Winter Orgy® Period 2018

Once again, an Orgy Period has begun on WHRB without my realizing it. Here's a link to the Program Guide. (I just realized as I wrote it that "a link to the program guide" has the same cadence as "a link to the '45," which is a slogan on Drambuie labels referring to Bonnie Prince Charlie's rebellion of 1745.)

As you can see, I missed the Warhorse Orgy on Sunday; and the Ballet Orgy is already in progress and will continue tomorrow and Thursday..

Orgies still to come include:
     Comic Opera Overture on Dec. 7,
     Charles Gounod Orgy, Dec. 9 & 10,
     Oliver Knussen Retrospective at 5:00 a.m. on Dec. 11,
     Shakespeare Orgy, Dec. 11 & 12,
     Viennese Society for Private Musical Performances, Dec. 13,
     Asian Composers, Dec. 14,
     Female Contemporary Composers, Dec. 15, and
     Deutsche Grammophon Orgy, Dec. 17-20.

In general the classical music orgies are in the time slot when WHRB normally plays classical music: 1:00 to 10:00 p.m.

There is also this calendar which lists all the orgies, classical and other, without specifying times or works to be performed. Note also that every Saturday afternoon, beginning in December and continuing through the season, WHRB presents the Metropolitan Opera broadcasts.

Listen on air or on line over WHRB.

Spring Orgy® Period 2016

For any readers who have not read about earlier Orgy® Periods, WHRB is a largely student-run station at Harvard University, and the orgy periods began as a way for disc jockeys who were also students to avoid spending a lot of time deciding on programming during university exam periods. They would just play everything they had by a particular composer or performer, and then move on to another.

This spring's Orgy Period began yesterday, as usual, with the Warhorse Orgy. Today, until 9:00 p.m., it's the Pierre Boulez as Conductor Orgy, which started at 9:00 a.m. It will continue on May 3 and 4 from 9:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. both days.

Subsequent Orgies are

• Harnoncourt Orgy — May 5, 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.; May 6, 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.; May 7, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.; and May 8, 7:00 p.m. to midnight
• Chicago Orgy (Chicago Orchestra, that is) — May 9, noon to 10:00 p.m.
• Gesualdo at 450 Orgy — May 10, noon to 10:00 p.m.
• Shakespeare Orgy — May 11,  7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.;  May 12, 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.; May 13, 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.; May 14, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.
• Boulez as Composer Orgy — May 14, 4:00 to 10:30 p.m.; May 15, 1:30 to 7:00 p.m.

All timings, especially endings, are approximate.

It's striking, to me, anyway, that Gesualdo and Shakespeare were contemporaries. I tend to think of Gesualdo as earlier, for some reason. So we can hear music from the time of Shakespeare, followed in subsequent days by music inspired by Shakespeare.

Between these classical music Orgies are some Orgies of jazz and rock music. There will also be some regularly scheduled programming and, toward the end of the month, the Harvard Commencement and surrounding events. For the complete program guide, go to https://www.whrb.org/programming/program-guide .

You can listen by clicking the "Listen" button at https://www.whrb.org or, if you're within range of their signal, over 95.3 FM.