Another busy show this week including interviews with David Smith, conductor of Abbots Langley Orchestra plus Rowena Cutting, Chair of Audentior Symphony Orchestra

Bizet: L’Arlesienne Suite No 1 2nd movement – incidental music for a play by Alphonse Daudet

Delius: On hearing the first cuckoo in Spring – listen to how the clarinet represents the cuckoo in this musical painting

Edward’s Insights: Copeland – American Songs Shaker Song and I Bought Me a Cat – reflections about 2 pieces from this contemporary composer often referred to as the Dean of American Music

Faure: Pelleas et Melisande Sicilienne – some more incidental music from a play that Debussy then wrote an opera about

Beethoven: Egmont Overture – with a theme of freedom and national liberation that inspired Beethoven throughout his life

Interview with David Smith Abbots Langley Orchestra

Mozart: Symphony No 32 all movements – composed in 1779 following Mozart’s return from Paris and written in the form of an Italian symphony – 3 short movements

Schubert: Symphony No 4 2nd and 3rd movements – composed when Schubert was aged 19 and when he felt too impatient to continue teaching at his father’s school

Fritz Kreisler: Liebesleid – a melancholic piece which translates as Love’s Sorrow

FOR OUR COFFEE BREAK THIS WEEK we have soothing Piano Concerto in C major 2nd movement Adagio by the lesser known Danish pianist Friedrich Kuhlau whose composing life straddled the Classical and Romantic eras

Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in E minor 2nd movement Andante allegro non troppo – a much-loved tender piece which hears the bassoon bridging the first to the second movement

Interview with Rowena Cutting Audentior Symphony Orchestra

Mozart: Clarinet Concerto in A 2nd movement Adagio – one of the most well known melodic pieces

Schubert: Symphony No 8 in B minor (Unfinished) 1st movement Allegro moderato – thought by some that Schubert had intended to write a 2 movement symphony

J Strauss II: Die Fledermaus Overture – where champagne and glamour meets mistaken identity and revenge

Bach: Orchestral Suite No 4 in D major Bourree I and II – a dance of French origin slightly faster than a gavotte

A busy show this week including interviews with Katy Smith, violinist and Sam Scheer, conductor of Herts Philharmonia plus John Dunnett, conductor of Wycombe Sinfonia

Beethoven: Symphony No 1 in C major 3rd movement Menuetto allegro molto e vivace – the debut of one of the greatest symphonists

Grieg: Peer Gynt Suite No 1 Anitra’s Dance – listen out of the triangle and the pizzicato strings

Interview Katy Smith violinist

Lalo: Symphonie Espagnole 5th movement Rondo allegro – from the French composer’s most celebrated piece

Interview Sam Scheer conductor for Herts Philharmonia

Bizet: Carmen Suite Habanara and The Toreadors – feel the passion of these two well known arias

Rimsky-Korsakov: Capriccio Espagnol all 5 movements – keeping the Mediterranean musical flavour, a suite based on Spanish folk melodies

Haydn: Symphony No 6 in D major Le Matin 3rd movement Menuet and trio – hear a bassoon solo and the growing cellos

Saint Saens: The Carnival of the Animals Finale – composed for fun but not published until after Saint Saens’ death

FOR OUR COFFEE BREAK THIS WEEK we have the achingly beautiful Violin Concerto No 1 in G minor Adagio from Max Bruch

Mendelssohn: Symphony No 3 in A minor Scottish 2nd movement Vivace non troppo – taking inspiration from a three week holiday but which took 13 years to compose

EDWARD’S INSIGHTS Bach hear Edward’s reflections about The Goldberg Variations – we play the aria and 3 of the 30 variations

Dvorak: Serenade for Strings 2nd movement Tempo di valse – composed in just 2 weeks in May 1875

Massenet: Meditation from Thais – from an opera by this French Romantic composer

Interview with John Dunnett conductor of Wycombe Sinfonia

Strauss: Luxury or Pleasure Train – a lively polka

Weber: Clarinet Concerto No 2 in E flat 3rd movement Alla Polacca – a polonaise where the speed depends on the mood of the soloist

Mozart: Concerto for horn No 2 in E flat major 3rd movement Rondo – one of two horn concertos where horns are included in the orchestra

More classical music gems and insights from Conductor Edward Longstaff. This week, Schubert (pictured).

