Explore the Symphony

By Canada's National Arts Centre

What's Explore the Symphony about?

A classical music podcast. Join the National Arts Centre Orchestra's Marjolaine Fournier and one Canada's foremost music journalists, Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer, as they explore the symphonic form from Haydn to Shostakovich.

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Explore the Symphony episodes:

03.07.2020
Carl Nielsen’s De fire Temperamenter
Jean-Jacques Van Vlasselaer and Marjolaine Fournier study The Four Temperaments, the second symphony by Carl Nielsen. The hosts find this Danish composer a little enigmatic and difficult to reach. They explore the world around him at the time of this...
01.22.2020
Mozart and Religion
Marjolaine Fournier and Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer discuss the role of religion in Mozart’s life and music. This in depth conversation focuses on Mozart’s Mass in C Minor and its beautiful celebration of universality that lead the way towards 18th-century romanticism.
11.06.2019
Edvard Grieg
Marjolaine Fournier and Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer describe the music of Edvard Grieg’s Peer Gynt, his A minor Piano Concerto, and his C minor Symphony. His music, his melodies and his small works for piano are simply perfect. Can you believe...
09.26.2019
Béla Bartók and Witold Lutosławski
Marjolaine Fournier and Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer talk about two Concertos for orchestra: one by Béla Bartók and the other by Witold Lutosławski. They take a moment to explain the format of a concerto for orchestra (what do you mean, a...
09.03.2019
Verdi’s Requiem
Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer and Marjolaine Fournier discuss Verdi’s Requiem, first performed in Milan in 1874. The text for this was written in about 1250, when a requiem was meant to be music to sustain the mass of the death. Our...
06.25.2019
Le Nozze di Figaro
Marjolaine Fournier and Jean-Jacques Van Vlasselaer discuss Mozart’s beloved opera Le Nozze di Figaro, touching on its history, uniqueness and sheer brilliance.
04.02.2019
Claude Vivier
Marjolaine Fournier and Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer discuss the masterful Claude Vivier, composer from Québec. His music, which can be characterized as “beautiful, immense, tragic, inspiring,” is celebrated and heard regularly in France, Germany, Holland and Austria. Lonely Child will be...
01.30.2019
Brahms’ and Schumann’s first symphonies
Marjolaine Fournier and Jean Jacques van Vlasselaer compare Brahms’ and Schumann’s first symphonies. They explore the relationships between the two composers and Clara Wieck. Schumann was alive in an extraordinary and explosive decade, Clara was nine years younger and a...
10.19.2018
Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem
Marjolaine Fournier and Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer discuss Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem. How much do you know about Benjamin Britten? There is fury in this composition. Where does it come from? Pacifism started in the 20th century, and Britten is a...
09.27.2018
Schubert's Ninth Symphony
John Storgårds will conduct the NAC Orchestra on October 10 and 11, 2018, in their performance of Schubert’s ninth and final symphony. Marjolaine Fournier, NACO double bassist, and Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer, musicologist, explore this work and uncover that Schubert never...
09.13.2018
You don’t have to be a music-lover to love Beethoven
Marjolaine Fournier and Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer prepare us for the Festival Focus 2018 featuring all nine Beethoven symphonies. Did he really invent the boogie-woogie? Beethoven offered so much variety within his symphonies, and as a genius, is a guiding light. Concert...
04.13.2018
Anton Bruckner’s eighth symphony with the TSO
Bruckner scholars seem to focus on psychoanalysis rather than closing their eyes and listening to the music. To listen to Anton Bruckner’s eighth symphony is to listen to the summit of his music. The Toronto Symphony Orchestra performs this work...
03.22.2018
Kaija Saariaho, Violin Concerto Graal théâtre
Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer and Marjolaine Fournier talk about Saariaho’s violin concerto which was featured as part of the 2017 Ideas of North festival produced by the NAC Orchestra. Saariaho is seen as a wonderful and intriguing contemporary composer who will...
02.16.2018
Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade
This work opens many doors to wonderful and exciting musical study. It is a fine example of Orientalism and our perception of “the other”. Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer and Marjolaine Fournier talk about who Rimsky-Korsakov was, his 19th-century influences from Mendelssohn...
12.23.2017
Shostakovich Violin Concerto No 1 in A minor Op 77
Your hosts Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer and Marjolaine Fournier talk about Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 77, which will be performed by Guy Braunstein with the NAC Orchestra in January 2018. This work in four movements is...
12.22.2017
Shostakovich Violin Concerto No 1 in A minor Op 77
Your hosts Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer and Marjolaine Fournier talk about Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 77, which will be performed by Guy Braunstein with the NAC Orchestra in January 2018. This work in four movements is...
10.27.2017
Sibelius’ Symphonic Poems
Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer and Marjolaine Fournier present part two of their 2017-2018 podcasts on Sibelius. In this episode, hear them trace the trajectory of Sibelius’ six symphonic poems, all performed by the NAC Orchestra during the 2017 Ideas of North...
09.29.2017
Jean Sibelius' First Symphony
Jean Sibelius , born Johan Julius Christian Sibelius, was a Finnish composer and violinist of the late Romantic and early-modern periods. He is widely recognized as his country's greatest composer and, through his music, is often credited with having helped...
06.02.2017
Harry Somers - Louis Riel
The story of the polarizing Métis leader and Canada’s westward expansion is told in this landmark work. Composed by Harry Somers for our nation’s centennial in 1967, this uniquely Canadian contribution to the opera world is returning on the work’s...
03.15.2017
Sibelius' Majestic 2nd and 6th Symphonies
Jean Sibelius, born Johan Julius Christian Sibelius (8 December 1865 – 20 September 1957), was a Finnish composer and violinist of the late Romantic and early-modern periods. He is widely recognized as his country's greatest composer and, through his music,...
03.01.2017
Robert and Clara: The whirlwind love affair of Robert Alexander Schumann and Clara Josephine Wieck
Robert Schumann[1] (8 June 1810 – 29 July 1856) was a German composer and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue...
01.24.2017
Richard Strauss - Also sprach Zarathustra
