Classically Speaking

The year’s first Christmas album arrived today.

The Cherry Tree by Anonymous 4

Four months before Christmas! Do the craft stores even have their holiday stuff out yet? I wish I could resent it more, but the singing is very pretty.

Previously: Christmas music…too soon? and New Old-Fashioned Christmas Music

West Virginia PBS broadcasts a lot of excellent concerts, plays, operas, and dance programs, all stuff that I love. And I’m always missing them. I’m playing a rehearsal, teaching class, out at a concert, or I just plain forget.*

I’m happy that we now have a system set up where you can watch many PBS programs online, through the WV Public Broadcasting website. Check it out here.

For those who love music and always wish that they could know more about it, I highly recommend the Keeping Score series with Michael Tilson Thomas. These “behind the music” specials are engaging introductions to classical composers and their work, including Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique, Beethoven’s Eroica, The Rite of Spring and Igor Stravinsky, Charles Ives and his Holidays Symphony, Copland and the American Sound, and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5.  You can now watch them all for free on our site.

There are just a few Great Performances videos so far, but I expect it to grow. I’m looking forward to catching up with Leonard Bernstein tribute at Carnegie Hall and a concert by the Los Angeles Philharmonic conducted by Gustavo Dudamel. I would also bet that Sir Ian McKellan is rather good in King Lear.

A lot of other PBS favorites are online, including Masterpiece, Antiques Roadshow, History Detectives, Julia Child, Austin City Limits, and the National Parks documentary series by Ken Burns. Check them all out here on the new WV PBS Video site. It might be slow at first, but the load rates are supposed to improve when the site is used more (which sounds backwards, but cool). They also promise to add new programs every week.  

Find something that you like?  Anything missing that you wish we would add?  Leave a comment to let us know. 

* Okay, and sometimes I’m watching Project Runway.