What’s this program about?

We forget how young the idea of a public concert is. Until around 1700, the idea of people assembling to play music not as part of a theatrical presentation or church service, but rather purely for listening, was almost unknown.

Concerts in the 19^th Century included a lot of eating and drinking, gossip, and press reports on the personalities similar to today’s tabloids. Concerts were occasions for the hippest people to hear the newest, edgy music, filled with surprises and musical special effects.

Works discussed: Rimsky-Korsakov, Capriccio Espagnole; Sarasate, Zigeuenerweisen; Turrin, Fandango; Williams, Cowboys Overture; Brahms, Academic Festival Overture; Fauré, Elegie

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.  From the Turkish cultural influence to the passion of the waltz and operetta, Professor Carol surveys the musical history of Vienna and talks about Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5, Marriage of Figaro, and Mahler’s Fifth Symphony.

Works discussed: Mozart Violin Concerto in A Major, K. 219, Overture to Marriage of Figaro; Mahler, Symphony No. 5

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 inspire the operas Prince Igor and Khovanshchina.

Works discussed:  Rimsky-Korsakov, Russian Easter Overture; Mussorgsky, Pictures at an Exhibition, Prelude to Khovanshchina; Borodin, Prince Igor, Polovtsian Dances.

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 18^th-century Vienna.  Professor Carol talks about classicism from Mozart to Brahms to Prokofiev.

Works discussed: Brahms: Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 68; Prokofiev: Symphony No. 1 in D Major, Op. 25, “Classical Symphony,” Lieutenant Kijé Suite, Piano Concerto No. 1 in D-Flat Major, Op. 10.

What’s this program about?

Can musical works actually paint magic into sound? Or are the sounds magical only because we know the stories behind them? Professor Carol looks at magic in music, from E.T.A. Hoffmann to John Williams’ Harry Potter score.

Works discussed: Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique; Manuel de Falla’s El Amor Brujo; Dukas’ Sorcerer’s Apprentice; Saints Seans’ Danse Macabre; Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite; Wagner’s Magic Fire Music; John Williams’ Harry’s Wondrous World

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”

The Tulsa Symphony Orchestra Season Preview continues with Part 2.

Go to Part 1 now.

A look at the upcoming 2007-2008 season of the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra.  Professor Carol reviews the orchestra’s concert programs in this netcast and takes you on a virtual tour from America to Imperial Russia to Vienna and back.  This netcast is divided into two parts so be sure to listen to Part 2.

Go to Part 2 now.

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

Where you can find:
Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2
Smetana: The Moldau
Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherezade
A History of Russian Music: From Kamarinskaya to Babi Yar

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

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 2, Professor Carol explains features of John Williams’ famous film scores and how we hear music differently when it accompanies drama.

Works Discussed: John Williams, E.T., Schindler’s List, Jaws, Superman, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Harry Potter

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

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