I’ve been posting longer things to listen to these last two days, largely because of the holiday that helps us all slow down and appreciate the finer things in life. I hope you’ll let me indulge on more time.

Growing up, my family had a number of traditions which took place over the Thanksgiving weekend. Thursday, we went to watch the marching band perform (two football teams would compete as the opening and closing acts to the performance.) Friday, we made about five pounds of chex mix and went to our town’s Christmas Tree lighting ceremony. On Saturday, we ate all five pounds of chex mix while we decorated the house and set up the Christmas tree – while listening to the Nutcracker.

There are a number of secular pieces that, for one reason or another, have become associated with the December holidays – La Boheme, Amahl and the Night Visitors – but of them all, the Nutcracker is king!

The story comes from the early 19th century tale by German author E. T. A. Hoffman, and it’s weird. Even so, it’s charming and cute, and makes for a great ballet which calls for a huge number of dancers, including many children. If you have any dancers in your family, you’ve no doubt been subjected to the Nutcracker multiple times.

It’s sentimental, maybe clichéd – but you gotta love it. After all, nobody can beat Tchaikovsky when it comes to the art of melody-writing.

For some people, today is a major shopping day. For others, it’s a day when post-Thanksgiving diets are begun (only to be abandoned by December 1st, when the “holiday diet” of cookies and candies begins.) For me, it is a day of repose. The only thing on my agenda is to eat leftovers.

Whether today is a “go get ’em” or a “no way am I taking off my pajamas” day for you, today’s piece will hit home. Like yesterday‘s Carmina Burana, you’ve heard the beginning part of today’s piece, but probably not the whole thing. The Stanley Kubrick film 2001 – A Space Odyssey made this piece so popular that most people identify it with the film rather than the philosophical novel which provided the piece’s original name – Thus Spoke Zarathustra.

If you’re heading out shopping, listen to the beginning. You’ll know when to stop. But when you come back, with arms full of packages and wallet empty of cash, and you realize there’s something big missing from your life – you can fill that empty hole by listening to the rest of Also sprach Zarathustra, by Richard Strauss.

Personal opinion about all of Strauss’ works: the horn is his father, he is the violin, and the waltzes are the Viennese audiences he had to write for (all three were love-hate relationships).

My favorite parts:

• the organ at 1:43 – the übermensch of instruments
• the über romantic string section, from 2:44-4:33
• the famous, creepy weird fugue that begins at 10:52
• the waltz at 21:04 – you can take Strauss out of Bavaria, but you can’t take the Bavaria out of Strauss
• so, pretty much, the whole piece

… they would sing this little aria out of Carl Orff‘s drunken oratorio, Carmina Burana.

You’ve heard Carmina Burana before – everyone has, thanks to the opening chorus. People can’t get enough of this one. You can find it in movies, video games, commercials, sports events, and flash mobs (I was there!) But unless you’ve gone to a performance of the complete work, you probably haven’t heard this selection.

It’s sort of the swan-song of, well, a swan – a swan who was roasted and eaten. Just pretend it’s a turkey and it’ll work fine for tomorrow’s “gobble till you wobble” meal.

While the performance below is okay, I wasn’t able to find a video of a performance that I really liked. This aria is written in a horrible range for a tenor to sing in – it was written to sound drunken and terrible. All the videos I found had singers who sounded too good, and the effect is lost. The awkward, silly bassoon solo at the begins sets the mood for some trashy singing. Perhaps tomorrow, after I feast on bird, I will record myself singing this, and post it tomorrow so you can hear what it should sound like.

I wish you safe travels if you are on the road or in the air today. Happy Thanksgiving!

When I was a swan, I was beautiful; I lived on the lakes.
O how miserable! Now I am charred and fiercely roasting! 
The servant turns me on a spit; I burn upon my pyre; the waiter serves me for dinner. 
O how miserable! Now I am charred and fiercely roasting!  
I lie upon a plate; I will never fly again; all I see are gnashing teeth. 
O how miserable! Now I am charred and fiercely roasting!