Classical Podcasts

Listening Guide The Work Tempo: Langsam (Adagio); Allegro risoluto, ma non troppo Key: Beginning in B minor and modulating progressively to E minor and concluding in E major. Time Signature: 4/4 Form: Sonata form Support the show

Listening Guide The Work Occasionally, the subtitle The Song of the Night has been appended to the Seventh Symphony, presumably relating to the two movements (the second and fourth) that Mahler entitled Nachtmusik. However, Mahler did not append a subtitle to the symphony. Regarding the symphony’s principal key, some have referred to it as B […] Support the show

Listening Guide The Works Henry Kimball Hadley (1871-1937) – The Ocean, Op. 99 National Symphony Orchestra Of Ukraine John Mclaughlin Williams, Conductor (Naxos 8.559064) Buy this CD on Amazon.com Philippe Gaubert (1879-1941) – Les Chants De La Mer Orchestre Philharmonique Du Luxembourg Marc Soustrot, Conductor (Timpani 1c1135) Buy this MP3 album on Amazon.com Frederick Delius […] Support the show

Listening Guide The Works Ralph Vaughan Williams – A Sea Symphony Hugo Alfvén (1872-1960) – Symphony No. 4 In C Minor, Op. 39 (“From The Seaward Skerries”) Elisabeth Söderström, soprano Gösta Winbergh, tenor Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra Stig Westerberg, conductor (Bluebell ABCD 001) Buy this CD on Amazon.com Gustaf Nordqvist – Til Havs (To The Sea) […] Support the show

Listening Guide The Work Tempo: Allegro Moderato (Sostenuto); allegro energico Principal key: A minor with various subsidiary keys (C minor, D major and minor, F-sharp and B-flat major, A major, F minor, E-flat major and G major and minor) Time Signature: alla breve opening leads to the principal 4/4 meter Form: Extended sonata form with rondo […] Support the show

Listening Guide The Work Tempo: Andante Moderato Key: E-flat major (second theme in G minor, then in E minor and A minor) with the Development in E minor and 2 episodes, the first in E minor then E major, the second in C major. Time Signature: 4/4 Form: Rondo form. (ABA’B’A’Coda) Support the show

Listening Guide The Work Tempo: Wuchtig (weighty or powerful) (3/8 ausschlagen ohne zu schleppen) (3/8 meter not too dragging). Key: A minor (First trio in F major and Second trio in D major) Time Signature: 3/8 (numerous meter shifts throughout the trios) Form: Scherzo with two Trios (ABA’B’AACoda) Support the show

Listening Guide The Work Tempo: Allegro energico, ma non troppo. Heftig, aber markig (Vigorous, but emphatic). Key: A minor (second theme in F major; recapitulation in A major with the second theme in D major) Time Signature: 4/4 Form: Modified Sonata form Support the show

Listening Guide The Work Date(s) of composition: 1903-4; published by C. F. Kahnt Nachfolger, Leipzig (1906) in three editions (a full orchestral score, study score and a four-hand piano transcription by Alexander von Zemlinsky) were published, the second of which reversed the order of the middle movements from Scherzo-Andante to Andante-Scherzo and contained substantial revisions […] Support the...

Listening Guide The Work Tempo: Allegro. Allegro giocoso. Principal Key: D major. Time Signature: 2/2 Form: Although Mahler used the term Arondo in the title of this movement, its structure is hardly that of a traditional rondo. Some commentators consider the movement to be in sonata-form, but there are several reasons to doubt the efficacy […] Support the show

Listening Guide The Work Tempo: Sehr langsam (Very slowly) Key: F (with modulations in the B section to C minor, G-flat major, E major, D major, etc.). Time Signature: 4/4 Form: ABA Support the show

Listening Guide The Work Third Movement: Scherzo In what strange simplification and falsification man lives! One can never cease wondering once one has acquired eyes for this marvel! How we have made everything around us clear and free and easy and simple! How we have been able to give our senses a passport to everything […] Support the show

Listening Guide The Work Tempo: Stürmisch bewegt. Mit grösster Vehemenz. (Stormily agitated, with the greatest vehemence). Key: A minor, F minor in the second theme, with various major and minor key modulations; E minor for the second theme in the recapitulation and D major for the Grand Chorale. Time Signature: 2/2 Form: ABABA with introduction […] Support the show

Listening Guide The Work Tempo: Trauermarsch. In gemessenem Schritt. Streng. Wie ein Kondukt. (Funeral March. In measured tread, austere, like a funeral cortège.) Key: C-sharp minor (modulating to A-flat, then to B-flat minor for the first trio, D-flat major and then A minor for the second trio, etc.) Time Signature: 2/2 Rhythm: funeral march. Form: […] Support the show

