Songs of the Cat » (Original audio format; 1 hour)

First with his performances on Minnesota Public Radio's Prairie Home Companion and later in his books, Garrison Keillor has become a symbol of the small-town Midwest -- its absurdities, its stoutness, and its warmth. His popular, funny stories set in Lake Wobegon manage to evoke nostalgia for a town that never existed.

Garrison Keillor joins German opera superstar Frederica Von Stade and noted conductor Philip Brunelle for this recording. The 16 cat-celebrating selections include many favorites from Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion radio show--"My Grandmother's Cat," "The In and Out Song," "Cat O Cat Come Home"--as well as tunes from the more cat-loving classical composers. An enchanting recording on a very popular subject.

The Cat Came Back; The Hallelujah Patrol; The Mystery; The Cats of Cash; Dance To My Cats; Eine Kleine Kat; In Memory of Our Cat, Ralph; Alaska Cats; Beethoven Chased by Rossini; Near Death: Or, The Search Rewarded; Oy, Chuck and Katie; Forty Miles; The Rescue Cat; My Grandmother's Cat; As I Walked Out; Cats May Safely Sleep; Guilt and Shame; Out in the Catskill Mountains; Cat, You Better Come Home; The In and Out Song.