Two Pillars of the Baroque EMS Sun 21st

[ardcarp]

Hercules at the Crossroads

The ancient Greek tale, Hercules at the Crossroads, sees the man of the moment offered a choice between Vice and Virtue. Personifications of each visit him to offer the option of a pleasant and easy life, or a hard but glorious one. It was all the rage in the Renaissance, inspiring writers and artists and remained so to the time of Bach and Handel. Two pillars of the Baroque, each knowing something of pleasure and toil, and each setting this Herculean conundrum in his own style. Which will you choose?

Music comes from recordings of Bach's secular cantata "Laßt uns Sorgen, laßt uns wachen", BWV.213 and Handel's 1750 oratorio "The Choice of Hercules".

Presented by Hannah French.

[Note comments about the earliness of early music in previous thread!]

[ardcarp]

Much recycling...and precycling... from both. Some Bach played ludicrously fast!

[AuntDaisy]

Fascinating Hannah French tweet about recording this EMS. Sticklebricks & Grove's Dictionary of M&M - a rare & ingenious combination.

Hannah French @hannahcfrench 8:44 PM · Jun 19, 2022
A repeat today on the @BBCRadio3
Early Music Show: - Hercules at the Crossroads. The ancient Greek conundrum taken on by #Bach and #Handel.
Made back in lockdown when there was no choice, the only route was: The French Bedroom Floor Studio.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000k8xz

Hannah French @hannahcfrench 9:02 PM · Jun 19, 2022
I think the sticklebrick mic holder was my greatest achievement of lockdown. My daughter eventually gave up hope of getting them back, but they held the mic for hundreds of hours of @BBCRadio3 broadcasts - 95 editions of RecordReviewXtra for a start!

[AuntDaisy]

Hannah French sticklebrick update & reply from Ian Skelly.

Hannah French @hannahcfrench 12:36 PM · Jun 21, 2022
Spoke too soon using the past tense with sticklebricks for @BBCRadio3 broadcasts.
Turns out they’re useful when strikes strike too. In fact, perhaps these were strike-uhl-bricks.

Ian Skelly @Ianskellyradio3 1:39 PM · Jun 21, 2022
That's much smarter than my emergency rig for the afternoon show today @BBCRadio3. And YOU can rebuild it if you get bored!

Hannah French @hannahcfrench 1:50 PM · Jun 21, 2022·
It's in dire need of a rebuild, which says excellent things about working with @themerelistener! I'd forgotten how often pins&needles strike in the French Bedroom Floor Studio- next sticklebrick project may need to be a bespoke chair situation. Or a house move... (real bricks)