An American Evening features three aspects of American music: a symphonic tribute to American culture by Czech composer Antonin Dvorak, a ballet for Martha Graham by Aaron Copland, and two colorful pieces by the dynamic, contemporary composer John Corigliano.
Works discussed: Aaron Copland, Appalachian Spring; John Corigliano, Promenade Overture and To Music; Antonin Dvorak, Symphony No. 9 “From the New World”
What’s this program about?
Rossini, the master of bel canto opera, retired young, rich, and famous. Decades later, in old age and ill health, Rossini returned to composition and crafted a liturgical mass as his final work, a work both spiritual and theatrical, Petit Messe Solonnelle.
Works Discussed: Rossini’s Petit Messe Solonnelle
Where you can find:
Petit Messe Solonnelle
What’s this program about?
Tchaikovsky’s music holds a sacred place in Russian culture. Dmitri Shostakovich said, “Without Tchaikovsky we could not endure our sorrows.” Professor Carol examines his Fifth Symphony and considers his life, his personal struggles, and his professional successes.
Works Discussed: Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5, Symphony No. 4, The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, The Queen of Spades
What’s this program about?
Professor Carol discusses the history, customs, and geography of America that inspire our diverse choral music, from Colonial times to the present, emphasizing texts of John Stirling Walker and Eric Johns, tunebooks and hymnals, liturgy, folk song, and spirituals.
Works Discussed: Leonard Bernstein: Mass; Aaron Copland: The Tender Land; Randall Thompson: “Alleluia”; Choral works by David Conte, Hubert Bird, Ned Rorem, William Billings, Stephen Paulus
Where you can find:
Bernstein Mass
Copland The Tender Land
Randall Thompson “Alleluia”
What’s this program about?
John Gibson’s choral work “Mockingbird Sings” utilizes Native American texts of the Yuma, Zuni, Laguna, and Apache tribes. The title refers to the individual charged with remembering events and traditions and his recounting of this oral history in songs and stories. In this interview, Gibson explains his approach to setting these unusual texts to music and factors that distinguish American music from its European roots.
Works Discussed: John Gibson’s “Mockingbird Sings”
What’s this program about?
Chopin would have been surprised at the idea of a solo piano recital in a concert hall. Professor Carol talks about the programming of recitals and works of Bach-Busoni, Beethoven, Chopin, and Debussy.
Works Discussed: Bach-Busoni Chorale Preludes; Beethoven Sonata No. 21, Opus 53 (”Waldstein”); Chopin Sonata No. 2; Debussy “Children’s Corner”
Where you can find:
Bach-Busoni Transcriptions
Beethoven’s Waldstein Sonata
Debussy’s “Children’s Corner”
Chopin Sonata No. 2
What’s this program about?
Hollywood is heir to the European musical traditions. The classic films were scored by composers trained in Europe and schooled in the classical traditions and by immigrant composers who escaped Germany after their work was denounced by the Nazis as “degenerate music” (Entartete Musik).
Works Discussed: Bernard Herrmann: Psycho, Vertigo; Erich Korngold: Robin Hood; Aaron Copland: Red Pony; Virgil Thompson: The Plow that Broke the Plains
Where you can find:
The Film Music of Erich Korngold
Copland: The Red Pony Suite
Herrmann: The Film Scores
The Music Survives! Music Suppressed by the Third Reich
What’s this program about?
Professor Carol gives a biography of Schumann’s early years, comparing Schumann’s youthful work Papillons with his later Fantasy in C Major against the backdrop of his courtship of the young pianist Clara Wieck and the emerging Romantic image of the artist.
Works Discussed: Schumann: Papillons, Op. 2; Fantasy in C Major, Op. 17
Where you can find:
Sviatoslav Richter
Wilhelm Kempff
Leon Plantinga, Schumann as Critic
What’s this program about?
Military music inspires the troops, facilitates maneuver, intimidates the enemy, sends signals, marks daily events of camp life, entertains the troops in their leisure time, and comprises an important part of the pageantry and tradition of military life.
Works Discussed: Scotland the Brave, Yankee Doodle, Mozart’s Abduction from the Seraglio, Bugle Calls, The Army Song
Where you can find:
U.S. Army Field Band: From Sea to Shining Sea
Frederick Fennell: Music of the Civil War
The Edinburgh Military Tattoo: Bagpipe Marches of Scotland
Farmer, The World of Military Music
What’s this program about?
Carol interviews Dean Bouras, arranger for the Dallas Wind Symphony Big Band concerts, and John Trapani, leader of the John Trapani Big Band about the era, the music, and its popularity today.
Works Discussed: Glenn Miller, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Woody Herman, Norman Leyden
Where you can find:
Big Band Collection
Big Band Magic