Learn why Beethoven composed his 7th Symphony and how well this and other pieces were first received at a concert celebrating the defeat of Napoleon

Boyce: Symphony No 1 in B flat major 1st movement Allegro – from a choirboy at St Pauls to a composer admired by his contemporaries

Mozart: Piano Concerto No 21 in C K467 2nd movement Andante – float away with this dreamy melody composed in March 1785

Albinoni: Adagio in G minor for Strings and Organ – tune in to hear an attempt at the rather long Italian title of this reflective piece

Elgar: Variations on an Original Theme Enigma Nimrod – the 9th of 14 variations named after a German friend

EDWARD’S INSIGHTS Beethoven hear Edward’s reflections about this popular piece Symphony No 7 2nd movement Allegretto

Delibes: Sylvia The Huntress – listen to the mythical story

Bruch: Violin Concerto No 1 in G minor 2nd movement Adagio – after 2 years of revision with assistance from violinist Joseph Joachim, they both performed at the premiere

Bizet: The Pearl Fishers – the famous duet used in the film Gallipolli

Strauss: Thunder and Lightning Polka – where the percussion provides the fire and the fury

FOR OUR COFFEE BREAK THIS WEEK we have two movements from a suite

Ireland: A Downland Suite 2nd movement Elegy: Lento espressivo and 3rd movement Minuet: Allegretto grazioso – a piece originally composed for the National Brass Band Championship of Great Britain

Smetana : Bartered Bride Overture – from a love story where a man acts like a bear

Bach: Double violin concerto in D minor 1st movement Allegro – Bach later arranged this as a concerto for two harpsichords

Haydn: Symphony No 101 in D major The Clock 2nd movement Andante – who in the orchestra provides the staccato and the pizzicato; listen in and we’ll tell you

Mahler: Symphony No 5 in C sharp minor 4th movement Adagietto – an intimate piece used in the film Death in Venice

Elgar: Salut d’Amour – written as a gift to Elgar’s finance

Tchaikovsky: Cappriccio Italien – with inspiration from seeing the Carnival on a visit to Rome

Verdi: Nabucco Va pensiero Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves – telling where they cannot go

Vivaldi: The Four seasons Spring 1st movement – from the group of 4 violin concerti composed while Vivaldi was court chapel master in Mantua

Beethoven: Symphony No 5 in C minor Fate 1st movement Allegro con brio – with 4 iconic notes making it possibly the best known opening of a classical piece

Dvorak: Symphony No 9 in E minor New World 3rd movement Scherzo molto vivace – inspired by all things American, Dvorak said he had Hiawatha’s wedding feast in mind for this composition

Barber: Adagio for Strings – we’ll tell you more about the composer of this extraordinarily intense movement

EDWARD’S INSIGHTS Poulenc – hear Edward’s reflections about Les Biches written by this French composer

Vaughan Williams: The Lark Ascending – an evocative musical description of nature

Mozart: Clarinet Concerto in A 2nd movement Adagio – specifically written for Mozart’s friend and virtuoso Anton Stadler

FOR OUR COFFEE BREAK THIS WEEK we have the divine slow movement from Chopin: Piano Concerto in E minor 2nd movement Romance Larghetto

Chopin: Piano Concerto in E minor 3rd movement Rondo vivace – to follow on from our coffee break the subsequent movement which is up tempo and which took Chopin much longer to write

Elgar: Cello Concerto in E minor 1st movement Adagio moderato – an emotional piece conveying Elgar’s sense of loss

Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana Intermezzo – hear the story behind this 1890 masterpiece

Pachelbel: Canon in D – remaining relatively obscure during this lifetime but now a celebrated piece of the Baroque repertoire

Beethoven: Symphony No 6 in F Pastoral 1st movement Allegro ma non troppo – written alongside his 5th symphony, this is a complete contrast

Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in E minor3rd movement Allegretto - listen to the dialogue between the soloist and the winds

Edward Longstaff's reflection on music

Prokofiev: Love of Three Oranges 3rd movement March - hear the surreal story about those oranges!

