Classical sadsacks

I've only been asked once for my favorite piece of classical music.

Toronto's Classical 96 invited me over to play my fave.

When they heard it, they judged it "too contemporary" for their listeners.

Wallingford Riegger's New Dance was written in 1935.

"Choose something else," they begged.

They are wimps. Spinners of catalogue sludge.

New Dance is whispers, thunder, energy and propulsion. 

Every time I listen, New Dance excites me. 

It features a saxophone, marimba and chords that might be soundtrack to a car crash. 

.

BACKSTORY:

In university, I was evening announcer for a classical radio station.

Sunday nights, something called Contemporary Concert unspooled. Each week, a graduate student named Bob would leave his voice track tape and a pile of Lps. 

Most were Mercury Presence recordings out of Rochester. Many more were Louisville Philharmonic subscription discs of new music.

I'd paste Bob's bits together, and at 9.55 hit a back-timed theme tape on the Ampex to meet the 10 p.m. hour beep.

In the final minute, I'd read Bob's production credits, aiming for the two key musical posts that mark New Dance's end crescendo.

If I could ride that final rising tide and thunder, it was off to bed happy at midnight. Any radio surfer geek knows that feeling. Nailed it.

P.S. To hear a wide variety of classical music, check  

https://www.yourclassical.org/

The "radio stream" voices there, hit every post, top of every hour.