How does a composer capture the spirit of a country, especially if it's not his native land? Mendelssohn, in his Italian Symphony, gives us one of the best examples of someone doing just that, giving us a tightly integrated, yet highly independent set of 4 snapshots from his travels all over Italy. And yet, despite the piece being called the Italian Symphony and being indelibly associated with the country, the symphony remains a relatively traditional 4 movement German classical symphony. What we hear then is a brilliant amalgamation of a symphony and a tone poem that is among the first of its kind. The symphony tells no story, has no narrative, and yet, when we finish the breathless Tarantella that ends the piece, we feel like we’ve been flicking through a photo album of Felix’s vacation, smiling (mostly) all along the way. Today we’ll talk all about how Mendelssohn builds this symphony and how each movement captures such a distinctive character, while remaining Mendelssohnian to its core - kind, warm-hearted, and full of bubbling energy. Join us!
Sibelius Symphony No. 5
Shostakovich Symphony No. 5, Part 2
Shostakovich Symphony No. 5, Part 1
Ysaye Sonatas for Solo Violin
Mahler Symphony No. 1, Part 2
Mahler Symphony No. 1, Part 1
The Music of Heinrich Schutz (and Brahms!)
Bartok Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celeste
Bach Transformed
Mendelssohn Symphony No. 3, "Scottish"
Rachmaninoff Symphonic Dances
Shostakovich Symphony No. 11, "The Year 1905"
Sticky Notes Vs. Wagner w/ Rafael Payare
Elgar: Enigma Variations
Fantasia 2021: 7 Pieces to Get You Started with Classical Music
Debussy La Mer
Mozart Symphony No. 41, "Jupiter"
Schumann Symphony No. 2
Brahms Symphony No. 2
How to Understand(and Enjoy!) Atonal Music, Part 2: The Wars of the 1950s
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Irish Songs with Ken Murray
Immediately Kinfolk
Turned On
Resident by Hernan Cattaneo
Markus Schulz presents Global DJ Broadcast