Radio Riel's URLs

I am pleased to announce that after two months of limbo, the Radio Riel URLs are up and running once more.

You can listen our streams by opening the following URLs in a media player that is external to Second Life (Windows Media Player, iTunes, WinAmp) or by entering the URL in the Music URL: field of the Media Tab in the About Land dialog box for your parcel.

Here are the "user friendly" URLs for our streams:

Radio Riel Main Stream = http://music.radioriel.org

Radio Riel Events = http://music2.radioriel.org

Radio Riel New Toulouse = http://music3.radioriel.org

Graceful* = http://music4.radioriel.org

The direct URLs still work, for example http://217.112.91.221:9004/live for Radio Riel Main, but we have configured these URLs for ease of use by Radio Riel listeners and Staff.

Thank you for sticking with us and tuning in while we worked this out!

* The "Graceful" Stream is Lady Soliel Snook's personal stream that we use from time to time for events.

From the Library: Mostly Mozart

Today's classical program on Radio Riel will feature the concerti of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with a bit of Bach, Vivaldi, and Haydn for variety.

From the Library is produced by Radio Riel in conjunction with the Caledon Library in Second Life. Today's program was produced by Otenth Paderborn.

For more information on the Caledon Library, current exhibits and the work of Second Life reference libraries in general, please visit the Caledon Library Web site, or one of their locations in-world.

You can listen now by visiting any Caledon Library branch in-world and press Play on your embedded music player. (If you want to listen off-world, eg in Winamp or iTunes, click here.) If you'd like to set your parcel music stream, use http://minor.slserver.com:9004/live.

Swanky Sunday: The Hotel Costes Series

And now for something completely different on a Sunday!

At 239 Rue St. Honoré in Paris is one of the city's most fabulous hotels...the Hôtel Costes. The Costes is luxurious and decadent, but its bar and courtyard café are so well known that they have inspired a collection of music.

Welcome to Swanky Sunday and the music of Stéphane Pompougnac's "Hôtel Costes" series. Today Radio Riel features all eleven albums from start to finish...one to eleven.

Radio Riel produces this program in conjunction with the Caledon Library in Second Life. Today's music originates from the music library of Gabrielle Riel.

For more information on the Caledon Library, current exhibits and the work of Second Life reference libraries in general, please visit the Caledon Library Web site, or one of their locations in-world.

You can listen to the program now at http://217.112.91.221:9004/live, or simply visit any Caledon Library branch in-world and press Play on your embedded music player.

WinterDance

Please join Miss Serra Anansi, Seneschelf of Winterfell, and Radio Riel presenter Otenth Paderborn from 2-4pm SLT today for the monthly WinterDance in the lovely Taure En Lor Ballroom, or listen at http://66.186.45.115:9012/live.

Music that makes you Smile

Today's programme features some of the comedy music from Edward Pearse's collection. Known for his deep appreciation of Weird Al Yankovic (some would say obsession) through to comedy classics of artists like Danny Kaye and Tom Lehrer. Often spending time tracking down the correct artists for assorted comedy songs that people have attributed to Yankovic or Bob Rivers.

Today's broadcast includes music by Ogden Edsl, Stan Freeburg, Billy Connolly, Julie Brown, Kip Adotta, The Firm, Allan Sherman, George Carlin, Eric Idle, Palast Orchester, Jonathan Coulton and the ever popular "And Many More".

There is some strong language, but it's good for you. Hold your nose and swallow.

Today's programme was produced by Edward Pearse. You can listen to it on our Main Stream as follows:

If you want to have the Radio Riel Main Stream playing on your parcel, please set the media music URL to: http://217.112.91.221:9004/live

If you want to listen off-world, simply click here.

From the Library: April Come She Will

In today's programme, Soliel Snook features a collection of traditional dance tunes to bring in the new month, some of which go back many centuries. Revived today in the form of Morris dancing and related genres such as English Country Dance (ECD), many of the tunes are familiar and popular today once again, as they were in the 16th century when the dances that became ECD were developed among the gentry, influenced by the folk dances of the time.

