November 2010

With music and stories for Thanksgiving, it's Giving Thanks: a Celebration of Fall, Food, and Gratitude.

Two best-selling authors join us at the table:

• Deepak Chopra, celebrated writer on spirituality and wellness. Dr. Chopra has written more than 50 books, read by 20 million people more than 35 languages. He reflects on gratitude in India, his pilgrimage to America, and shares poems of thanks by Rumi.
• Nigella Lawson, British food writer who appears on NPR's Morning Edition, BBC television, and the Food Network. Her cookbooks are in 3 million kitchens. Lawson loves the spiritual aspect of food, talks about the tradition of feasting, and brings along suggestions for turkey leftovers!

Classical music is the heart and soul of Giving Thanks, and this year's selections include Simple Gifts from Yo-Yo Ma, a hymn of Thanksgiving from Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony, and a cornucopia of Bach. Between the music, no clichés about pilgrims and pumpkin pies. Instead, it's a contemporary celebration of spirit of Gratitude.

We'll gather together to celebrate the new US Poet Laureate William S. Merwin, who reads a poem of gratitude, and continue a Giving Thanks tradition: a spellbinding story from actor Charles Laughton, giving thanks for Art that connects us all to the creative spirit.

Whether you're early in the kitchen, on the road to a family gathering, or relaxing after the feast, Giving Thanks provides the perfect atmosphere for Thanksgiving: the warmth of great music, and truly memorable words.

Listen to the program (hour 1)

HOUR 1

Traditional (arr. Kremser): We Gather Together
Boston Pops/John Williams
Philips CD 454391

Mozart: Serenata Notturna: 3rd mvt
English Chamber Orchestra/Jeffrey Tate
EMI CD 69823

Deepak Chopra on Gratitude

Mark Isham: A River Runs Through It
Studio orchestra
Milan CD 35631

Handel: Alexander's Feast Overture
English Baroque Soloists/John Eliot Gardiner
Philips CD 422053

Nigella Lawson on Thanksgiving as the universal celebration

Schumann: Scenes from Childhood: The Poet Speaks
Lang Lang, piano
Deutsche Grammophon CD 5827

Deepak Chopra reads Thanksgiving poems by Rumi

Denny Zeitlin: Hymn
Denny Zeitlin, piano
Living Music CD 11

Haydn Symphony No. 92, "Oxford": 2nd mvt
Berlin Philharmonic/Simon Rattle
EMI CD 94237

Nigella Lawson on gratitude in the moment

Traditional: Simple Gifts
Yo-Yo Ma, cello
Alison Krause, vocal
Sony 89667

W.S. Merwin reads his poem, "Gift"

Joe Curiale: The Multiples of One
Orchard Road CD 7155

Listen to the program (hour 2)

HOUR 2

Beethoven: Symphony No. 6, "Pastoral": Shepherd's Song: Cheerful and Thankful Feelings after the Storm
Chicago Symphony/Georg Solti
London CD 430400

Deepak Chopra on his first American Thanksgiving

Mozart: Nehmt meinen Dank ("Accept my Thanks)
Renee Fleming, soprano
Orchestra of St. Luke's/Charles Mackerras
Decca CD 452602

Ralph Vaughan Williams: The Wasps: March of the Kitchen Utensils
Liverpool Philharmonic/James Judd
Naxos CD 572304

Nigella Lawson on Thanksgiving grace and leftovers

Bach Cantata No. 192, Chorus "Nun danket alle Gott"
Bach Collegium Stuttgart/Helmut Rilling
Hanssler CD 92057

From Kerouac's "The Dharma Bums," Chartres Cathedral story; Psalm 104
Read by Charles Laughton
Capitol LP TBO 1650 (out-of-print)

Traditional (arr. Stephen Paulus): We Gather Together
Dale Warland Singers
Gothic CD 49243