Opus 1s: The First Works of Great Composers, Part 2
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. In some cases, composers were writing masterpieces before they turned 18! And some were late bloomers, giving some hope to the rest of us! Today we look at composers 5-10: Beethoven, Schubert, Bruckner, Shostakovich, and in my Patreon exclusive mini-episode, Prokofiev. You'll hear some truly astonishing music this week!
23 Apr 202042min
What is Historical Performance? w/Augusta McKay Lodge
Have you ever wondered what the real differences are between modern and historical performance? Why do historical performances sound so different from modern ones? This week, we take a deep dive into historical performance with the baroque violinist Augusta McKay Lodge. We talk the differences in the sound worlds between modern and historical performance, and also try to resolve the "Cold War" between modern and historical performers. This was a truly fascinating interview, so I hope you'll enjoy it!
20 Apr 202041min
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 so many of these works a germ, a seed of an idea that will blossom into masterpieces. In some cases, composers were writing masterpieces before they turned 18. And some were late bloomers, giving some hope to the rest of us! Today we look at composers 1-5: Mozart, Rameau, Haydn, Mendelssohn, and Korngold.
16 Apr 202045min
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 discussed what it is that conductor's do, the art of rehearsing, batons, the psychology of working with large groups, our craziest stories from doing the job, and much much more. This was such a fun experience and we're going to be doing it again very soon. We hope you enjoy it and will join us for the next one!
13 Apr 202056min
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 of that heartbreak, but also the life-affirming joy that Bartok found in his final creative resurgence. Today we'll talk about the devastating 3rd movement, the odd fourth movement, a movement that is playful, heartbreaking, and satirical all at once, and finally we'll explore the ecstatic final movement.
9 Apr 202047min
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 sparked a creative resurgence for Bartok, resulting in his most beloved piece, the Concerto For Orchestra. This week, on Part 1, we'll talk about the first two movements of the piece, from the alternately brooding and exhilarating first movement, to the second movement, a genuinely funny and charming diversion.
2 Apr 202042min
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 human perseverance, symbolism, and collective action in history. This is a story I haven't told yet on the show, but it couldn't be more relevant today. It is a story about overcoming tragedy. It is a story about hope. It is a story that I think should inspire all of us as we go through this situation together.
26 Mars 202040min
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, compositional mastery, and blazing fire all down into just a few minutes. We'll also get a chance to explore Beethoven's creative process, and the development of the Overture itself. Come check out the Coriolan, Egmont, and Leonore Overtures 1, 2, AND 3 plus the overtures to Fidelio and Prometheus. Stay safe!
19 Mars 202056min
