Sibelius Violin Concerto

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.

Episoder(284)

Lutoslawski Concerto for Orchestra

Lutoslawski Concerto for Orchestra

Throughout the history of Western Classical Music, folk music has imprinted itself as an invaluable resource for composers from all over the world. In fact, it's easier to make a list of composers who...

9 Nov 20231h 2min

R. Schumann Piano Concerto

R. Schumann Piano Concerto

In January of 1839, Clara Wieck, Robert's future wife, wrote to Robert, "Don't take it amiss if I tell you that I've been seized by the desire to encourage you to write for orchestra. Your imagination...

2 Nov 202348min

Brahms Violin Concerto

Brahms Violin Concerto

Brahms' violin concerto is one of the most difficult works for any violinist to tackle. It is as virtuosic as the hardest piece of Paganini as well as being as musically complex as a Brahms symphony. ...

26 Okt 202350min

What Does Music Mean?

What Does Music Mean?

Today is a bit of an unusual episode. Last month I was invited by the British Society of Aesthetics to address their annual conference. My task was to give a lecture on whatever topic I wanted, having...

19 Okt 202352min

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

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

On October 29th, 1931, The Rochester Philharmonic presented the world premiere of a new symphony by the composer William Grant Still. A symphonic premiere is always something to look out for in musica...

12 Okt 20231h 6min

(Part 2) - The Music of World War II and the Holocaust with "Time's Echo" writer Jeremy Eichler

(Part 2) - The Music of World War II and the Holocaust with "Time's Echo" writer Jeremy Eichler

This is another episode where I highly recommend listening to Part 1 from last week before listening to this episode! It was a great honor to speak with the critic and cultural historian Jeremy Eichle...

5 Okt 202355min

The Music of World War II and the Holocaust with "Time's Echo" writer Jeremy Eichler (Part 1)

The Music of World War II and the Holocaust with "Time's Echo" writer Jeremy Eichler (Part 1)

I had the great pleasure and honor this week(and next week) to speak with the author of the new book Time's Echo Jeremy Eichler. The book chronicles four composers and their varied reactions to World ...

28 Sep 202357min

Mahler Symphony No. 4, Part 2

Mahler Symphony No. 4, Part 2

If you haven't listened to Part 1 of this episode about Mahler's 4th symphony, I highly recommend doing that, as every movement of this symphony builds to the "Heavenly Life" of the last movement. On ...

21 Sep 202359min

Populært innen Underholdning

papaya
harm-og-hegseth
enkel-servering
storefri-med-mikkel-og-herman
tore-og-haralds-podkast
tusvik-tnne
big-5-med-nils-og-harald-2
konspirasjonspodden
topp-3-med-wold-og-fladseth
ma-pa-behandling-med-morten-ramm
hovla
folk-flest-med-linn-og-nils
kjendiscrush-med-sofie-karlstad
nare-venner
vitnemal
gi-meg-alle-detaljene
rss-gammal-maiden
feedback-med-egon-holstad
christine-dancke
singel