Sounds Interesting. Phrases of the loon.
This podcast from the Sounds Interesting series spotlights music expressed through the prism of madness in a range of contexts, from the world of fantasy to the theatre of war.
Author: Naxos
Friends reunited
I can’t remember the year – it must have been around 1980 – that I attended the Three Choirs Festival in England, held that year at Gloucester Cathedral. What I can clearly remember, however, was the feeling of being in a brief time warp. I had met up with the cathedral’s former organist and composer Read More …
Samuel Barber. An orchestral mix.
There can be few pieces to rival the popularity of Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings, be it performed from the ‘original score’ (it was itself an arrangement of an earlier string quartet movement) or in one of the plentiful arrangements of the piece for other forces. Such a level of popularity, however, frequently overshadows other Read More …
Podcast: Ludwig van Beethoven. Works from his middle years.
Raymond Bisha presents an overview of works written by Beethoven during his middle years period. It’s a companion resource to the latest release in Naxos’ monthly digital album series featuring the music of Beethoven in this 250th anniversary year of his birth. February’s compilation album (9.30206) presents a programme of works written between 1802 and Read More …
Podcast: Magna Sequentia II. A quick step through J. S. Bach’s keyboard dances.
If playlists had been available in the 18th century, Magna Sequentia II would undoubtedly have enjoyed an enthusiastic reception, with its varied track list embodying a theme of music by association. In her second of three Magna Sequentias, pianist Sonia Rubinsky leads with J. S. Bach’s Overture in the French Style and follows by building Read More …
Podcast: From movie house to concert hall. Music by Hanns Eisler.
Raymond Bisha introduces a new recording of music by Austrian composer Hanns Eisler who, in his late years, concentrated increasingly on adapting his film scores for the concert hall. He also began his Leipzig Symphony during this period, but it was left unfinished at the time of his death. Thilo Medek, a young composer at Read More …
Podcast: The notation is not the music.
Raymond Bisha talks with Barthold Kuijken about the historical perspective and informed interpretation behind a new release of Baroque flute concertos that feature Kuijken as soloist, accompanied by the Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra. View album details of The Grand Mogul – BLAVET, M. / LECLAIR, J.-M. / PERGOLESI, G.B. / TELEMANN, G.P. at naxos.com Catalogue No.: Read More …
Going dotty. Quiz time.
Here are 15 extracts that use dotted rhythms (long-short note combinations) to help establish the character of the music. Your challenge is to name (a) the composer (b) the title of the work and (c) to pick the correct year of composition from the following: 1717 1795 1786 1791 1803 1818 1831 1839 1848 1851 Read More …
Sounds Interesting
Carlo Gesualdo. A chromatic scale of life.
This podcast from the Naxos Sounds Interesting series recounts the colourful life and music of the Italian composer Carlo Gesualdo who was active at the turn of the sixteenth century. The presenter is Richard Kennedy.
Podcast: Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s Cello Concerto. A radiant rediscovery.
The composer Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco moved from Italy to the US during the turmoil of the Second World War. That he should have been immediately befriended by such musical giants as violinist Jascha Heifetz and cellist Gregor Piatigorsky speaks reams about the respect the Italian engendered. His Cello Concerto was commissioned by Piatigorsky, who premiered the Read More …