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Health & Fitness

31 Days of Spooky (and not-so-spooky) Classical Music

October 1 - Bach Toccata and Fugue in d, BWV 565...Used for door knockers! Original organ version performed by E. Power Biggs on SONY 92769. (Buy now http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=90649@source=VENEZ)  and for orchestra arranged by Leopold Stokowsi as used in the movie Fantasia on EMI 65614 (Buy now http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=173556&source=VENEZ

October 2 - Mussorgsky Night on Bald Mountain...Again, used in Fantasia and again arranged by Leopold Stokowski. Depiction of a Witches Sabbath. Cala 546 (Buy now http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=176354&source=VENEZ)

October 3 - Berlioz Symphonie fantastique...Fourth movement has a beheading by guillotine and the fifth movement is the Dance of the Witches Sabbath. SONY 60968 performed by Leonard Bernstein with Lenny's explanation of the music and the imagery (Buy now http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=5149&source=VENEZ)

October 4 - Macbeth's Witches' Chorus, Tre volte miagola, from Macbeth. Apex 40836 as a budget with Carlo Rizzi (Buy now http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=55689&source=VENEZ)  or Decca 430226 at full price with Sir Georg Solti (Buy now http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=167117&source=VENEZ)

October 5 - Keeping with the theme of witches and opera, there's the Witches' Ride in Puccini's opera Le Villi. CBS Masterworks 76890 (Buy now http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=269719&source=VENEZ)

October 6 - And in keeping with the idea of opera, witches and CURSES, there's the Stride la vampa! which follows the Anvil Chorus. Decca 421310 (Buy now http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=147117&source=VENEZ)

October 7 - One more work about witches, there's The Witches of Eastwick and the Devil's Dance by John Williams. Available on Philips 446403 with lots of other scary classical music! (Buy now http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=185028&source=VENEZ)

October 8 - One of the most popular Halloween works is thanks to Alfred Hitchcock and his TV series, where he used the Funeral March of a Marionette by Charles Gounod, which is available on Mercury 434332. (Buy now http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=7684&source=VENEZ)

October 9 - Also on Mercury 434332 is the Orpheus in the Underworld Overture by Jacques Offenbach. An operetta based on the Orpheus legend where Orpheus asks to save his love from the Underworld. (Buy now http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=7684&source=VENEZ)

October 10 - Continuing on with the Devil, we return to Gounod and the opera Faust. Loaded with beautiful melodies, magic and selling one's soul to the devil. Decca 470563 for the complete opera (Buy now  http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=61418&source=VENEZ) ; Ballet music Decca Eloquence 4762724 (Buy now http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=103089&source=VENEZ)

October 11 - Staying with Faust and the Devil as Mephistopheles, there's the opera by Boito by the same name, but written as Mefistofele. Complete opera on 2 CD's, EMI 66501 (Buy now http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=8033&source=VENEZ)

October 12 - With more about the Devil, there's Auber's Fra Diavolo, Brother Devil, which is an operetta about a highway bandit, no scary music...and there's a Laurel and Hardy movie based on the operetta! Philips 411450 for the Overture to Fra Diavolo  (Buy now http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=176052&source=VENEZ)

October 13 - Returning to music from Fantasia, there's The Sorcerer's Apprentice by Paul Dukas. Remember Mickey Mouse and the Brooms? James Levine and the Berlin Philharmonic on DG 419617 with the wonderful Symphony No. 3 by Saint Saens. (Buy now http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=5374&source=VENEZ)

October 14 - And speaking of Saint Saens, there's the Danse Macabre, the Dance of Death for Violin and Orchestra. Renaud Capucon on violin and Daniel Harding conducting the German Chamber Philharmonic Bremen on Virgin Classics 545482. (Buy now http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=49950&source=VENEZ)

October 15 - Mozart's Don Giovanni. A stone memorial comes to life to ask Don Giovanni to repent his sins and when Giovanni doesn't, well, you'll hear! Overture and highlights on Philips 438494 (Buy now http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=526552&source=VENEZ), complete opera Harmonia Mundi 901964 (Buy now  http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=176942&source=VENEZ)

October 16 - Sticking with Mozart and the supernatural, there's The Magic Flute, which not only has a magic flute but magic bells as well! No scary music, just lots of magic! Complete opera DG 449749 (Buy now  http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=2630&source=VENEZ); Overture and excerpts, Philips 438495  (Buy now http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=4175&source=VENEZ)

