Grieg: Peer Gynt
Grieg's Peer Gynt suites are among the best-known and best-loved works of classical music in the world. They are practically embedded into popular culture, being used in a dizzying number of cartoons,...
3 Sep 1h 7min
Mozart Clarinet Concerto
When it comes to a piece like the Mozart Clarinet Concerto, a few words or phrases regularly come up: the concerto is described as "mellow" or Mozart's "swan song," but most often it is described as "...
20 Aug 51min
Bohuslav Martinu Symphony No. 1
It took a lot to make the composer and critic Virgil Thomson happy. He was famous for savaging new works he didn't like, and the truth is, he didn't like very many new works at all. One exception was ...
6 Aug 1h 1min
Scriabin Poem of Ecstasy
Thence the universe resounds With a joyful cry I AM. These are the final lines of Alexander Scriabin's epic Poem of Ecstasy, a 300-line poem that takes nearly 10 minutes to read aloud and is one of ...
23 Juli 51min
Sibelius Tapiola
Ancient, mysterious, brooding savage dreams; Within them dwells the Forest's mighty God, And wood-sprites in the gloom weave magic secrets. These lines are affixed to the first page of Sibelius' tone...
10 Juli 47min
Arthur Honneger, Symphony No. 3, "Liturgique"
In the aftermath of World War II, the Swiss composer Arthur Honegger, who had been living in occupied Paris throughout the war, wrote a new symphony entitled "Liturgical." He wrote an extended comment...
25 Juni 53min
Dvorak Piano Quintet, Op. 81
In 1872, at the age of 31, Dvořák wrote a Piano Quintet designated as Opus 5. Dvořák was not a prodigy like some other famous composers; instead, his development as a composer was slow and steady. Lat...
11 Juni 49min
Mozart String Quartet, K. 465, "Dissonance"
You might be wondering: why on earth would I choose a piece that is literally called "Dissonance" when I was looking for something a bit simpler or cleaner to talk about on the show today? Actually, M...
28 Maj 49min
