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Podcasts
Music Appreciation for the
Rest of Us:
Andrew Constantine Podcasts on Great Symphonic Masterworks
If you struggled with those music appreciation classes in
school, take heart: at last, there’s an interesting,
pleasant way to learn more about symphonic music. The
Reading Symphony Orchestra’s newly appointed Music Director,
Andrew Constantine, gives you a behind-the-scenes look at
great music that will be performed this season in Reading.
You can play these podcasts directly on your computer. If you prefer, download
them to your IPod or other digital music player. Sit back
and enjoy the music.
Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto #1 and Rachmaninoff Symphony
#2. Two of the most popular Romantic works in the
repertoire are featured in this podcast. There’s much more
beyond the melodies—learn more about the thrilling history
of each masterwork. Did you know that Rachmaninoff suffered
from severe depression—and was cured by the help of an early
psychotherapist? Or that Tchaikovsky’s First Piano
Concerto, an instantly recognizable favorite, was initially
panned by the critics? Andrew Constantine is joined in this
discussion by RSO Concertmaster Christopher Lee, with Mike
Faust as moderator. The works discussed on this podcast
will be performed by the RSO on Saturday, October 7.
(18:15)
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Debussy “Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun”, Vaughan
Williams Symphony #6 and Bruch Violin Concerto Music for
a Pornographic ballet? That was the inspiration of what has
become a concert hall favorite, Debussy’s “Prelude to the
Afternoon of a Faun.” This was music composed for an
erotically-charged ballet, starring the infamous Nijinsky as
the Faun. A century after its composition, this work
continues to rivet audiences. Vaughan Williams is very well
known for his “pastoral” works, beautiful pieces such as
“The Lark Ascending” and “The Wasps”. However, the grim
aftermath of World War II left a profound impact on his
composition style. Learn more about the very modern
influences in his Sixth Symphony. Some composers write
hundreds of great works, yet are remembered by one. That’s
the case with Max Bruch, whose violin concerto is a staple
of symphony orchestras. Andrew Constantine is joined in
this discussion by RSO Concertmaster Christopher Lee, who
will perform the work with the orchestra on Saturday,
November 17. WEEU's Mike Faust is the moderator.
(23:15)
Click to listen
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Holst St. Paul Suite,
Poulenc Organ Concerto, and Dvorak Symphonic Dances
Could there be a musical genius teaching at your school? For
the students of 1912 at London’s St. Paul’s School there
was—the great Gustav Holst, famed for his huge orchestral
work “The Planets”. You’ll learn more about Holst’s life and
his experiences as both composer and teacher. Poulenc was
one of a group of six French composers who achieved great
renown after WWI. Today he’s most famous for his songs and
the opera “Dialogue of the Carmelites”, though his organ
concerto is certainly no less worthy. This past season the
RSO performed Dvorak’s New World Symphony; you’ll be hearing
another of his works, the Symphonic Dances (which were
written about twenty years earlier). Andrew Constantine is
joined in this discussion by WEEU’s Dave Kline. The works
discussed on this podcast will be performed by the RSO on
Saturday, January 19th 2007. (28:01)
Click to listen
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play on your portable device
Mussorgsky Night on Bald
Mountain, Korngold Violin Concerto, EAST COAST PREMIERE
O’Connor Symphony Number One “Variations on Appalachia
Waltz”
A Multimedia Symphony? You hear a lot about multimedia music
presentation these days, but that’s nothing new—if you saw
the great 1940 Disney movie “Fantasia”, you’ll no doubt
remember the thrilling sequence featuring Mussorgsky’s
“Night on Bald Mountain”. Erich Wolfgang Korngold was a
formidable opera composer who fled Nazi Germany in the
1930s, to become one of the best-loved Hollywood music
composers of the Golden Age of Film. You’ll hear echoes from
many of Korngold’s great scores in his 1953 Violin Concerto.
One of the great fiddlers of our time, Mark O’Connor, has
recently composed his first full-length symphony. The RSO
will perform the East Coast premiere of this work—learn more
about the musician and his career. Andrew Constantine is
joined in this discussion by WEEU’s Dave Kline. The works
discussed on this podcast will be performed by the RSO on
Saturday, February 16th 2007. (21:28)
Click to listen
Right click to download and
play on your portable device
Three
Views of Classical Music
A classical
era symphony in the twentieth century? Learn how Prokofiev,
famed for “Peter and the Wolf”, as well as huge masterworks,
makes this eighteenth century style his own. The Saint-Saens
Cello Concerto, considered by many to be the finest cello
concerto ever composed, will receive its first RSO
performance in years. Mozart’s three last symphonies, the
39th through 41st, are considered his greatest contributions
to the form. The middle symphony, #40, is one of the very
few written in a minor key, which gives it its somber,
reflective tone.
Click to listen
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Shostakovich at the Beginning
Brahms’
“Tragic Overture”, despite its name, doesn’t impart any
particular thematic plan. Learn why Brahms selected this
title for a beloved work. A modern masterwork—Bartok’s Viola
Concerto—makes its debut on the RSO stage with Curtis
Institute President Roberto Diaz as masterful soloist. The
concert season ends with a beginning work: Shostakovich’s
First Symphony, a student composition that took the world by
storm. Although just a start to a profound career, this
symphony contains many of Shostakovich’s later stylistic
traits.
Click to listen
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your portable device
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