Richard Georg Strauss (11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a leading German composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras. He is known for his operas, which include Der Rosenkavalier, Elektra, Die Frau ohne Schatten and Salome;...
11.29.2016
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky: Pulcinella
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential composers of the 20th century. Pulcinella is a ballet by Igor Stravinsky based on an 18th-century play—Pulcinella is a character...
11.18.2016
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Symphonies no. 5 & 6
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was a Russian composer of the late-Romantic period, some of whose works are among the most popular music in the classical repertoire. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally, bolstered by...
06.06.2016
Wilhelm Richard Wagner: Tristan und Isolde
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is primarily known for his operas. Unlike most opera composers, Wagner wrote both the libretto and the music for each of his stage works. Initially establishing his...
04.22.2016
Erich Wolfgang Korngold: The Man Who Changed Movie Scores Forever
"Treating each film as an 'opera without singing' (each character has his or her own leitmotif) Korngold created intensely romantic, richly melodic and contrapuntally intricate scores, the best of which are a cinematic paradigm for the tone poems of Richard...
11.20.2015
The Music of George Gershwin
By far the bulk of Gershwin’s output is devoted to songs – more than five hundred of them, most of which come from his more than four dozen works for the musical stage. Two of these stage works are operas...
09.30.2015
Episode 43: Mahler Symphony No. 4
In the first of the 2015-16 season's "Explore the Symphony" podcasts, the NAC Orchestra's assistant principal double bass Marjolaine Fournier and one of Canada's foremost music journalists Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer discuss Mahler's Symphony No. 4.
09.29.2015
Episode 43: Mahler Symphony No. 4
In the first of the 2015-16 season's "Explore the Symphony" podcasts, the NAC Orchestra's assistant principal double bass Marjolaine Fournier and one of Canada's foremost music journalists Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer discuss Mahler's Symphony No. 4.
06.15.2015
Episode 42: Anton Bruckner and his Ninth Symphony
Words like “epic” and “timeless” are regularly applied to Bruckner symphonies. They have a pace of their own. But let yourself get in synch with their pulse, and you’ll be richly rewarded. The Ninth inspires awe, as its sweeping score...
03.23.2015
Episode 41: Maurice Ravel and his two Piano Concertos
Join Marjolaine Fournier and Jean-Jacques Van Vlasselaer for an intriguing look into Maurice Ravel's life and his two piano concertos.
03.13.2015
Episode 40: Jean-Marie Beaudet, founding father of the NAC Orchestra
A conversation with Josée Beaudet, the author of Jean-Marie Beaudet, l'homme orchestre. Beaudet was the very first music director at the NAC - he founded the orchestra, secured its first conductor, concertmaster and new members, and then quietly disappeared.
01.19.2015
Episode 39: Schumann and the Rhine
Join the National Arts Centre Orchestra's Marjolaine Fournier and one of Canada's foremost music journalists, Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer, as they explore the symphonic form from Haydn to Shostakovich.
12.09.2014
Episode 38: Brahms' Symphonies
In this week’s Explore the Symphony, Marjolaine and Jean-Jacques dig into not one, but all four of Brahms’ symphonies! Musical Excerpt: NAC Orchestra Brahms, Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68 Performance date: March 09, 1988 Date composed: 1876 Listen to the entire piece...
10.08.2014
Episode 37: Hindemith
In this episode of Explore the Symphony, Marjolaine and Jean-Jacques discuss Symphonic Metamorphoses of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber by Paul Hindemith. Musical excerpts: Symphonic Metamorphoses on Themes of Carl Maria von Weber by Paul Hindemith performed by the NAC Orchestra on...
09.22.2014
Episode 36: Shakespeare
In this Explore the Symphony, Marjolaine Fournier and Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer talk about Shakespeare, Nicolai, Korngold and Mendelssohn.
05.06.2014
Episode 35: Fauré
In this episode, Marjolaine and Jean-Jacques delve into Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem, once called, “a lullaby of death” and “a Requiem without the Last Judgment” for its gentle nature and sublime choral writing.
03.20.2014
Episode 34: Schoenberg
In this Explore the Symphony, Marjolaine Fournier and Jeans-Jacques van Vlasselaer talk about the life of Arnold Schoenberg and his string sextet, Verklärte Nacht.
02.20.2014
Episode 33: Bruckner (Symphony no. 2)
Today on Explore the Symphony Marjolaine and Jeans-Jacques discuss Anton Bruckner and his second symphony.
01.20.2014
Episode 32: Shostakovich and his 10th Symphony
Marjolaine and Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer sit down and discuss Dmitri Shostakovich and his 10th Symphony.
11.26.2013
Episode 31: Hector Belioz
Marjolaine and Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer sit down and discuss Hector Berlioz and his Symphonie Fantastique.
10.23.2013
Episode 30: Richard Strauss
Marjolaine Fournier and Dr. Jean-Jacques Van Vlasselaer dive into the 2013-2014 season with Richard Strauss. They discuss his life, and focus on "Also Sprach Zarathustra", and the suites from "Der Rosenkavalier" and "Die schweigsame Frau".
03.05.2013
Episode 29: Sibelius
Marjolaine Fournier and Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer discuss Jean Sibelius, his life, his struggle with depression, alcoholism, and his 3rd Symphony.
03.04.2013
Episode 29: Sibelius
Marjolaine Fournier and Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer discuss Jean Sibelius, his life, his struggle with depression, alcoholism, and his 3rd Symphony.
01.15.2013
Episode 28: Shostakovich
Marjolaine and Jeans-Jacques discuss Shostakovich, his life in the Soviet Union, and his 9th Symphony.
01.07.2013
Episode 22: Sibelius Symphony No. 4
Jean-Jacques and Marjolaine give Sibelius's Symphony no. 4 the, "Explore the Symphony" treatment.
01.07.2013
Episode 23: Prokofiev's Alexander Nevsky
Marjolaine Fournier and Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer discuss Prokofiev's stirring score, Alexander Nevsky. It was composed for Sergey Eisenstein's 1938 cinematic thriller and stands as a spectacular masterpiece for chorus and orchestra.
01.07.2013
Episode 24: Dmitri Shostakovich
Marjolaine Fournier and Jean-Jacques Van Vlasselaer discuss Dmitri Shostakovich's life, from growing up in Saint Petersburg to political manoeuvrings in Stalin's Russia. Marjolaine and Jean-Jacques focus on his first symphony, which he wrote at the age of nineteen as a...
01.07.2013
Episode 25: Carmina Burana
Marjolaine and Jeans-Jacques explore Carl Orff; his life in early 20th century Germany and his seminal work, Carmina Burana.
10.16.2012
Episode 27: Schumann
In this episode, Marjolaine and Jean-Jacques talk about Robert Schumann's life leading up to the creation of his second symphony.

