Väinö Raitio’s “Felis domestica” (domestic cat) is a scherzo that channels the energy of cats via its continuously playful sound. Raitio, a Finnish composer active in the 1920s and ‘30s, didn’t need to spend much time locating this basis for the piece; his own cat had provided all he needed.
From Raitio to Copland to Chopin and more, classical composers throughout history have felt this inspiration from their feline friends. So it’s only fitting that this Friday, on International Cat Day, WRTI will celebrate kitties with special programming. Tune in from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. to hear feline themes sprinkled through our classical broadcast.
The first cat-track of the day will be Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s “Puss-in-Boots,” from the third act of his ballet The Sleeping Beauty. The piece plays for its titular fairy tale character, whose quick, creeping movements onstage are matched by the orchestra’s sounds of whimsical sneaking and trickery. Though this piece differs from most cat-oriented classical pieces in that it wasn’t inspired by cats of the real world, its depiction of their behaviors remains a constant. Early risers listening in our 6 a.m. hour will hear this piece in a performance by the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra.
Just before 9 a.m., Robert Lucas Pearsall's “Duetto buffo di due gatti” will be heard. Listeners, don’t let this piece fool you – while the song consists entirely of the repeated word “miau,” two cats are not actually the ones singing. Instead, this version features soprano Felicity Lott alongside mezzo-soprano Ann Murray.
At 10 a.m., you’ll hear a piece with a most curious backstory: Domenico Scarlatti’s Keyboard Sonata in G minor, K. 30, or “The Cat’s Fugue,” performed by Federico Colli. It’s said that the lead motif of the sonata was born when Scarlatti’s cat Pulcinella ran across his keyboard – and though the story is only legend, classical fans have had no issue embracing it as canon. Directly following is Zez Confrey’s “Kitten on the Keys,” performed by Richard Dowling. As apparent by the title, this piece is similarly inspired by a cat traversing the keys of a piano, though it was Confrey’s grandmother’s cat instead of his own.
To honor American composer Aaron Copland’s openly proclaimed love for cats in his work, his two best-known cat pieces will be played back to back shortly after 12:30 p.m.. First is Isata Kanneh-Mason’s rendition of “The Cat and the Mouse (Scherzo humoristique),” a piano piece with sounds that mimic the chasing and pouncing of a cat running after a helpless little mouse. Right after is “I Bought Me a Cat” from Copland’s Old American Songs, Set 1, performed by the London Symphony Orchestra with baritone Jubilant Skyes.
As for Väinö Raitio’s “Felis domestica,” it pops up at the start of our 2 p.m. hour, in a new recording by Oulu Sinfonia, led by Rumon Gamba. The recording was released on Pictures from Finland, an album that WRTI’s Mark Pinto described in the latest edition of Sunday Classical: New Releases as a collection of “musical postcards from their native land.” Of course, in addition to a postcard, the scherzo is also a portrait — of a housecat in the composer’s lair.
Tune in to WRTI 90.1 FM, or listen at wrti.org and the WRTI app, to hear our special programming for International Cat Day, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 8.