From ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggedy beasties
And things that go bump in the night, Good Lord, deliver us!

So goes the old Scottish prayer--and this hour, with demonic music by Mussorgsky, Saint-Saens, Britten, Bernstein, and more.

There is something about exploring the dark and fearful side of things that takes us out of ourselves for a little while.  We experience fright, then relief as we return to the safety of our real-world lives. It’s why ghost stories and scary movies are so popular—and why so many composers have put it to use. 

As Victor Hugo once noted, “Music expresses that which cannot be said--and on which it is impossible to be silent.”

RECORDINGS USED