With contributions from a number of artists, today we will be featuring some of the work of modern popularisers of these genres, including Ashley Hutchings's, Compleat Dancing Master, which interleaves (somewhat modernised) renditions of the pieces with readings from contemporary writings illustrating the attitudes of those in authority down the centuries to the popular pastime of dancing – many of which were downright hostile. Soliel also includes our fine collection of English country dance music performed by the renowned American ECD Instrumental Quartet, Bare Necessities, and kindly donated to Radio Riel by the Caledon Library. You'll also hear the odd piece from Fairport Convention and Childgrove, among others.

From the Library is produced in conjunction with the Caledon Library; today's programme was produced by Elrik Merlin. You can listen to it on our Main Stream as follows:

If you want to have the Radio Riel Main Stream playing on your parcel, please set the media music URL to: http://217.112.91.221:9004/live

If you want to listen off-world, simply click here.

From the Library: Mechanical Music

The days before the gramophone and the radio were still filled with music. Not only did people perform for each other at home in the parlour, or go out for an evening's entertainment to the dance-hall or music-hall; the ears of our Victorian antecedents were also assailed by musical performances from 'recorded' sources, though not in the manner we experience today.

In the pub, the equivalent of juke boxes, mechanical instruments like the Symphonion, would take a coin in the slot and play often quite complex arrangements from one or more discs carrying a pattern of pins or holes allowing mechanical or pneumatic contrivances to play the notes. Some people had instruments like this – essentially large and complex musical boxes – at home.

Out in the street, alongside the cacophony of horse-drawn traffic and early motor vehicles mingled the sounds of more mechanical instruments, from the barrel piano and street organ, which operated on a similar principle to that already described (the "barrel" was the rotating element carrying pins that played the notes) to the great steam-powered organs (or Calliopes) found at funfairs, which generally used reams of linked cards with slots in them that passed through a "card reader" allowing compressed air (not steam: the steam engine just drove the mechanics) to pass through and play the music – not only via pipes but also driving percussion instruments that clanged, thumped, rattled and chimed.

You will hear music from all these kinds of instruments today, playing traditional tunes of the period in a programme that evokes the sounds of the Victorian age.

In addition we will be featuring the music of one of Magnatune.com's artists, Professor Armchair, aka Glen Bledsoe, who plays (among other things) tunes of the early 20th century on modern electronic instruments in a style very much reminiscent of these mechanical devices, and with an excellent sense of humour, on his album Too Much Mustard.

I've also left the music of Brassworks, included in yesterday's Steampunk programme, in today's playlist and added some Strauss waltzes, for an additional Victorian atmosphere.

From the Library is produced in conjunction with the Caledon Library; today's programme was produced by Elrik Merlin. You can listen to it on our Main Stream as follows:

If you want to have the Radio Riel Main Stream playing on your parcel, please set the media music URL to: http://217.112.91.221:9004/live

If you want to listen off-world, simply click here.

From the Library: An Age Remembered

Today's programme in From the Library continues the theme initiated by Otenth yesterday, namely that of Steampunk and neo-Victorian music. Except of course that when we say "neo-Victorian", we mean something other than the age that was: more the age that might have been, where airships majestically ply the skies and vast machines are driven by steam.

We're remembering the anniversary of the death, 104 years ago yesterday, of early science-fiction writer and visionary Jules Verne. Verne predicted a world of cars, television and the Internet, as well as helicopters, submarines, projectors and music players. In his From the Earth to the Moon he describes a ship containing three astronauts being launched from a spot in Florida just 130 miles from Cape Canaveral.

Musically, our jumping-off point, logically enough, is the sound of Vernian Process, aka Joshua Pfeiffer, who is also a resident in-world of the New Babbage community. We go from there to include other artists from the Gilded Age label via the compilation double-album that gives today's set its title (and graphic), An Age Remembered. We've also rustled up some Dark Cabaret and a little Goth music, along with a trip to Abney Park and some music from the Mediæval Bæbes and their various members' solo efforts, some of which are not as well known as they should be. And of course a great deal more.

The result is an often raucous and sometimes eerie mix, on occasion noisy and industrial, with a certain dark passion mixed with the essence of fire, steam and steel. Do not touch exposed moving parts.

