Handel… A very German Italian Englishman. Part One.
I hope you're in the mood for some truly beautiful music… much of it involving singing. I don't know if I can convert anyone to the delights of early 18th century opera but the songs I'm going to play you in this episode are I think some of the most exquisite ever written. Handel was born in 1685 in Halle near Leipzig in what is now north-eastern Germany and died in London in 1759. By the time he died he was not just the most successful composer in Great Britain… he was one of the most successful people in the nation. And here is a little quote generated by Claude whilst I was researching this show. It is I think a pretty good summary of why Handel's music has persisted for three centuries… 'The music combines German rigor, Italian lyricism, and English choral traditions into a distinctive, accessible style characterized by memorable melodies, dramatic contrasts, and psychological insight.'
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1:12:29
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1:12:29
A Different Halloween.
Probably adopted from early pagan traditions, 'All Hallows Eve', which became Halloween; was, and perhaps in some places still is, a night of rituals to call on the spirits of saints and martyrs for our protection in the year ahead; and prayers for the souls of loved ones who might not yet be fully at rest. So when I call this episode 'a different Halloween' all I really mean is that some of the music in this episode is more about sincere spirituality than trick-or-treating. But there are still one or two creepy concessions to today's Halloween. The music is from Modest Mussorgsky, Franz Schubert, Sergei Prokofiev, Rodrigo de Ceballos, John Tavener, Phillip Glass and Gabriel Fauré.
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Sunday Night Special 4… Aaron Copland's Third Symphony
The name comes from the night of the week when for some of us, the demon of insomnia hits the hardest… and because my preferred antidote is getting lost in some music. Of course this series is for everyone… but it is perhaps intended a little more for those of you whose sleep has been troubled. The idea of the special is to play just one piece, uninterrupted and in its entirety… with a few minutes of background explained at the end of the episode. This week… Aaron Copland's Third Symphony from 1946. Performed by the New York Philharmonic conducted by Leonard Bernstein.
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Music for Small Spaces… Number Two
This corner of classical music is more generally known by the odd term 'chamber music' but please don't let that stop you from experiencing some incredible music. This is music originally intended for smaller performance spaces… sometimes even just a dining room… written for a small number of instruments and by virtue of that the connection between players and audience can be more intimate and more intense. The music in the episode is by Anne Cawrse, Giovanni Sammartini, Sergei Prokofiev, Felix Mendelssohn, Gareth Farr and Samuel Barber.
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Music from the Upper West Side
I am looking out at the New York skyline as I record this episode and in the distance in particular I can glimpse the Ansonia Building. Completed in 1904 as an apartment hotel, it was for the early decades of the 20th century popular with visiting European composer/performers who would supplement their income with concert tours of the USA. In particular Sergei Rachmaninoff and Igor Stravinsky both stayed at the Ansonia… with Stravinsky becoming a frequent resident for over a decade. Researching that building's connection to classical music, I discovered that a narrow stretch of New York's Upper West Side around the Ansonia had also featured in the lives of the composers George Gershwin, Gustav Mahler, Aaron Copland and Leonard Bernstein. So, today you're going to hear music connected to the Upper West Side. Some West Side Stories, if you will.
Five hundred years of incredible music. No expertise is necessary. All you need are ears. If you've ever been even slightly curious about classical music then this is the podcast for you.
Brasil