praetorius and King Henry VIII (well, attributed) to people you may not have heard of.
“Early Music at Waterworks ‑12” by Mikeal Everett is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Piano-issimo
Join us today for a programme of piano music — mainly classical but not entirely.
In addition to some amazing piano concertos and other classical works, we’ll also be playing pieces like the “Denham Concertos” — pieces written to capitalise on the success of Richard Addinsell’s Warsaw Concerto from the film Dangerous Moonlight (the film-makers asked Rachmaninov to write a piece but he declined). These include Clive Richardson’s London Fantasia, originally to be titled Coventry Fantasia after the Midland city severely damaged in the Blitz of November 1940, but his publishers told him that London would sell better. This tremendous work musically traces a day in the life of a city at war.
There are other piano pieces from the movies too, but in addition there’s light music, solo and orchestral works, music-hall pieces arranged for piano, and much more. Do tune in!
Image: “piano keys” by mararie licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
