What’s this program about?
Slavic composers Smetana, Rimsky-Korsakov, and Rachmaninov cared deeply about their national roots and national identity, and each knew how to seduce the ear of listeners with gorgeous melody, ravishing orchestration, and a heart-racing sense of the dramatic.

Works Discussed: Smetana’s The Moldau, Rimsky-Korsakov’s Sheherazade, and Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2

Where you can find:
Smetana: The Moldau
Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherezade
A History of Russian Music: From Kamarinskaya to Babi Yar
My Musical Life by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

 Slavic, Exotic, Romantic 1 [14:21m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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What’s this program about?
The tone poem of the late romantic era painted pictures and portrayed stories with a rich orchestral style that became the model for film music. In Part 1, Professor Carol explains Gustav Holst’s The Planets and some of the techniques that lead to the style of John Williams.

Works Discussed: Gustav Holst, The Planets; John Williams, Olympic Theme and Fanfare

Where you can find:
Holst “The Planets”
Williams on Williams: The Classic Spielberg Scores

 Just a Few Notes 1 [11:59m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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What’s this program about?
In post-revolutionary France, the piano had replaced the harpsichord and the driving force behind the arts was moving from the court to the salons of Paris high society. Two composers, Liszt and Chopin, capitalized on these changes in very different ways and between them defined the future of piano music.

Where you can find:
Twelfth International Cliburn Piano Competition
Parisian Worlds - Chopin

 Chopin and Liszt in Paris [14:12m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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What’s this program about?
A ballad tells a story, and this popular literary form was appropriated by Romantic composers into songs. Carol explains how the ballad was transformed by Chopin into solo piano works.

Works Discussed: Chopin, Ballade No. 4 in F Minor; Chopin, Impromptu No. 2; Schiller, Der Taucher (The Diver).

Where you can find:
Chopin Nocturnes and Ballades
Chopin Impromptus

 The Story Behind the Chopin Ballades [10:48m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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