Since it's a holiday weekend, I thought I would toss an extra concert into the mix. This time it's via RAI Radio 2 and a concert recorded on October 14, 2011 from the Iceland Airwaves Festival featuring Sinead O'Connor.

After an auspicious and somewhat controversial start, O'Connor has been bubbling under the radar for a number of years. And truths to tell, I hadn't heard anything about her in a long time, so I thought she had simply left the scene and quietly returned to normal life.

And then a few weeks ago I saw her on BBC America's Graham Norton show and realized she was still a potent and vital singer, with boundless energy and passion, who was in the midst of touring, had a new album out and it was as if she never left in the first place.

This past Friday, as part of their Radio 2 Live series, RAI ran a concert she performed during the Iceland Airwaves Festival in 2011 and the simmering intensity that so typified Sinead O'Connor's performances was very much in evidence.

So it seemed like a good idea to share the experience as a sort of Holiday Weekend Bonus and offer a full hour of Sinead O'Connor in top form.

One thing though - RAI Radio loves to talk - and there is a very chatty announcer who dives in after each number, and on one or two occasions, spills over to the intro of a song. It's not terrible but it's a little distracting in places and it occasionally breaks the mood.

But if you can forgive that, you're in for an enjoyable experience.

Over to Reyjkavik, Iceland this week for a concert by the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, guest conducted by Russian legend Genaddy Rozhdestvensky with his pianist wife, the equally legendary Viktoria Postnikova as soloist.

All Russian program (naturally) opening with the Symphony Number 8 by Myaskovksy and then the Prokofiev Piano Concerto Number 2 (w/Postnikova) along with October by Tchaikovsky with Postnikova as solo and finally finishing up the concert with selections from Prokofiev's Rome and Juliet ballet.

The Concert was recorded on March 17th of this year and was relayed by Radio Nacional Espana (hence, the announcements in Spanish). A great concert at just a little under two hours.

The first part (top player) is the Myaskovsky and the rest of the concert takes up the bottom player.

Here are the notes:

Concierto celebrado en el University Cinema de Reyjkiavik, el 17 de marzo de 2011. Grabación de la RUV, Islandia.
MYASKOVSKY: Sinfonía nº 8 (51’29”).
PROKOFIEV: Concierto para piano nº 2 en Sol menor, Op. 16 (35’50”). Viktoria Postnikova (p.). CHAIKOVSKY: Octubre (5’06”). V. Postnikova (p.).
PROKOFIEV: Selección de Romeo y Julieta (13’34”).
Orq. Sinf. de Islandia. Dir.: G. Rozhdestvensky

For an Anti-Road Rage Wednesday Concert, it should do the trick quite nicely.

But that's just me.

Enjoy anyway.

The earth stopped shaking in one place this week and erupted in another. Britain is coming to grips with the Parliamentary beauty contest and don't feel bad if you can't pronounce Eyjafjallajokull.

(The Earth doing what it does best)

We start off Monday, April 19 with a CBC The World At Six report on the Volcano in Iceland and the disruption of travel. Also reports of abuses in Canadian Health Care (welcome to our country), the potential for a Canadian Mortgage crisis (just like us) and a look at the Gun Rally in Alexandria Virginia.

(What one version of tense looks like)

To the BBC World Service Global News for April 21. Signs of progress as the ban for air travel throughout Europe is lifted in the wake of the Volcano in Iceland. Also the continuing Thai protests and threatened crackdowns.

(Stranded for days - to some it seemed like the camping trip from hell)

BBC 5Live Story of The Day - April 21. As the ban on air travel is lifted completely, the airlines struggle with getting back to normal and the inevitable game of finger pointing starts. Act of God it seems, ain't good enough anymore - it has to be a bureaucrat.

(oh . . .him again)

ABC Radio National in Australia's AM Program from April 22 features the ongoing saga of sex abuse in the Catholic Church with Pope Benedict somewhere in the middle. Also news on the Australian Health Care Reform story (yes, them too), and an inquiry into the prison death of a notorious Australian crime figure.

(Wounded British soldiers are getting treated about the same as U.S. wounded soldiers - and they don't like it either)

From the BBC Radio 4 Today Program on April 22, the matter of treating wounded soldiers in Britain and how they, like our own wounded troops, are getting ignored by the government.

(Honor killings in India - seemingly the last word you'd use to describe it)

From The BBC World Service program Outlook on April 22, a report on the rise in "honor killings" in India, also a report and interview with New York Times Reporter Elizabeth Rubin, who went to Iraq and Afghanistan to cover the war while pregnant.

(By Round 2 the novelty is starting to wear off)

BBC World Service Newshour devoted almost the entire broadcast of Friday April 23 to the second of three debates being held in Britain for the office of Prime Minister. The novelty is starting to wear off but it still gets punditry rolling. Also a report on the Wall Street reform talks and President Obama's address and comments by Clay Lowery, former member of The Treasury.

("Isn't that cute, they have their own little language"- U.S. reporter

And finally, for our friends in Iceland (or those of you ex-pat's who miss the Mother Tongue), from RAS2 in Reykjavik, a sampling of the days news and an observation on the difficulties the outside Press were having pronouncing the name Eyjafjallajokull to baffled listeners around the world (starting at about 7:35 into it).

What a week - and there's always another one starting up shortly.