Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchA 40-voice birthday greeting from Tallis?
Synopsis
On today’s date in 1573, Queen Elizabeth the First celebrated her 40th birthday.
According to some musicologists, the music-loving monarch rec…
2 weeks, 6 days ago
A 'well-Krafted' concerto?
Synopsis
Consider, if you will, the poor timpanist. At most symphony concerts, they sit quietly — waiting for the moment when a dramatic exclamation p…
3 weeks ago
Prokofiev's String Quartet No. 2
Synopsis
In 1941, as the German army was overrunning Russia, the Soviet government evacuated important artists to remote places of safety. Composer Se…
3 weeks, 1 day ago
Tchaikovsky and Glass at the movies
Synopsis
For ballet lovers, the opening of Tchaikovsky’s ballet Swan Lake conjures up tutus, but for old-time movie buffs, this same music triggers me…
3 weeks, 2 days ago
Beethoven's 'Razumovsky' Quartets
Synopsis
On today’s date in 1806, Ludwig van Beethoven offered his publisher Breitkopf and Härtel three new string quartets — works we know today as t…
3 weeks, 3 days ago
E.J. Moeran
Synopsis
On today’s date in 1948, at a Proms concert at the Royal Albert Hall, the London Symphony gave the premiere performance of the Serenade in G …
3 weeks, 4 days ago
Mozart 'dissed' by Dittersdorf?
Synopsis
On today’s date in 1785, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart dedicated six of his string quartets to his friend and older colleague, Joseph Haydn. Earlie…
3 weeks, 5 days ago
Barber's 'scandalous' overture
Synopsis
On today’s date in 1933, the Philadelphia Orchestra was performing at its summer home at Robin Hood Dell. Conductor Alexander Smallens led th…
4 weeks ago
Saariaho at the Proms
Synopsis
Say the phrase “BBC Proms” to most music lovers, and they’ll conjure up a mental image of the rowdy “Last Night of the Proms” at which normal…
4 weeks, 1 day ago
Gershwin's operatic flop
Synopsis
The life story of George Gershwin usually runs something like this: an incredible string of successes cut short by Gershwin’s tragically earl…
4 weeks, 2 days ago