Music History

The Musical World of Malcolm Arnold

April 10, 2008

What’s this program about? Enter the musical world of Sir Malcolm Arnold, a world of brisk expression and energy, evocative soundscape, precise instrumentation, and winsome melody. A world of richly colored, well crafted, deeply satisfying sound.   Many people discover Malcolm Arnold through his sets of appealing dances and through his film scores, especially Bridge [...]

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The Vienna of Mozart and Mahler

February 16, 2008

What’s this program about? Vienna drew musicians from all over Europe, luring them with Imperial support for the arts and a public eager for music.  Mozart and Mahler came to work in Vienna more than a century apart, and both experienced success and frustrations in this opera-loving city so rich in architectural and cultural splendors. [...]

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A Gershwin Rhapsody

February 9, 2008

What’s this program about? Was it the great tunes, the snappy lyrics, or both? George Gershwin’s fabulous songs are a treasured part of American music. His Rhapsody in Blue, theater works American in Paris and Porgy and Bess, brought him celebrity status and changed the course of American music. After his premature death, his brother [...]

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An Interview with Vladimir Lande

February 6, 2008

Conductor and oboist Vladimir Lande talks with Professor Carol about the legacy of Evgeny Mravinsky and Soviet composers Shostakovich and Khachaturian, as well as the influence of folklore and the bells of the Orthodox Church on Russian composers. He discusses performances of music by John Corigliano, Gaetano Panariello, and Lorenzo Ferrero and his enthusiasm for [...]

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The Keys to Russian Music

December 12, 2007

What’s this program about? Russian music has tremendous audience appeal. Its sources are the very cornerstones of Old Russian Culture: the Orthodox Church, Russian history, Russian fairy tales and folklore, and Russia’s position between West and East. Liturgical chants and bells reverberate in the music of Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov, Mussorgsky, and Rachmaninov. Russian history and literature [...]

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Wagner, the Original Band Geek

November 8, 2007

What’s this program about? Richard Wagner was, and remains, one of the most intense and controversial figures of all time. For those who love Wagner’s music, Wagner becomes an obsession. Wagner understood and glorified the sound of wind instruments, especially brass, and transcriptions of Wagner’s operatic music have made highly effective and enjoyable arrangements for [...]

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Commissions, Dedications, and Premieres

October 17, 2007

What’s this program about? In today’s classical music world, there are not many composers who can stir up the excitement that might have accompanied the premiere of a new work by Brahms. But John Mackey is a composer who can. He has a popular following from all over the world. The Dallas Wind Symphony collaborated [...]

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What Does “Classical” Mean?

October 9, 2007

  In popular usage, “classical” means anything that lasts and is passed down from generation to generation. It also refers to the particular style of music, rich in contrast, that flourished in late 18th-century Vienna. Professor Carol talks about classicism from Mozart to Brahms to Prokofiev.   Works discussed: Brahms: Symphony No. 1 in C [...]

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Respighi’s Roman Festivals

September 14, 2007

What’s this program about? Ottorino Respighi was not at war with tonality or tradition, and his works have consequently been denigrated at times as “crowd pleasers.”  Although he wrote successful concertos, operas, and ballets that were widely performed in his day, he is known primarily for his Roman trilogy: Fountains of Rome, Pines of Rome, [...]

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The Musicians’ Perspective on Mahler

August 16, 2007

Mahler expanded the orchestra to huge proportions, going beyond the already inflated forces of Wagner.  But Mahler simultaneously achieved an striking delicacy and transparency by using solo instruments to create “chamber music” in the midst of a his massive musical canvases. He drew his inspiration from the simple tunes of his childhood, military marches, folk [...]

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