Sibelius Violin Concerto
Sticky Notes: The Classical Music Podcast29 Kesä 2023

Sibelius Violin Concerto

There's a joke among classical musicians that the only parts of a piece that matter are the beginning, the end, and one place in the middle. I don't think its something that anyone really believes in, but the value of the beginning of a piece in setting the scene cannot be ignored, and the absolutely stunning opening of the Sibelius violin concerto is no exception. A soft carpet of violins slowly oscillating between two notes sets up the entrance of the violinist, who over the course of the concerto will do just about everything a violin is capable of doing, all in a concerto of both eye-popping difficulty, but also heartwarming AND heartbreaking warmth, passion and character. There is often what is described as the "Big 5" of violin concerti, which includes the concerti of Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, Brahms, Mendelssohn. The Sibelius violin concerto is the only 20th century violin concerto that has found its way into the Big 5 and there's a reason for it. All of those concerti synthesized the need for virtuosity with the imperative of writing truly great music. But to me, and this might be a controversial opinion, no one did it quite like Sibelius. We'll hear all about the concerto, the circumstances that created its disastrous opening, and ask the question of what makes Sibelius such a distinctive composer, someone who sounds like no one else on earth.

Jaksot(283)

Ives Three Places in New England

Ives Three Places in New England

In 1929, the conductor Nicolas Slonimsky contacted the American composer Charles Ives about performing one of his works. This was a bit of a surprise for Ives, since he had a checkered reputation amon...

11 Loka 20241h

William Grant Still Symphony No. 1, "Afro-American"

William Grant Still Symphony No. 1, "Afro-American"

Fundraiser link here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1026719635067?aff=oddtdtcreator On October 29th, 1931, The Rochester Philharmonic in New York State presented the world premiere of a new symphony by...

3 Loka 20241h 6min

Gershwin: Rhapsody In Blue

Gershwin: Rhapsody In Blue

"It was on the train, with its steely rhythms, its rattle-ty bang, that is so often so stimulating to a composer – I frequently hear music in the very heart of the noise.... And there I suddenly heard...

26 Syys 202448min

Bartok Violin Concerto No. 2

Bartok Violin Concerto No. 2

During Bartok's life, the violin concerto we now know as Violin Concerto No. 2 was simply known as Bartok's only violin concerto. The reason? His first concerto, written when he was a much younger man...

13 Syys 202456min

Dvorak Symphony No. 7

Dvorak Symphony No. 7

In December of 1884, Dvorak wrote to a friend about the composition of a new symphony: "I am now busy with this symphony for London, and wherever I go I can think of nothing else. God grant that this ...

29 Elo 202458min

Shostakovich Symphony No. 4

Shostakovich Symphony No. 4

Shostakovich's 4th symphony is not for the faint of heart. It is a massive work, around an hour in length, and it calls for the second largest orchestra of any in Shostakovich's output. It is uncompro...

15 Elo 20241h 8min

Beethoven Symphony No. 5

Beethoven Symphony No. 5

They are the most famous 8 notes in not only Western Music, but probably in all of music. If you walk down the street and ask someone to name a painting, they might say the Mona Lisa. A movie? Maybe...

1 Elo 20241h 5min

Mozart Requiem

Mozart Requiem

This show is a bit different today. Last year I did a live video podcast on Mozart's Requiem for my Patreon subscribers. I've now edited that show into an audio-only version for everyone to be able to...

18 Heinä 20241h 6min

Suosittua kategoriassa Viihde

anni-jaajo
tuplakaak
grekovit
hei-baby-3
terveisia-perheesta
the-harlin-show
dear-shirly
antin-palautepalvelu
bella-table
antin-elokuvakerho
nonsensepodi
dear-shirly-ja-arttu
verhon-takaa
ootsa-kuullut-tasta-2
get-jassud
hollywood-love-stories-2
tahtitehdas
tervo-halme
everypodi
terkuin-jenna