Music Appreciation for the Rest of Us: Andrew Constantine Podcasts on Great Symphonic Masterworks

Music for a Pornographic ballet? That was the inspiration of what has become a concert hall favorite, D Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun by Debussy. 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 is 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. Mike Faust of WEEU is the moderator.

Could there be a musical genius teaching at your school? For the students of 1912 at St. Paul School in London there was, the great Gustav Holst, famed for his huge orchestral work The Planets. You will learn more about the life of Holst 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 is 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 New World Symphony by Dvorak. You will be hearing another of his works, the Symphonic Dances (which were written about twenty years earlier). Andrew Constantine is joined in this discussion by Dave Kline of WEEU. The works discussed on this podcast will be performed by the RSO on Saturday, January 19th 2007.

A Multimedia Symphony? You hear a lot about multimedia music presentation these days, but that is nothing new. If you saw the great 1940 Disney movie Fantasia, you will no doubt remember the thrilling sequence featuring Night on Bald Mountain by Mussorgsky. 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 will hear echoes from many of great scores by Korngold 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 Dave Kline of WEEU. The works discussed on this podcast will be performed by the RSO on Saturday, February 16th 2007.

Tragic Overture by Brahms does not impart any particular thematic plan. Learn why Brahms selected this title for a beloved work. A modern masterwork, Viola Concerto by Bartok, makes its debut on the RSO stage with Curtis Institute President Roberto Diaz as masterful soloist. The concert season ends with a beginning work: First Symphony by Shostakovich, a student composition that took the world by storm. Although just a start to a profound career, this symphony contains many of the later stylistic traits by Shostakovich.

Two of the most popular Romantic works in the repertoire are featured in this podcast. There is much more beyond the melodies as you 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 the First Piano Concerto by Tchaikovsky, 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.