The Great Composers Podcast - a classical music podcast

Brahms pt. 15b: we detail the course of the Brahms-Joachim relationship as they return to something like their former friendly relations and see how is other friendships and partnerships evolve, disolve, change and mature as we reach the year 1887.  Works heard in this episode in order (all by Brahms): Tafellied op. 93b Der Tod, das ist die kühle Nacht op. 96 no. 1 Wir wandelten  op. 96 no. 2 Nach...

Brahms pt. 15a: we return to the life narrative of our great composer, picking up where we left him in the summer of 1879 adding the finishing touches to his D major violin concerto which he had written for and with the advice of his great friend, Joseph Joachim. This was the high point of their friendship and musical partnership; but for how long would the happy feelings last, and if they didn't,...

In Brahms pt. 14 our pause in the narrative continues as we study the greatest of all violin concertos, that by Johannes Brahms. We will analyze the relationship between Brahms and the work's first, possibly finest performer Joseph Joachim, putting the concerto in the context of his performing life and in relation to other works in the genre. We conclude with a discussion of cadenza's, but Joachim...

In Brahms pt. 13 we pause the narrative and retrace our steps to spend some more time with the Second Symphony. A brief discussion of the symphony and an analysis of its motives will be presented, including excerpts from it and a complete recording by the Musopen Symphony.  Works heard in this episode in order (all by Brahms): -Symphony no. 2 in D major op. 73 Multiple excerpts recorded by Chang J...

Pt. 12:  It is early November 1876 and Brahms is in the audience as the orchestra at Carlsruhe premieres his first symphony in C minor. The concert goes better than expected and riding high on his success, Brahms performs the symphony many more times elsewhere. Its positive reception gladdened his heart and he quickly produced another symphony to celebrate, then a series of other wonderful works i...

It is summer 1876. Brahms is vacationing with his friend George Henschel on the Baltic island or Rügen and finishing work on his first symphony in C minor... Works heard in this episode (all by Brahms): Symphony no. 1 in C minor op. 68 Excerpts: performed by Chang Ji, Mrs. the GCP - mvt. 1 mm. 1-2, mm. 41, mm. 42-46 - mvt. 4 mm. 1-3, mm. 12-14 ...by The GCP House Orchestra... - mvt. 4 mm. 30-38, m...

It is December 1871 and Johannes Brahms has finally established permanent residence in the music loving city of Vienna. Still, his thoughts remain in Hamburg for a time as his family slowly start to drift away from him... He himself then drifted for a time, compositionally at least. He would begin his new position as Artistic Director of the Gesellschaft der Musik Freunde  in Fall 1872 which made...

I am pleased to be joined during this episode by Alan Walker, celebrated author of biographies of Franz Liszt, Frederick Chopin and others, and acclaimed concert pianist Daniel Vnukowski. We discuss Liszt, Chopin, and Schumann, taking a look at their lives and music from the perspectives of biographer and performer.  Vnukowski and Dr. Walker present "In the Footsteps of Chopin" on Wednesday June 2...

Ep. 43 – It is Good Friday, April 10, 1868 in Bremen and Brahms has just finished giving the premiere of his German Requiem . It is a complete triumph but one not celebrated with wild applause, the work is too grave for that. Instead, attendees of the premiere listened with glad hearts and in reverence, awe really of the work's creator. Thus, Johannes Brahms became an internationally recognized co...

Ep 42(b) - It is early 1865. Brahms's mother has just passed away. Filled with emotion he grudgingly moves from winter to spring, entering a long period of deep and private mourning during which he would retreat into himself for a time in order to gather his thoughts and energies, and orient them toward a grand act of artistic creation in which he would immortalize his beloved mother and through w...

Ep. 42(a) - It is late November 1862. We find Johannes Brahms in Vienna making a great success of himself for once but reeling from a devastating blow given him by the musical establishment of Hamburg. He will try to pick himself up and carry on with his work, compartmentalizing the tenderness he felt for one place from the bitterness for the other so that he might do so. And then further troubles...

In Ep. 41 Johannes Brahms continues his toil, conducing the ladies' choir, playing concerts, and composing; working to build a life and career brick by brick with the sweat of his brow and the help of his friends. He hoped for a permanent position in Hamburg that would lead to a settled, traditional life and some financial security. Brahms's efforts were geared toward turning hope into reality, bu...

