Desert Island Discs, Part 2

I decided to link to some more of the music I'd take to a desert island.

Handel, "Eternal Source of Light Divine." Kathleen Battle's voice with Wynton Marsalis' trumpet, doing a piece Handel wrote for Queen Anne's birthday.

Bellini, "Qual Cor Tradisti" from Norma.  A duet just before the finale.  Solo arias get most of the attention, but for me opera is first and foremost about duets and trios and characters interacting! (Not to mention choruses...)

Verdi, "O Terra, Addio" from Verdi.  One of the great opera finales.  Verdi had mixed feelings about the Risorgimento:  his name became an acronym for "Victor Emmanuel, King of Italy," of course, but his own sympathies were republican.  Aida was surely his way of dealing with the Risorgimento and Italian nationalism. (That the enemy was Ethiopia proved prophetic for Italy!) The moment when Amneris prays to the gods to give her peace always gets to me--Verdi had a Catholic way of giving unsympathetic characters a moment of grace.

Stephen Foster, "Hard Times Come Again No More." Another number from the PBS special Songs of the Civil War, here sung by a group including Kate and Anna McGarrigle and Rufus Wainwright.

Harry McClintock, "The Big Rock Candy Mountain." Classic hobo song with an American "The grass is always greener..." spirit.  When I was little we had a record with a more kid-friendly version (no cigarettes or alcohol). In O Brother Where Art Thou? the Coen Brothers used the original version in their soundtrack, which IMHO put the movie to shame!

Leroy Anderson, "Trumpeter's Lullaby." Did I mention that I love berceuses?  Anderson was an instrumental genius!

Miklos Rosza, El Cid soundtrack.  Charlton Heston had one of his best roles in Anthony Mann's 1961 medieval epic, and Rosza composed a particularly handsome score.  IMHO, the best movie composers are the true heirs to the classical composers! (This was the last vinyl album I bought.)

Sam Cooke, "Cupid." Early soul!

Elvis Presley, "Memories." A late Elvis single, co-written by Mac Davis.  A song I like to sing at karaoke!

The Moody Blues, "Ride My Seesaw." The opening recitation reminds me of Spinal Tap, but who cares? This single shows the influence of Phil Spector's "wall of sound." (Another karaoke song for me.)