Romantic Music

Legend, Lore, and Virtuosity

March 1, 2011

We take a journey through the Arabian Nights, visit the Roman Goddess of the Dawn, and thrill to the tragic fate of Spanish seductress Carmen. Works discussed: Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade; John Mackey, Aurora Awakes; François Bourne, Carmen Fantasy

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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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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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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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The Essential Tchaikovsky

May 7, 2007

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 [...]

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Schumann’s Papillons and Fantasy

March 2, 2007

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, [...]

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Beethoven the Musical Wordsmith

January 23, 2007

What’s this program about? Beethoven sliced and diced his themes, using musical rhetoric that rebelled against the natural melodic style of Mozart and that charted a path into 19th-century Romanticism. Professor Carol uses the Piano Sonata in E-Flat, Op. 31, to show how he did it. Works Discussed: Beethoven: Piano Sonata in E-Flat, Op. 31 [...]

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Tales of the Young Brahms

January 22, 2007

What’s this program about? A youthful Brahms finds his signature style early in the Opus 10 Ballades based on the Scottish Ballad “Eduard” by Herder. Works Discussed: Brahms: Four Ballades, Op. 10 Where you can find: Brahms Op. 10 Ballades

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