From the Library is produced in conjunction with the Caledon Library; today's programme was produced by Elrik Merlin. You can listen to it on our Main Stream as follows:

If you want to have the Radio Riel Main Stream playing on your parcel, please set the media music URL to: http://217.112.91.221:9004/live

If you want to listen off-world, simply click here.

From the Library: Salut, M Verne!

Radio Riel marks the death of Jules Verne on this day in 1905 with a Steampunk program (with a little Edith Piaf thrown in just for some Francophone variety). Today is also Ada Lovelace Day, an international day of blogging to draw attention to women excelling in technology. And so I dedicate our program to the many women of Second Life who are creating new worlds and new visions through technology.

From the Library is produced by Radio Riel in conjunction with the Caledon Library in Second Life. Today's program was produced by Otenth Paderborn.

For more information on the Caledon Library, current exhibits and the work of Second Life reference libraries in general, please visit the Caledon Library Web site, or one of their locations in-world.

You can listen now by visiting any Caledon Library branch in-world and press Play on your embedded music player. (If you want to listen off-world, eg in Winamp or iTunes, click here.) If you'd like to set your parcel music stream, use http://minor.slserver.com:9004/live.

Magnatune Monday: Guitar

Today, Radio Riel features Magnatune Guitarists to ease you into your week. You will hear a variety of genres, from Early Music to Baroque to New Age to Jazz. We hope you enjoy the ride!

Radio Riel's music today is from the extensive library of Magnatune, an innovative record company on the cutting edge of internet-based content production and distribution. Magnatune, whose motto is "We are not evil", was launched by John Buckman in mid-2004 and today represents a remarkable collection of artists from all kinds of genres.

To find out more about Magnatune, read their information pages. But above all, listen to the music here on Radio Riel's Magnatune programs, and if you like what you hear, support them! Visit the site, and buy some of the music you've been listening to. There are lots of other listening options on the site too. For a more detailed study of Magnatune's business model, check out this Open Rights Group case study.

Radio Riel produces this program in conjunction with the Caledon Library in Second Life. Today's music originates from the music library of Gabrielle Riel.

For more information on the Caledon Library, current exhibits and the work of Second Life reference libraries in general, please visit the Caledon Library Web site, or one of their locations in-world.

You can listen to the program now at http://217.112.91.221:9004/live, or simply visit any Caledon Library branch in-world and press Play on your embedded music player.

From the Library: Soliel's Nostalgia Shuffle

Today, Soliel Snook presents a collection of songs and tunes from the first half of the 20th century, including everything from ballads to Big Band and with an underlying jazz theme.

Old ones, older ones, loved ones, neglected ones... there's something for everyone who feels that, somehow, they simply don't write songs like they used to.

From the Library is produced in conjunction with the Caledon Library; today's programme was produced by Soliel Snook. You can listen to it on our Main Stream as follows:

If you want to have the Radio Riel Main Stream playing on your parcel, please set the media music URL to: http://217.112.91.221:9004/live

If you want to listen off-world, simply click here.

From the Library: British Folk Expressions

Today on From the Library we're continuing yesterday's folk music theme, but expanding our view to include the whole of Britain. In an eclectic mix from the genre today, we'll be featuring music from all the nominated artists for the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 2009 plus all the finalists for the Young Folk Award 2009.

In addition, we'll be including a wide spread of folk music from around these islands, including some well-known artists – Waterson/Carthy and Chumbawamba for example – and some lesser-known, such as Mawkin Causley and Magpie Lane. And an enormous amount more, covering the whole gamut of folk music topics – from love and loss to politics and protest.

Special thanks today to Saffia Widdershins, my colleague on the Meta Makeover TV show, who helped choose a good deal of the material for today's programme, which also includes some artists from her part of the country.

From the Library is produced in conjunction with the Caledon Library; today's programme was produced by Elrik Merlin. You can listen to it on our Main Stream as follows:

If you want to have the Radio Riel Main Stream playing on your parcel, please set the media music URL to: http://217.112.91.221:9004/live

If you want to listen off-world, simply click here.