Rossini: The Italian Girl in Algiers Overture – a comic opera about Isabella’s trip to rescue her lover Londoro

Prokofiev: Troika from Lieutenant Kije – not just a Christmas song

Sofia Piccoli Hemel Symphony orchestra interview about their concert Winter Dreams on 7th February

Khachaturian: Spartacus Suite No 2 Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia – made famous by the TV drama Onedin Line

Mussorgsky: Night on the Bare Mountain – hear the frenetic start and how the mood changes

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No 1 Winter Dreams 2nd movement Adagio cantabile – listen to why Sofia choses this as the movement we should play

Albinoni: Oboe Concerto No 11 3rd movement Allegro – one of the twelve Concerti a Cinque published in 1722

Haydn: Symphony No 94 in G Surprise 4th movement Finale allegro molto – a melodic piece composed during a trip to London

FOR OUR COFFEE BREAK THIS WEEK we have this soothing piece, Mendelssohn’s Symphony No 2 in B flat major 3rd movement Adagio religioso. We’ll tell you more about Mendelssohn the man.

Charles Avison: Concerto Grosso No 5 in D minor Largo – from the Newcastle born organist, we’ll share what he offered as a teacher

Glinka: Overture to Ruslan and Ludmila – a story based on Alexander Pushkin’s 1820 poem

Brahms: Symphony No 4 in E minor 3rd movement Allegro giocoso poco meno presto – a lively piece from his final symphony

EDWARD’S INSIGHTS Gabrieli Canzona 9 – hear Edward’s reflections

Beethoven: Violin Sonata No 9 in A major 3rd movement Finale Presto – from one of the most famous violin sonatas and played by accomplished violinist Fabrizio Falasca

Mozart: Piano concerto No 21 in C 3rd movement Allegro assai – set at a devil-may-care pace

Schubert: Symphony No 5 in B flat major 3rd movement Menuetto – a homage to Mozart’s Symphony No 40

Sofia Piccoli talks about her role with Hemel Symphony Orchestra and their upcoming concert.

This Sunday, we welcome acclaimed conductor, composer and cellist Edward Longstaff for a new weekly feature where he will be sharing his knowledge of a short piece of music in Edward’s Insights

Handel: Water Music Suite No 2 in D major 2nd movement Allegro alla Hornpipe – a regal start to the show originally premiered on the River Thames in 1717

Grieg: Peer Gynt Suite No 2 Solveig’s Song – listen to why Solveig was singing this tender song

Mozart: Piano Concerto No 23 in A K488 2nd movement Adagio – hear what Mozart said about this and other compositions he sent to a Prince

EDWARD’S INSIGHTS Part 1 Saint Saens The Swan

Albinoni: Adagio in G minor for Strings and Organ – used in the film Gallipoli for its emotional intensity

Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings in C 1st movement Andante non troppo allegro moderato – hear how Tchaikovsky describes this composition as ‘from the heart’

Borodin: String Quartet No 2 in D major 3rd movement Notturno andante – dedicated to his wife of 20 years

Bach: Air on a G String Orchestral Suite No 3 in D – what exactly is an air in musical terms…listen and we’ll tell you

FOR OUR COFFEE BREAK THIS WEEK we have the slow movement from a symphony - Beethoven Pastoral Symphony No 6 2nd movement Andante – the joy of being in the countryside…listen out for the brook and the birds

Dukas: The Sorceror’s Apprentice – inspired by Goethe and famously used in Disney’s 1940 film Fantasia

Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on Greensleeves – based on a piece going back to Tudor times; listen to the evidence with what Shakespeare wrote in one of his comedies

Mozart: Concerto for horn No 4 in E flat major 3rd movement Rondo – a jaunty piece

Mahler: Symphony No 4 1st movement – time to refill your coffee mug for this glorious extended movement

Pietro Locatelli: Concerto Grosso No 2 in C minor Largo – a lesser known composition from this Italian Baroque composer and violinist

Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition The Great Gate of Kiev one of the ten movements which has a recurring promenade theme

Rimsky Korsakov: Flight of the Bumble Bee – a busy, short piece from an opera where a Prince is transformed into a bee by a magical swan