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Classical Pacific July 31st, 2017

John C. Zak
John C. Zak

Welcome to Classical Pacific for Monday, July 31st  on HPR 2. I’m your host, John Zak.  

Today, we dive deeply into music of Jules Massenet, Louis Moreau Gottschalk, and Mili Balakirev. We’ll also hear a wonderful orchestral suite from the musical, Carrousel.  What all these artists and the music we’ll hear have in common is a rich imagery that cracks  the imagination of the listener wide open. Massenet wrote music for the ballet and you can hear why he was in demand when you listen to four of his works today.

Louis Gottschalk was at the top of his game in his era and was the first American composer to receive accolades from “nose-in-the -air” Europe. Chopin loved Massenet’s compositions and his virtuosity. Raised in New Orleans, Gottschalk was a fascinating mix ethnically and culturally: Jewish and creole. He was an early advocate for abolishing slavery, and he stood firmly for public education. Oddly, we don’t hear his music so much these days...but we should...and we will today!

Tomorrow, Tuesday, August 1st is an important day at HPR.....Ten Dollar Tuesday. We are looking for 100 new members pledging ten dollars a month to support HPR. If you listen to these stations regularly, you  know that we offer programing unlike anything else available  in Hawaii......if you’ve thought about joining but have procrastinated, tomorrow is the first day of the rest of your life......join our HPR ‘ohana. Listen for details!

So, here’s a question and it’s not rhetorical one: What does music mean to you in your life?  How and when to you listen to music? And, most important, how does it make you feel? If you have some comments about this, please let me know. Send me an email through our HPR website. I might read some of the  comments on  the air and I would be quite interested to hear what you have to say!

As I mentioned some time ago, I am still looking for high-quality choral music from across Polynesia, particularly, S?moa and Tonga, and Maori music, as well. If you have access to that music and would be willing to share or to put me in contact with someone who might be able to assist in that regard, please let me know via e mail on this website or feel free to call the station (808) 955-8821 and leave me a message. And while we’re on the subject, what music from the Pacific region would you like to hear? Would you be interested in hearing more World Music, other classical artists? Any artists you especially love? Let me know!

Be sure to visit the Classical Pacific page on HPR’s website to listen to the podcast of my conversation with André Watts and Iggy Jang. If you have keiki in your life, to whom you want to introduce classical music, you will find this conversation especially interesting!
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Classical Pacific began in February, 2017, as a result of Hawaii Public Radio’s ongoing commitment to give listeners across Hawaii and around the world more of what they love, on two networks: HPR 1 and HPR 2. Airing five days a week at 3 P.M. Hawaii time, the series  features the finest of the world’s classical music, while also shining a spotlight on orchestras, artists, and composers of the Pacific region, including Polynesia, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, The U.S., Canada, China, Japan, Korea, Russia, Indonesia, New Zealand and Australia. We’ll also add spice with indigenous and World music that is creating new musical languages and collaborations worldwide.

Classical Pacific and all Hawaii Public Radio programs are available online at our website: hawaiipublicradio.org. You can also download the free app for your mobile device and take HPR with you whenever and wherever you travel! Just type   H - P - R in the search box of your App. store!

John Kalani Zak, the son of an airline executive father and a journalist mother, was born in Washington D. C. He has lived in and traveled to many locations around the globe, and is delighted to call Hawaiʻi his home.
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