World Wednesdays: Asia

World Wednesdays, 6-7pm SLT at the Radio Riel Listening Room and Music Library on Wyre, or listen at http://66.186.45.115:9012/live. Tonight: Asian music. Everything I know about Asian music could be inscribed on my thumbnail, but I've put together a combination of interesting and beautiful music for our mutual enjoyment and edification.

From the Library: Folk Music of Scotland

Today's programme in our series From the Library features folk music of Scotland, and while there are a quite a few traditional pieces and instrumentation included, the show also focuses on some of the modern artists out there, and many of the new directions in folk music that artists North of the Border are taking.

Of course many of these musicians build on the traditions of the past, but they tackle modern themes and concerns as well as rendering traditional songs and instrumentation. Take the work of Karine Polwart, for example, or Brian McNeill. You'll also hear the Peatbog Faeries, Dougie MacLean, Karen Matheson, and many more.

The picture is Macbeth by John Martin (National Gallery of Scotland), which appears as the cover illustration for the Whistlebinkies' album Albannach, included in today's programme.

From the Library is produced in conjunction with the Caledon Library; today's programme was produced by Elrik Merlin. You can listen to it on our Main Stream as follows:

If you want to have the Radio Riel Main Stream playing on your parcel, please set the media music URL to: http://217.112.91.221:9004/live

If you want to listen off-world, simply click here.

From the Library: Dreamtime

Today's program is definitely modern (but not post-modern, except for the ironic spirit in which I offer it). In fact, it represents the dawning of a New Age. Yes, yes, you may groan now.

You will hear a few familiar artists, but many of the usual suspects will be missing. And it won't all be ethereal, rhythmless, unidentifiable instruments, either. So sit back, open your mind, and step into a space of harmony and understanding.

From the Library is produced by Radio Riel in conjunction with the Caledon Library in Second Life. Today's program was produced by Otenth Paderborn.

For more information on the Caledon Library, current exhibits and the work of Second Life reference libraries in general, please visit the Caledon Library Web site, or one of their locations in-world.

You can listen now by visiting any Caledon Library branch in-world and press Play on your embedded music player. (If you want to listen off-world, eg in Winamp or iTunes, click here.) If you'd like to set your parcel music stream, use http://minor.slserver.com:9004/live.

Image: Arizona Sunset by Rich Niewiroski Jr. (Wikimedia Commons)

Magnatune Monday: Chamber Music

It's Magnatune Monday, and Radio Riel presents a program of relaxing chamber music to start your week. The following Magnatune Artists are featured in today's program:

• The Sarasa Ensemble
• Telemann Trio Berlin
• Streicher Trio
• Oberlin Consort of Viols
• New York Consort of Viols
• Musica Franca
• Duo de Bois
• American Baroque
  

Radio Riel's music today is from the extensive library of Magnatune, an innovative record company on the cutting edge of internet-based content production and distribution. Magnatune, whose motto is "We are not evil", was launched by John Buckman in mid-2004 and today represents a remarkable collection of artists from all kinds of genres.

To find out more about Magnatune, read their information pages. But above all, listen to the music here on Radio Riel's Magnatune programs, and if you like what you hear, support them! Visit the site, and buy some of the music you've been listening to. There are lots of other listening options on the site too. For a more detailed study of Magnatune's business model, check out this Open Rights Group case study.

Radio Riel produces this program in conjunction with the Caledon Library in Second Life. Today's music originates from the music library of Gabrielle Riel.

For more information on the Caledon Library, current exhibits and the work of Second Life reference libraries in general, please visit the Caledon Library Web site, or one of their locations in-world.

You can listen to the program now at http://217.112.91.221:9004/live, or simply visit any Caledon Library branch in-world and press Play on your embedded music player.

Happy Pi Day!

It's March 14 - Pi Day!

In honor of the venerable mathematical constant, today Radio Riel features music by one of the most "mathematical" composers...

Johann Sebastian Bach (31 March [O.S. 21 March] 1685 – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and organist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity. Although he introduced no new forms, he enriched the prevailing German style with a robust contrapuntal technique, an unrivaled control of harmonic and motivic organization in composition for diverse musical forces, and the adaptation of rhythms and textures from abroad, particularly Italy and France.