What's Explore the Symphony about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Explore the Symphony episodes:

Carl Nielsen’s De fire Temperamenter

Mozart and Religion

Edvard Grieg

Béla Bartók and Witold Lutosławski

Verdi’s Requiem

Le Nozze di Figaro

Claude Vivier

Brahms’ and Schumann’s first symphonies

Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem

Schubert's Ninth Symphony

You don’t have to be a music-lover to love Beethoven

Anton Bruckner’s eighth symphony with the TSO

Kaija Saariaho, Violin Concerto Graal théâtre

Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade

Shostakovich Violin Concerto No 1 in A minor Op 77

Shostakovich Violin Concerto No 1 in A minor Op 77

Sibelius’ Symphonic Poems

Jean Sibelius' First Symphony

Harry Somers - Louis Riel

Sibelius' Majestic 2nd and 6th Symphonies

Robert and Clara: The whirlwind love affair of Robert Alexander Schumann and Clara Josephine Wieck

Richard Strauss - Also sprach Zarathustra

Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky: Pulcinella

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Symphonies no. 5 & 6

Wilhelm Richard Wagner: Tristan und Isolde

Erich Wolfgang Korngold: The Man Who Changed Movie Scores Forever

The Music of George Gershwin

Episode 43: Mahler Symphony No. 4

Episode 43: Mahler Symphony No. 4

Episode 42: Anton Bruckner and his Ninth Symphony

Episode 41: Maurice Ravel and his two Piano Concertos

Episode 40: Jean-Marie Beaudet, founding father of the NAC Orchestra

Episode 39: Schumann and the Rhine

Episode 38: Brahms' Symphonies

Episode 37: Hindemith

Episode 36: Shakespeare

Episode 35: Fauré

Episode 34: Schoenberg

Episode 33: Bruckner (Symphony no. 2)

Episode 32: Shostakovich and his 10th Symphony

Episode 31: Hector Belioz

Episode 30: Richard Strauss

Episode 29: Sibelius

Episode 29: Sibelius

Episode 28: Shostakovich

Episode 22: Sibelius Symphony No. 4

Episode 23: Prokofiev's Alexander Nevsky

Episode 24: Dmitri Shostakovich

Episode 25: Carmina Burana

Episode 27: Schumann