Welcome to Shift, where Tom Allen takes you on a daily musical journey from the stalwarts of Classical music to the cutting edge of Contemporary tunes. Join us here on CBC music for a round-up of the stories of the day, some videos of music (or maybe just videos interesting to music fans) and a place to speak your voice.
Wednesday November 21st
Have you heard a piece of music too many times? The Juliard is a prestigious music school in New York, and that school has played them all more times than you can count. Their student-run newspaper has published a list of some of the most over-played classical pieces, claiming that students are instructed not to use these pieces to practice anymore. Could this be true? Or has a piece been repeated so many times that you'd support this idea?
On today's program, we'll play Ottorino Respighi's "Il Cucu". The Cuckoo bird is regularly referenced by composers for its distinctive song. But there is a much more menacing nature behind this bird. It regularly hides its eggs amongst other nests in order to have another bird raise their young. However, the wren has caught on. Check out this recent edition of CBC's Quirks and Quarks that explains the modern defenses the wren has developed to stop this cuckoo trickery.
(our on-air broadcast featured this piece being performed by the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra)
There's a piano virtuoso you may not have run into yet. And if you thought that women went insane for a teen heartthrob, just wait until you see what this guy can do with a set of balls:
They've passed a new law in San Francisco demanding people wear clothing. Which begs the question: were they not wearing it before? And no, no they were not. No shirts, no shoes, no problem. Until now.
You can contact us at SHIFT with your ideas, questions, or anything else by sending us a message on our Facebook page. Through email, you can reach show producers Alison Howard ( alison.howard@cbc.ca ) or Alex Redekop ( alex.redekop@cbc.ca ).