There are also two "special" presentations on the schedule for today:

10:00am SLT - Wind in the Willows Listening Party
Chapter 3: The Wild Wood
Tinyville Library, Caledon Tanglewood
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Caledon%20Tanglewood/23/214/23/

Come as a character from Kenneth Grahame's novel, The Wind in the Willows, and join us as we listen to, and discuss, a new chapter each month of the adventures of the shy but loyal Mole, the poetical Water Rat, the brave Otter, the gruff but kindly Mr. Badger, the vainglorious Toad, and all the other creatures of wood, stream, and field who populate this much-loved story.

1:00pm SLT - Morimur

Morimur performed by the Hilliard Ensemble with Christoph Poppen – A concert created as an "argument and proof" that Bach wrote his D minor Partita for solo violin, various chorales, and the famous Ciaccona as an epitaph for his first wife.

Radio Riel produces this program in conjunction with the Caledon Library in Second Life. Today's music originates from the music library of Gabrielle Riel.

For more information on the Caledon Library, current exhibits and the work of Second Life reference libraries in general, please visit the Caledon Library Web site, or one of their locations in-world.

You can listen to the program now at http://217.112.91.221:9004/live, or simply visit any Caledon Library branch in-world and press Play on your embedded music player.

French Cafe Music With Gabrielle Noon to 2:30 Today

You are cordially invited to join us for a live concert of French guitarist JeanChristophe Chevalier followed by dancing to lovely French Cafe Music on the French Impressionist sim of Giverny Today, Friday, 13 March.

Concert starts at Noon SLT.. Music by Gabrielle at 1:00pm.

From the Library - Jazz Moods

Today's programme in our From The Library series features an eclectic collection of Jazz old and new from the library of Soliel Snook. Including early jazz recordings to recent works, vocal and instrumental, jazz lovers today are in for a treat.

From the Library is produced in conjunction with the Caledon Library; today's programme was produced by Soliel Snook. You can listen to it on our Main Stream as follows:

If you want to have the Radio Riel Main Stream playing on your parcel, please set the media music URL to: http://217.112.91.221:9004/live

If you want to listen off-world, simply click here.

From the Library: Classic Musicals

Elrik Merlin writes:

Today's programme is very straightforward: it's a collection of songs from classic musicals, from the days of Gilbert and Sullivan to more or less the present. It's not an exhaustive collection - in fact it isn't even all the musicals in my library (I've omitted Shoggoth on the Roof - I played that the other day - and I thought Evil Dead was a bit strong for our Main Stream, though I was sorely tempted hehehe) but I hope you'll find it an enjoyable one.

I would draw your attention to one show in particular, which I was reminded of by fellow Caledonian Mr Whybrow and formed the inspiration for this set. That is The Arcadians - music by Lionel Monckton and Howard Talbot; lyrics by Arthur Wimperis - the most popular of Edwardian musicals, receiving its premiere in London in 1909, the year that Bleriot flew across the Channel. This production essentially represents a bridge between the Victorian operettas of G&S and the musical as we know it today. Some of the songs - Pipes of Pan in particular - may be familiar even today (they were to me). The picture above shows a postcard promoting the original production. It tells of an airman who flies his plane to a far off land untouched by time and returns to London with some of the inhabitants.

We'll be hearing highlights from this today along with the odd song from other musicals of the period that I recall my parents listening to when I was growing up, such as Chu Chin Chow (we had a World Record Club LP). And there's Oklahoma! and My Fair Lady, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and a bit of Andrew Lloyd Webber (I only own a couple of complete works of his and my favourite is Cats: that's what you'll hear today). There's a selection of Busby Berkeley hits too, from the movies that helped people to smile last time we had a recession on the current scale. And there's a lot more, of course.

I hope you enjoy the selections. I'll be back on Wednesday and Thursday next week, when I hope to play you a couple of sets of British folk music that I've not played before.

From the Library is produced in conjunction with the Caledon Library; today's programme was produced by Elrik Merlin. You can listen to it on our Main Stream as follows:

If you want to have the Radio Riel Main Stream playing on your parcel, please set the media music URL to: http://217.112.91.221:9004/live

If you want to listen off-world, simply click here.