In ep. 40 we find Johannes Brahms struggling to recover and learn from the defeat of his D minor Piano Concerto at Leipzig's Gewandhaus in January 1859. Despite nearing mastery in his craft and the untiring support of his friends he was yet unable to find a consistently appreciative audience. Success and failure, ridicule and praise, applause and hissing followed Brahms wherever he and his music w...

I'm pleased to welcome to the show Rebecca Smithorn, cover conductor and lecturer with the National Philharmonic. Rebecca is host of the NatPhil's YouTube series "Composers in Crisis" which takes a look at composers whose lives and art were transformed by times of global crisis. In our interview we talk about several composers in crisis: Beethoven, Ravel, Ruth Crawford-Seeger, John Corigliano, Und...

In Ep. 38 we pick up with Johannes Brahms and Clara Schumann in the weeks following Robert Schumann's death in July 1856, trying to make sense of their relationship and love. They have a crucial, incredibly difficult decision to make and its consequences will color the rest of their lives. All the while, Brahms struggles to complete his first piano concerto in d minor. --------------- Subscribe on...

Stay healthy and well! Ep. 37 – In late 1853, having impressed important musicians across Germany, especially Robert and Clara Schumann, Johannes Brahms planned for the publication of his first opuses. His star was rising in the musical world and he had much to be proud of, but a terrible tragedy loomed on the horizon which threatened to derail his career and set his life down yet another new thou...

In this special episode "Antonio Stradivari, and the Violin Makers of Cremona" we explore the lives of Cremona's greatest violin makers. Cremona's violin making tradition began with Andrea Amati in the mid-16th century, and lasted until the death of Giuseppe Guarneri "del Gesù" some two hundred years later. In between these two men came many remarkable makers from the Amati and Guarneri families,...

Ep. 35 - In April 1853, Johannes Brahms left Hamburg with the Hungarian violinist Eduard Reményi for a short concert tour of North German towns. After performing in small venues and for small crowds to great success, the duo decided to try their luck in Hanover. There they met one of the most important musicians of the day, who sent them visit another, and yet another... --------------- Subscribe...

In Ep. 34 we see Johannes Brahms complete his adolescence and become a young adult. Along the way he is tested severely, leading a double life as a serious music student by day and dance hall pianist by night. Delicate and prone to migraines as a youth, this taxing work nearly ruined Johannes's physical and mental health. But as always, in times of great need a savior came his way and his health w...

In Ep. 33, The Life of Johannes Brahms, pt. 1 "A Cup Half Full" we meet the great composer's father, Johann Jakob Brahms. Jakob was a versatile musician who could play several instruments. He wasn't the most talented of musicians, but he was determined to succeed. In 1826 he went to Hamburg and began working as a lowly beer-fiddler. After establishing himself, he took every job he could get and sl...

In this introduction to the life of Johannes Brahms we rhapsodize on key themes in the great composer's life, and begin to sketch his unique position in the history of music. ---------------- Try nkoda for free!  https://www.nkoda.com They have all the digital sheet music you could ever need right on one app. Find it in your favorite app store. I use nkoda for my own practice, in lessons, and just...

Ep. 31 sees our Bach saga come to an end. We meet Sebastian Bach's grandson, Wilhelm Friedrich Ernst, the last musician of his line. Then we see how the family legacy was carried on by those who were Bach's in spirit but not name. Finally, we follow a few members of the family as they spread to other parts of Europe and then America. Music heard in this episode: (By J.S. Bach) 1. Mass in B minor:...

In Ep. 30, we see Johann Christian Bach round out his time in Italy by planning a new trip to London. While in London, he became immensely famous and was even given a position in the royal household of King George III and his Queen, Charlotte. Johann Christian, or as he preferred to be called, John, enjoyed a swift rise to fame. It lasted for nearly two decades, but as tastes began to change his d...

In Ep. 29 we follow the Great Bach's youngest son, Johann Christian born 1735, from his childhood to the early years of his maturity. Christian was one of the most brilliant and successful musicians the Bach family ever produced and he achieved a level of fame none of them ever did during their lifetimes. Christian was unique in his family and never felt compelled to adhere to the traditions of ol...

In Ep. 28, we take a closer look at the life of Anna Magdalena Wilcke, beloved second wife of Sebastian Bach. Anna came from a long line of musicians, and was an accomplished musician herself. At the age of 20, or possibly sooner, she attained a coveted position as soprano in the Cöthen Capelle then under Sebastian's direction, who often featured her as a soloist. After their marriage in 1721 and...