October 17 - Sticking with both opera and the supernatural, we have from Carl Maria von Weber his opera Der Freischutz, the Free Shooter, about a magic bullet. The Overture can be found on RCA 62712  (Buy nowhttp://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=66346&source=VENEZ); complete opera on DG 000459302 (Buy now http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=103551&source=VENEZ)

October 18 - Another Weber opera dealing with magic and fairies is Oberon. The Overture is on SONY 47601 (Buy now http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=208062&source=VENEZ); complete opera on DG 000616902 (Buy now http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=128539&source=VENEZ)

October 19 - Sticking with magic, there's the Magic Fire Music which Wotan uses to protect Brunhilde while she sleeps in Die Walkure. Orchestral available on SONY 46286  (Buy now http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=1442&source=VENEZ); complete opera on DG 001571902  (Buy nowhttp://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=587937&source=VENEZ)

October 20 - Staying with Wagner, how about his ghost ship, The Flying Dutchman? Overture on EMI 826674 (Buy now http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=187281&source=VENEZ); complete opera on Decca 436418  (Buy nowhttp://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=171382&source=VENEZ)

October 21 - Then there's the Ritual Fire Dance from Manuel de Falla's El amor brujo, or Love, the Magician. SONY 92986 with Leonard Bernstein conducting.  (Buy now  http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=101996&source=VENEZ)

October 22 - Going back to French composers, we have the Chasseur Maudit, or Accursed Huntsman of Caesar Franck, available on Erato 88167. (Buy nowhttp://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=175670&source=VENEZ)

October 23 - From accursed to enchanted and The Enchanted Lake of Russian composer Anatol Liadov, available on Telarc 80657. (Buy now http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=150647&source=VENEZ)

October 24 - Franz Liszt wrote two works that fit our theme of Halloween. The first is the Totentanz, or Dance of Death, which can be found on SONY 48167 (Buy now  http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=2293&source=VENEZ). The other is 

October 25 - The Mephisto Waltz, or Devil's Waltz, available on EMI 35732 with pianist Augustin Anievas. (Buy nowhttp://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=212164&source=VENEZ) Also available on this disc is the Piano Sonata in b, of which the slow movement is used in the old Warner Brothers cartoons to represent funerals, as this sonata is subtitled The Funeral Sonata!

October 26 - Ballets that fit our Halloween program include Leonard Bernstein's Dybbuk, concerning the dislocated soul of a deceased person. Available on Naxos 8559280. (Buy now http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=145186&source=VENEZ)

October 27 - Leonard Bernstein's friend and mentor Aaron Copland wrote an early ballet freely based on the Nosferatu/Dracula legend called Grohg, which is available on Decca 443203. (Buy now http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=144727&source=VENEZ) 

October 28 - Sticking to the Dracula legend, there's the opera by Heinrich Marschner, Der Vampyr, which is available along with excerpts from the opera on Virgin Classics 59294. (Buy now http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=169770&source=VENEZ)

October 29 - One of the most frightening poems in literature was set to equally frightening music by Franz Schubert with Der Erlkonig on DG 457747, sung by Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. (Buy now http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=7171&source=VENEZ)  An added bonus on this recording is Der Konig in Thule, another Goethe poem whose idea appears in both Goethe's Faust and the operas based on that poem.

October 30 - Donizetti's opera The Elixir of Love has a magic potion in it (well, sort of) with no spooky music at all! EMI 48280 with Nicolai Gedda singing. (Buy now http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=556182&source=VENEZ)

October 31 - And finally, by Giuseppe Tartini, there comes a sonata for Violin and Keyboard known as The Devil's Trill Sonata! Available on Hyperion 66430. (Buy now https://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=4672&source=VENEZ) 

October 32 - I couldn't leave this traversal of scary music without telling you about possibly the scariest of all compositions, which is the Britten Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Orchestra. The middle movement, The Dirge, and you've got to trust me on this, is scarier than almost any movie soundtrack you've ever experienced! And Dennis Brain (Horn) and Peter Pears (Tenor) are the two who brought this work to us! Enjoy! (Buy now http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=136340&source=VENEZ)  

Thank you for checking out our 31 days of spooky (and a work or two of not so spooky) classical music for Halloween! 

Donald Venezia

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