#5159, Four Funerals and a Wedding
Music provides the soundtrack for a few commonly momentous occasions in all our lives; weddings and funerals being two of them. It’s not surprising to hear so many laments and wedding marches; but it can be illuminating to hear the wide range of various, multicultural interpretations of these major life events back-to-back.
American jazz trumpeter’s "Funeral Dirge" is a sorrowful response to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina; a piece deeply rooted in jazz in true New Orleans fashion.
Russian composer Ljova’s “Culai: V. Funeral Doina (For Culai)” blends traditional Romanian and classical music to pay his respects to the late violinist and vocalist of Taraf de Haïdouks; a Romanian Gypsy ensemble that visited New Sounds studios for a live performance back in the 1990s.
Sir John Tavener’s “Funeral Canticle”, on the other hand, is a heartbreaking choral masterpiece, composed to commemorate his father. An excerpt from New Sounds host John Schaefer’s conversation with Tavener about death, recorded in Sussex, England decades ago, accompanies the ethereal vocals performed by The Academy of Ancient Music.
In contrast to all these compositions, Christian Löffler’s “Funebre” stands out as a modern rework of Beethoven’s funeral march from the Eroica Symphony, sampling recordings from Deutsche Grammophon’s archives in a synth-laden, ambient setting.
Red Baraat and Sunny Jain’s “Punjabi Wedding Song”, which you’ll likely find to be more exuberant than most wedding marches from the West, ends this episode on a high note. - Sırma Munyar
(Photo of Sir John Tavener by Simone Canetty-Clarke)
Program #5159, Four Funerals and a Wedding (First aired 7/8/26)
ARTIST: Christian Löffler
WORK: Funebre [1:38]
RECORDING: Parallels: Shellac Reworks (Beethoven)
SOURCE: Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Berlin
INFO: https://www.deutschegrammophon.com/en/catalogue/products/parallels-shellac-reworks-christian-loeffler-12205
ARTIST: Terence Blanchard
WORK: Funeral Dirge [5:54]
RECORDING: A Tale of God's Will (A Requiem for Katrina)
SOURCE: Blue Note Records
INFO: https://www.terenceblanchard.com/album/a-tale-of-gods-will-a-requiem-for-katrina/
ARTIST: Ljova, Brooklyn Rider
WORK: Culai: V. Funeral Doina (For Culai) [5:04]
RECORDING: A Walking Fire
SOURCE: Mercury Classics
INFO: https://www.discogs.com/release/5449202-Brooklyn-Rider-A-Walking-Fire
ARTIST: Sir John Tavener, Orchestra of The Academy of Ancient Music, Paul Goodwin, George Mosley
WORK: Funeral Canticle [14:12]
RECORDING: Tavener: Eternity's Sunrise
SOURCE: Harmonia Mundi Fr.
INFO: https://www.harmoniamundi.com/en/albums/eternitys-sunrise/
ARTIST: Christian Löffler
WORK: Funebre [13:41]
RECORDING: Parallels: Shellac Reworks (Beethoven)
SOURCE: Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Berlin
INFO: https://www.deutschegrammophon.com/en/catalogue/products/parallels-shellac-reworks-christian-loeffler-12205
ARTIST: Red Baraat, Sunny Jain
WORK: Punjabi Wedding Song (Balle Balle)
RECORDING: Chaal Baby [5:28]
SOURCE: SinJ Records
INFO: https://www.discogs.com/master/1637083-Red-Baraat-Chaal-Baby
