The Great Composers Podcast - a classical music podcast

In Ep. 27, The Lives of Some Other Bachs, pt. 4 "Carl Philipp Emanuel and the Prussian Blues" we see Emanuel Bach suffer many more years in service to King Frederick the Great of Prussia, unable to find employment elsewhere. His perpetual good cheer served him well during these troubled years and he continued to compose and make a success of himself as before. Following the Third Silesian War from...

In Ep. 26 - The Lives of Some Other Bachs, pt. 3 "Carl Philipp Emanuel and All the King's Men" we will meet the Great Bach's second son, Carl Phillip Emanuel. Despite having much the same upbringing, Emanuel managed to make a success of himself while Friedemann did not. Independent, friendly, and worldly wise, Emanuel left his father's home ready to take on the world, and found himself in the serv...

In Ep. 25, The Lives of Some Other Bachs, pt. 2 "Wilhelm Friedemann, The Golden Child" we explore the life of Sebastian Bach's eldest son, Friedemann (1710-1784). While he was alive, Sebastian did everything he could to support Friedemann's career. He wrote music for him, gave him instruction manuals, and even wrote at least one job application letter. For a time, it seemed that Friedemann's life...

In Ep. 24 "The Grapes of the Vine" we will follow the Bach family tree from its founding member, Veit Bach, all the way down to JS Bach and his first born son Wilhelm Friedemann. For nearly three centuries, the Bach's produced musician after musician. All were highly skilled in their craft and some became quite famous. Not only did JS Bach's children have as a father the greatest musician of all t...

In Ep. 23 we welcome another very special guest, Judith Chernaik, author of the book "Schumann: the Faces and the Masks". She and I had an in-depth discussion about her book, a brilliant telling of the tragic and beautiful story that is the life of Robert Schumann. Be sure to pick up her book wherever books are sold and at the link below! It is well worth it. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/boo...

In Ep. 22 I am pleased to bring you a very special guest, Suzanne Bona, host of the syndicated radio program "Sunday Baroque". We met up at WGUC studios in downtown Cincinnati and enjoyed a wide ranging discussion about her show, her life, and lots of interesting musical things! She was also kind enough to let us hear a sample of her program at about 45 minutes in, a special treat indeed. Be sure...

Ep. 21 - "Through the Looking Glass" --- Its 1974, and the great composers of the Western avant-garde continue to drift ever further apart. Stockhausen tours the globe and dreams of a life among the stars, Boulez becomes a world-renowned conductor, John Cage adds to his growing list of artistic pursuits, and György Ligeti settles down to a life as a teacher and begins planning his next moves as a...

Ep. 20b...Continuing where we left off... The Life of György Ligeti, pt. 2 "A Composer in Wonderland" we see our great composer through the 1960's and into the early 70's, discussing his music of that period in detail. Having at last achieved some success with the orchestral works "Apparitions" and "Atmospheres" Ligeti would rattle off a few non-musical, farcical pieces. Then in 1965, his Requiem...

In Ep. 20a, we join the Hungarian refugee, György Ligeti, as he explores the musical wonderland that was the Free West. The year is 1957, and a shivering, disheveled Ligeti has just landed on the doorstep of the great German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen. Stockhausen will show Ligeti all that he had been missing in the world of composition over the last several years, and introduce him to the new...

In Ep. 19, The Life of György Ligeti, pt. I "Down the Rabbit Hole" we explore the life of György Ligeti from 1923 to 1957. During this period, Ligeti and his fellow Hungarians would suffer under political domination and from social oppression by the Nazis and then the Russian Soviets. Fed up with their totalitarian overlords, the Hungarians in 1956 broke into revolt. Ligeti, who lived a life of ob...

Ep. 18b The Grand Finale! The Life of Ludwig van Beethoven pt. 10, "The Candle in the Wind" we see our great composer to the end of his life. The last years were not easy ones for Beethoven. He proved himself to be cruel and kind, hateful and loving, violent and sweet. But in the end, he was able to transcend the shortcomings of human existence, gain in his own way forgiveness of his many sins, an...

In Ep. 18a, Beethoven pt. 10 "The Candle in the Wind", first part of our massive grand finale(!) we start Beethoven on the last leg of his life. As a new father, and aging man with ill health, life would become more and more difficult for our great composer. His compositional life would prove more cumbersome as well, as massive new works that took a considerable amount of time to complete were now...

In Ep. 17 "The Ill-Made Knight" we investigate the mystery surrounding the Immortal Beloved letters, and discuss several theories which attempt to identify who she was. We then continue to parallel the lives of Beethoven and Napoleon Bonaparte, and see that the events of 1812 would hurdle both men towards destruction. Only one of them however met ruin, while the other eventually transcended the di...

