Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherezade
Rimsky-Korsakov, above anything else, is regarded as a master of orchestration, the art of creating orchestral sound and color. As Rachmaninoff said about Rimsky-Korsakov's music: "When there is a sno...
3 Feb 202256min
R. Nathaniel Dett: The Ordering of Moses
In May of 1937, R. Nathaniel Dett's oratorio "The Ordering of Moses" was premiered by the Cincinnati Symphony. The performance was carried live on national radio by NBC, but about 3/4's of the way thr...
27 Jan 202257min
The Music of Ingram Marshall
"I never really thought of them as walls. I thought of them more as boundaries. Walls are a much more serious matter. You're not supposed to be able to get through, while boundaries at least you can c...
20 Jan 202258min
Sibelius Symphony No. 5
Sibelius never gets mentioned on "most" lists, the most innovative, modernistic, romantic, beautiful, conservative, ugly, violent, peaceful etc. In fact, no one is ever sure where to put him on these ...
13 Jan 20221h 6min
Shostakovich Symphony No. 5, Part 2
Last week I told you the story of the genesis of Shostakovich's 5th symphony. We talked politics, but we also talked about just the music itself. Today, I'll take you through the second half of the sy...
6 Jan 202249min
Shostakovich Symphony No. 5, Part 1
Shostakovich's life and career was so wrapped up with his relationship to the Soviet government that it is sometimes hard to appreciate that, all else aside, he was one of the great 20th century compo...
30 Dec 202152min
Ysaye Sonatas for Solo Violin
If you're not a violinist, you might not be familiar with the name Eugene Ysaye. But this violinist and composer was called "The King of the Violin" at the turn of the 20th century. Ysaye's biggest co...
16 Dec 20211h 16min
Mahler Symphony No. 1, Part 2
This week, on part 2 of this look at Mahler 1, we're going to take a deep dive into the third and fourth movements of this massive and massively ambitious symphony. We'll talk about Frere Jacques, biz...
9 Dec 202158min