From the Library: A Bird In The Hand...

Elrik Merlin writes:

Today I thought I would try something a little different.

From time to time Radio Riel presenters do a show where they play a certain section of their music library - or even all of it - on random. That's not something I'm tempted to do, because my library is so bizarre that it would throw up all kinds of strange things that would bore you all silly. Not to mention amazing bits of radio drama – that would all pop up in the wrong order. And apart from anything else, experience has taught me that there is bound to be stuff in my library that you'll hate - whoever you are. "How could he like that?!"

What I decided to do instead of totally random selections from across my collection was to pick a theme and see what came up, and include it more or less whatever the genre. The theme I chose for today's show was "Birds".

Even this is asking for trouble, as today you'll hear a very wide and eclectic selection of music (I pruned non-musical selections out of the playlist). Looking at the content of this show, for example, I know that you will hear selections of Baroque keyboard music written "In Imitation of Birds", including one of my favourite pieces by Thomas Arne, the Allegro from Sonata #3 in G, played on the harpsichord. But you will also get tracks from the album Birds - the second album by Dutch rock band Trace led by the late Rick van der Linden (a classically-trained organist, formerly of Ekseption), issued in the 1970s. You will hear A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square, a beautiful, moving song from 1940 that was a big hit for Vera Lynn. You may well get the odd bit of Deep Purple and Barclay James Harvest. And I am particularly happy to have finally found an excuse to play Sergei Kuryokhin's extraordinary Sparrow Oratorium on Radio Riel....

There will be some bizarre segues today. I wonder how they'll work out...

Victorian engraving of a Bunting courtesy of The Graphics Fairy.

From the Library is produced in conjunction with the Caledon Library; today's programme was produced by Elrik Merlin. You can listen to it on our Main Stream as follows:

If you want to have the Radio Riel Main Stream playing on your parcel, please set the media music URL to: http://217.112.91.221:9004/live

If you want to listen off-world, simply click here.

No Office Hours Today

I will not be holding Radio Riel office hours today.

From the Library...Samuel Barber

Today Radio Riel celebrates the 99th birthday of Samuel Barber (born March 9, 1910), the American, Pulitzer Prize-winning composer of Modern American Classical music in the 20th Century.

Barber was a triple musical genius, specializing in Composition, Piano and Voice. I have, of course, included his most famous piece, Adagio for Strings, in the program today, as well as his Symphonies, Concertos and works for piano.

Radio Riel produces this program in conjunction with the Caledon Library in Second Life. Today's music originates from the music library of Gabrielle Riel.

For more information on the Caledon Library, current exhibits and the work of Second Life reference libraries in general, please visit the Caledon Library Web site, or one of their locations in-world.

You can listen to the program now at http://minor.slserver.com:9004/live.m3u, or simply visit any Caledon Library branch in-world and press Play on your embedded music player.

FTL: Glenn Miller Orchestra

Today's programme is the complete Glenn Miller Band collection from 1938 to 1942. One of the early radio personalities and also known for his unique sound that made his orchestra different from other big bands of the era. Glenn Miller set the standard from then on for any jazz and swing sound thereafter. He was a prolific composer who also contributed lyrics and music for many other songs, while collaborating with many of his costars who were quite often big names themselves. Many of his band member alumni later went on to larger fame themselves in a variety of careers.

You can listen now at http://music.radioriel.org - the ideal URL for you to use in your home parcel media address in-world - or simply visit any Caledon Library branch in-world and press Play on your embedded music player. If you're outside SL you can click here, and listen in winamp, iTunes, and any outside media player.

From the Library is produced by Radio Riel in conjunction with the Caledon Library in Second Life. Today's program was produced by Mitsu Figaro.

From the Library: Music of the Renaissance

Early Music is one of our more popular genres on Radio Riel, and today Soliel Snook presents a selection of music from the Renaissance period.

From the Library is produced in conjunction with the Caledon Library; today's programme was produced by Soliel Snook. You can listen to it on our Main Stream as follows:

If you want to have the Radio Riel Main Stream playing on your parcel, please set the media music URL to: http://217.112.91.221:9004/live

If you want to listen off-world, simply click here.