In Ep. 16, The Life of Ludwig van Beethoven pt. 8 "The Witch in the Wood" our great hero will ride triumphant into 1809. Though it began well enough for Beethoven, 1809 was to be a bad year for Austria. Defeat on the battlefield, a depressed economy, and a deeply wounded national pride would touch all of her citizens. As his country declined, so in a way did Beethoven. He would compose less and le...

In Ep. 15 The Life of Ludwig van Beethoven, pt. 7 "A Hero's Life" we explore the Beethoven's life between the years late 1802 and 1808. During that time, the composer would overcome adversity to reach the pinnacle of his career. Masterpieces would fly from his pen and both the man and the legend of Ludwig van Beethoven will be formed. ---------------- For all things GCP Please rate, review, and su...

This is an updates episode for The Great Composers Podcast, with a bunch of stuff you might be interested in including my interview with Adam Rodman of the "Bedside Rounds" podcast, and an episode XV teaser at the end! Enjoy! The show returns on Dec. 22nd with The Life of Ludwig van Beethoven pt. 7, just in time to celebrate the 209th anniversary of the monumental concert which saw the premier of...

In Ep. 14 - "Friends and Enemies" we will see Beethoven continue adding to his fame. As a new century dawns however, he will encounter dangerous enemies who will threaten to unseat him as Vienna's top piano virtuoso. But one of these enemies will seek not only to knock off his piano playing crown, but to destroy his life altogether. He will not be able to resist this new threat, and will be forced...

In Ep. 13 - The Life of Ludwig van Beethoven pt. 5, "The Spirit of Mozart" we see our great composer arrive in Vienna in late 1792, starting out as a student of Haydn and a nobody. But within a few years, Beethoven would make a name for himself in the great music capital, and then try his luck on a tour across Germany. ---------------- For all things GCP Please rate, review, and subscribe on iTune...

In Ep. 12 - "The Will to Power" we will explore Beethoven's life between the years 1787 and 1792. During these years, Beethoven will overcome personal and professional obstacles so that he might make his way back to Vienna, and pursue his dreams of becoming a virtuoso composer once more. ---------------- For all things GCP Please rate, review, and subscribe on iTunes! The App!  https://apps.apple....

In Ep. 11 - "The Sword in the Stone" we explore Beethoven's teenage years, the circumstance that would lead to his first trip to Vienna, and his mythologized meeting with Mozart. ---------------- For all things GCP Please rate, review, and subscribe on iTunes! The App!  https://apps.apple.com/us/app/the-great-composers-the-gcp/id1465809545?fbclid=IwAR0tQTElluT8I3jn6SYFcQst70IY0Ym52LjEz1Z3DR11oq5ZG...

In Ep. 10 - The Life Of Ludwig van Beethoven, pt. 2 - 'The Dreams Of My Father' we will explore the character of Beethoven's father, Johann, and his impact upon his son's early life. ---------------- For all things GCP Please rate, review, and subscribe on iTunes! The App!  https://apps.apple.com/us/app/the-great-composers-the-gcp/id1465809545?fbclid=IwAR0tQTElluT8I3jn6SYFcQst70IY0Ym52LjEz1Z3DR11o...

Ep. 9 - "A Distant Mirror" begins to paint the portrait of Beethoven's life. We first describe his grandfather, the first Ludwig van Beethoven. This Ludwig was our great composer's lifelong musical idol and the one person he sought to emulate in nearly everything he did. We then meet Beethoven's father, Johann, and explore the first half of the tragedy that was his life. ---------------- For all t...

In Ep. 8, The Life of Ludwig van Beethoven, 'An Introduction' introduces us to the man who is perhaps the greatest composer in the western classical music tradition. ---------------- For all things GCP Please rate, review, and subscribe on iTunes! The App!  https://apps.apple.com/us/app/the-great-composers-the-gcp/id1465809545?fbclid=IwAR0tQTElluT8I3jn6SYFcQst70IY0Ym52LjEz1Z3DR11oq5ZGDLV_URNyHk&ls...

In Ep. 7, The Life of Fritz Kreisler, Part III finishes the story of the great Fritz Kreisler, from the end of the First World War, through his retirement in 1950, and all the way to the twilight of his life. ---------------- For all things GCP Please rate, review, and subscribe on iTunes! The App!  https://apps.apple.com/us/app/the-great-composers-the-gcp/id1465809545?fbclid=IwAR0tQTElluT8I3jn6SY...

In Ep. 6, The Life of Fritz Kreisler, Part II tells the story of this great violinist composer's life from 1900 to the end of The First World War. We will see him achieve glory on the concert stage, in composition, and on the battlefield. ---------------- For all things GCP Please rate, review, and subscribe on iTunes! The App!  https://apps.apple.com/us/app/the-great-composers-the-gcp/id146580954...