On the WRTI homepage is my first-ever podcast for them. It’s the mini-review I wrote last year of A Grand Celebration, the Philadelphia Orchestra, conducted by Rossen Milanov, accompanying Peter Richard Conte on the Wanamaker Organ at Macy’s. You can listen here. It focuses on the main piece of the CD, the Joseph Jongen Sinfonia Concertante, composed for this organ and this orchestra.
Wanamaker Organ Day is tomorrow, Saturday, June 25th, the center of a bustle of activity around the world’s largest functional musical instrument. Check out the Friends of the Wanamaker Organ website for information on this and my friend Rick Seifert’s sound-and-image tribute to the Wanamaker Organ in Greek Hall on Sunday, June 26th.
I “voiced” the review (which jargon I’m now picking up means that I spoke the review into a microphone), and grabbed audio from the CD for a bed under the voice. Tricky, to get the right music to match what I’m talking about, leaving time for the music, and time for the words, fading in and out to (I hope) make it interesting.
Actually, I edit the copy somewhat, because hearing spoken words is a different experience from reading them on the page, so there’s some little changes from the original copy to the podcast. Those who do this all the time know this, of course, whereas I’m just learning. But anyway, take a listen, and by all means check out the CD, and the celebrations at Macy’s if you can.