Listening Guide The Work Date(s) of Composition: 1901-02; published by C. F. Peters (1904), revised edition, 1919. Place of Composition: Maiernigg and Vienna Premiere: Cologne, 18 October 1904. Orchestration: 4 flutes (3rd and 4th double with piccolo); 3 oboes (3rd doubles with English horn); 3 clarinets (3rd doubled with bass clarinet); 3 bassoons (3rd doubles […] Support the show

Listening Guide The Work Key: B minor in the piano version and the Kritische Gesamtausgabe; B-flat minor and A minor in other orchestral editions. Tempo: Ruhig. Gleichmässig. (Restful, evenly) Time Signature: 3/2, alternating with 2/2, 4/2 and 6/2. Orchestration: no strings; 2 flutes; 2 oboes (oboe d’amore in A minor version); 2 clarinets; 2 bassoons […] Support the show

Listening Guide The Work Key: F major in piano version; E-flat major in orchestral version (with modulations into A-flat and then C major and minor. [N.B., the volume of the Critical Edition of Mahler’s works prepared under the auspices of the International Gustav Mahler Gesellschaft, Vienna, devoted to the orchestral version of four Rückert-Lieder includes […] Support the show

Listening Guide The Work Key: C major. Tempo: Innig, fliessend (tender, flowing) (fliessend does not appear in the orchestral score) Time Signature: 3/4 with numerous changes. Form: simple strophic form Orchestration: According to the original orchestral score, published by C. F. Kahnt, this song was not orchestrated by Mahler, but by an employee of the publisher, […] Support the show

Listening Guide The Work Key: D major (E-flat major in final verse) Tempo: Sehr zart und innig (Very tender and intimate) Time Signature: 6/4 (3/4 in final six measures) Rhythm: continuous eighth-note ostinato interwoven around the quarter-notes of the vocal line like Athe gentle rocking rhythm of a lullaby. Form: Two-part song form. Orchestration: 1 […] Support the show

Listening Guide The Work Key: F major (second and final verse in the minor key) Tempo: Sehr Lebhaft (Very fast). Time Signature: 2/2 Rhythm: nearly moto perpetuo eighth-notes Form: AA’; AA’ (A’ episodes in the minor) Blicke mir nicht in die Lieder! Meine Augen schlag’ ich nieder, Wie ertappt auf böser Tat. Selber darf ich […] Support the show

Listening Guide The Work Dates of Composition: 1901 (Rückert-Lieder); 1902 (Liebst du um Schönheit); published as Sieben Lieder Aus Letzter Zeit 1910 (C. F. Kahnt). Place of composition: Maiernigg Type of composition: 5 Songs in versions with piano and orchestral accompaniment. Blicke Mir Nicht In Die Lieder Janet Baker, mezzo‑soprano New Philharmonia Sir John Barbirolli, conductor […] Support the...

Listening Guide The Work Key: D minor (with occasional hints of B-flat and A major), ending in D major. Tempo: Mit ruhelos schmerzvollem Ausdruck (With a restless, painful expression). Time Signature: 4/4 Form: free strophic form with a prelude and postlude, each verse being separated by an interlude of varying length. The last verse is […] Support the show

Listening Guide The Work Key: E-flat major (with each verse beginning in the minor), modulating to G-flat during each verse. Tempo: Ruhig bewegt, ohne zu eilen (calmly restless, without hurrying) Time Signature: 2/2 (with a few bars of 3/2) Form: ABABAB Oft denk’ ich, sie sind nur ausgegangen! Bald werden sie wieder nach hause gelangen! […] Support the show

Listening Guide The Work Key: C minor (modulating to G minor). Tempo: Schwer, dumpf (Weighty, muffled) Time Signature: 4/4 alternating with 3/2. Form: ABAB. Wenn dein Mütterlien tritt zur Tür herein, und den Kopf ich drehe, ihr entgegen sehe, fällt auf ihr Gesicht erst der Blick mir nicht, sondern auf die Stellen, dort, wo würde […] Support the show

Listening Guide The Work Key: C minor (original piano version in C-sharp minor) with several modulations to C major, D major, G minor and B-flat major. Tempo: Ruhig, nicht schleppend (Restful, do not drag) Time Signature: 4/4 (with a few measures of 3/2 and 2/4) Form: ABCB (with a brief introduction and coda) Nun seh’ […] Support the show