Listen: Aviation

20th November 2015

For centuries, the idea of flight has fascinated many; those who were inspired by the Greek myth of Icarus' feathered fall, by Da Vinci's designs for a flying machine, and by the Wright Brothers first flight. All of these stories represent the idea of freedom and the feeling of going above and beyond. We celebrate all of these great feats during National Aviation History Month.

We start our flight today with Rodriguez's Flight: The Story of Wilbur and Orville Wright for narrator and orchestra, followed by Charles T. Griffes' Clouds from his Roman Sketches Op. 7. We hit some turbulence with Kevin Volans' Dancers on a Plane (his String Quartet No. 5), but return to smooth sailing with Einaudi's Fly for piano and electric guitar. You will also hear Wings by Joan Tower, Clouds by Ernest Charles, Kaija Saariaho's Cloud Trio and Samuel Barber's Night Flight.

"Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return."
—Leonardo Da Vinci

Aviation

—This playlist was contibuted by Thomas Wahnish