From the Library: Zeroes to Twenties

Today's programme features music of the first quarter of the 20th century, represented both by original recordings and by modern artists performing in the styles of the period.

The music ranges from John Philip Sousa's band, through ragtime and early jazz, plus the Charleston and the beginnings of swing. In addition, you'll hear a selection of music-hall and popular songs of the period - again, both from original and modern recordings - and a few historic recordings in a more classical vein. There will be music from the decks of the Titanic, and there will be dance music from the Palm Court. Thus we hope we successfully evoke the atmosphere of the early part of the last century.

For additional variety, we've included some modern recordings of settings of poetry of the period written by Guillaume Apollinaire, the poet who coined the word "surrealism" and died in Paris in 1918.

The picture shows the bandstand on Clapham Common, London, in the 1900s (www.oldukphotos.com)

From the Library is produced in conjunction with the Caledon Library; today's programme was produced by Elrik Merlin. You can listen to it on our Main Stream as follows:

If you want to have the Radio Riel Main Stream playing on your parcel, please set the media music URL to: http://217.112.91.221:9004/live

If you want to listen off-world, simply click here.

From the Library: Vocal Magic

In today's From the Library programme, we present a selection of music from the Middle Ages to the present time with one thing in common: they feature the human voice. From the music of the troubadours to Adiemus; from Tallis motets to Libera; from Baroque choral music of South America to Enrico Caruso.

In fact the Caruso recording is an interesting one to pick on in the midst of such a wide-ranging programme. This, and the other vintage recordings in the show today (there are a dozen or two) are taken from the Nimbus Records Prima Voce series, in which the original 78rpm discs, instead of being captured direct with super-high-tech replay gear and digital signal processing, are played back as they were intended – on a specially-constructed (and rather large) horn gramophone with thorn needles (an extension of some of the gramophones of the 1930s) – and recorded with a special microphone that picks up the whole thing in surround sound believe it or not. Thus you get the very best from the recordings. You can read more about the process here.

But these are just a small part of today's programme. There is much more. Like the King's Singers tackling Lennon & McCartney… we could go on. Overall, a vast and varied collection of vocal music for your delectation and pleasure. Listen and enjoy.

From the Library is produced in conjunction with the Caledon Library; today's programme was produced by Elrik Merlin. You can listen to it on our Main Stream as follows:

If you want to have the Radio Riel Main Stream playing on your parcel, please set the media music URL to: http://217.112.91.221:9004/live

If you want to listen off-world, simply click here.

Mark your calendars

This week's World Wednesdays program will give listeners a taste of a traditional Sacred Harp singing session, featuring a selection of tunes from the Sacred Harp and other shapenote hymnals--including some non-traditional interpretations. The four-note fa-so-la-mi solfege system will be explained. The recordings will include an introductory prayer, and there will be a live "memorial lesson" to remember those who are gone.

So mark your calendars for Wednesday, March 4, 6-7pm SLT at at the Radio Riel Listening Room and Music Library on Wyre, or listen at http://66.186.45.115:9012/live.

Magnatune Monday...Unique Folk

It's Magnatune Monday, and today's program features Folk music from a variety of cultures, for example Breton, Welsh, Early English, Early Irish, Swedish and Ukrainian.

Radio Riel's music today is from the extensive library of Magnatune, an innovative record company on the cutting edge of internet-based content production and distribution. Magnatune, whose motto is "We are not evil", was launched by John Buckman in mid-2004 and today represents a remarkable collection of artists from all kinds of genres.

To find out more about Magnatune, read their information pages. But above all, listen to the music here on Radio Riel's Magnatune programs, and if you like what you hear, support them! Visit the site, and buy some of the music you've been listening to. There are lots of other listening options on the site too. For a more detailed study of Magnatune's business model, check out this Open Rights Group case study.

Radio Riel produces this program in conjunction with the Caledon Library in Second Life. Today's music originates from the music library of Gabrielle Riel.

For more information on the Caledon Library, current exhibits and the work of Second Life reference libraries in general, please visit the Caledon Library Web site, or one of their locations in-world.

You can listen to the program now, or simply visit any Caledon Library branch in-world and press Play on your embedded music player.