Politics in Classical Music

Politics in Classical Music

Classical music and politics have never been easy bedfellows. Composers and performers throughout history have relied on patronage and support from wealthy sources in order to keep their dreams afloat, and so unlike many other forms of music, classical music often has the reputation of being a politics-free zone. But the truth is that there is a whole repertoire of classical music that is infused with politics, and not just music from the 20th and 21st centuries. Today, with the American election looming just around the corner, we'll explore a series of pieces that all had political messages, the stories behind them, the motivations of the composers who wrote these pieces, and of course, the music itself. We'll be covering music by Haydn, Smyth, Shostakovich, Verdi, Adams, and much more today - join us!

Jaksot(282)

Opus 1s: The First Works of Great Composers, Part 1

Opus 1s: The First Works of Great Composers, Part 1

Every great composer has an origin story. Every composer started somewhere. I'm fascinated with a composers first works because they tell us so much about who they are going to become. We can see in s...

16 Huhti 202045min

Conductor's Roundtable

Conductor's Roundtable

This week I was proud to join the Phoenix Orchestra's livestream at twitch.tv/thephoenixorch for a quarantined conductor's roundtable featuring Matthew Szymanski, Aram Demirjian, and Gemma New. We dis...

13 Huhti 202056min

Bartok Concerto for Orchestra, Part 2

Bartok Concerto for Orchestra, Part 2

Bartok did not have an easy life in the US, and he was constantly both homesick and horrorstruck by the news from across the ocean. The final three movements of his Concerto for Orchestra display some...

9 Huhti 202047min

Bartok Concerto For Orchestra, Part 1

Bartok Concerto For Orchestra, Part 1

In 1944, Bartok, dying of Leukemia and weighing only 87 lbs, was commissioned to write a new orchestral piece. He had not written any music for years, and was barely clinging to life. The commission s...

2 Huhti 202042min

Shostakovich Symphony No. 7, "Leningrad"

Shostakovich Symphony No. 7, "Leningrad"

I've been coming back to this symphony again and again over the past couple of weeks. The story of the composition and Leningrad performance of Shostakovich 7 is one of the most remarkable stories of ...

26 Maalis 202040min

The Overtures of Beethoven

The Overtures of Beethoven

Never fear everyone, the podcasts are still coming during this crazy time! This week I'll take you through 7 of Beethoven's greatest overtures, pieces that distill Beethoven's storytelling abilities, ...

19 Maalis 202056min

Schumann Cello Concerto

Schumann Cello Concerto

On today's Patreon-sponsored episode, we'll explore the enigmatic masterpiece known as the Schumann Cello Concerto. This is a piece that has been relentlessly criticized ever since it was written, and...

12 Maalis 202046min

Brahms Symphony No. 3

Brahms Symphony No. 3

Brahms' 3rd symphony is his most underrated symphony. It is a nearly perfect piece that transcends the traditional symphonic narrative over its 40 minute journey. So why doesn't it get performed as of...

5 Maalis 20201h 1min

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