YourClassical Adventures

How do musicians know when to play loud? Join host Liz Lyon and producer Melanie Renate as we explore classical music that loves using the loud dynamic called "forte."

Johannes Brahms: Hungarian Dance No. 5 —This entire piece is being played at a loud, or forte level.

LISTEN — Johannes Brahms: Hungarian Dance No. 5

Gustav Holst: The Planets - Mars, The Bringer of War — Holst puts emotions into his piece by going from quiet to forte.

LISTEN — Gustav Holst: The Planets - Mars, The Bringer of War

George Fredrich Handel: Trumpet Concerto; Overture — The trumpet is a loud and powerful instrument. This piece is used to get your attention.

LISTEN — George Fredrich Handel: Trumpet Concerto; Overture

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Carnivals are a celebration of culture and community. Join host Liz Lyon as we share some classical music inspired by carnivals from around the world.

Camille Saint-Saëns: Carnival of the Animals — The Carnival of the Animals is a comedic musical suite. It contains 14 movements that introduce a variety of animals including lions, hens and roosters, wild donkeys, tortoises, an elephant, kangaroos, sea animals, long-eared animals, and birds. Which animals does this piece make you think of?

LISTEN — Camille Saint-Saëns: Carnival of the Animals

Ary Barroso: Aquarela do Brasil — This is one of the most popular Brazilian songs of all time. Barroso wrote "Aquarela do Brasil" when he couldn’t leave his home one rainy night because of a heavy storm. Sambas like this one are played with big-band instruments during the Rio Carnival Parade, where students from samba schools show off their dance skills. This version is performed by Voyager.

LISTEN — Ary Barroso: Aquarela do Brasil

Arturo Marquez: Conga del Fuego Nuevo — In Cuba, the conga dance often is used in big festivals and is seen during parades. This piece is performed by the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra.

LISTEN — Arturo Marquez: Conga del Fuego Nuevo

Ellen Taaffe Zwilich: Peanuts Gallery - Snoopy Does the Samba — Peanuts Gallery is a piano concerto by American composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, inspired by the characters of the Peanuts comic strip. Can you imagine a dog named Snoopy doing a samba dance?

LISTEN — Ellen Taaffe Zwilich: Peanuts Gallery, Snoopy Does the Samba

Antonin Dvořák: Carnival Overture — Composer Antonin Dvorak wrote a piece to put right in the middle of a crowd at a carnival in Europe. He tried to capture all the different scenes such as people dancing, eating food and singing.

LISTEN — Antonin Dvořák: Carnival Overture

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Just like classical music, water can be found in many different forms. When in its liquid form water can be smooth flowing and calm or it can be fast-moving and rough. Join host Melanie Renate as we navigate water in classical music.

Claude Debussy: En Bateau — Can you hear the waves gently flowing back and forth, or hear them rocking up against a boat? Performed by the Lyon National Orchestra.

Margaret Bonds: Troubled Water — When life is rough you could say that there are “troubled waters”. Margaret Bonds arranged a popular song Wade in the Water into a classical piece to reflect the idea of Troubled Water. Performed by Charlotte Mueller.

Richard Wagner: Overture to The Flying Dutchman — This is apiece about a sea captain and his daughter who get caught in a wild storm while out at sea… and they must find a way to steer the ship to safety! Performed by the Berlin Philharmonic.

Henry Mancini: Moon River — When composer Henry Mancini was asked to write a song for a film, he turned to water. His childhood home in Georgia overlooked a major river, now named after his song Moon River. Performed by the Brussels Orchestra with Renaud Capucon on violin.

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What do classical music pieces sound like when they include a mandolin? Join host Liz Lyon as we explore a bit of the history of the mandolin and listen to examples of it being used within classical music.

Zequinha de Abreu: Nao Me Toques — Zequinha de Abreu was a Brazilian composer who wrote this fun piece. It has been played by many different instruments, but here is an example of how the mandolin can really shine. Performed by Caterina Lichenberg and Mike Marshall.

LISTEN  — Zequinha de Abreu: Nao Me Toques

Johann Sebastian Bach: Trio Sonata No 6 — The Mandolin is tuned just like a violin, which means the mandolin can easily replace the violin in a piece of music. Like in this trio from composer Johann Sebastian Bach. It features a Cello, a Bass, and instead of a violin, it features a mandolin.

LISTEN  — Johann Sebastian Bach: Trio Sonata No 6

Bill Monroe: Bill Monroe Medley — The mandolin spent its early days most often playing an accompanying role in classical music. Bill Monroe created a new style of playing which became incredibly popular and even got a name for itself, Bluegrass. This is a medley of some of his most famous pieces. This version is performed by The Modern Mandolin Quartet.

LISTEN  — Bill Monroe: Bill Monroe Medley

Chris Thile: Raining at Sunset — Chris Thile is what is known as a virtuoso for playing mandolin. He is also a singer, composer, bandleader, and radio personality. He often writes and plays what is sometimes referred to as progressive bluegrass. He wrote this piece. Here is another mandolin virtuoso, Joshen Ross performing the piece.

LISTEN  — Chris Thile: Raining at Sunset

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Classical music and dancing have been dance floor partners for hundreds of years. Join host Liz Lyon as we explore different forms of dance and the classical music that pairs with them.

Peter Tchaikovsky: Waltz of the Flowers  — This waltz may sound familiar. Tchaikovsky wrote it the first act of his ballet Sleeping Beauty. To dance the waltz you can move side to side and back and forth like you’re flowing and floating. You can let your arms float like the wings of a bird. The waltz also includes gentle spinning in circles.

LISTEN  — Peter Tchaikovsky: Waltz of the Flowers

Johann Strauss Jr.: By the Beautiful Blue Danube — The Viennese Waltz is the oldest type of ballroom dancing. Strauss was asked to write a piece for the Vienna Men’s Choral Society to help uplift the people of Vienna. This piece started out as a choral piece and was inspired by a poem.

LISTEN  — Johann Strauss Jr.: By the Beautiful Blue Danube

George Bizet: Carmen Habanera  — This piece is a famous tango by French composer, George Bizet. Dancing the tango involves good posture with your knees slightly bent. As you learn to dance the tango it can be helpful to move your feet to the speed of “slow, slow, quick, quick, slow”.

LISTEN  — George Bizet: Carmen Habanera

Astor Piazzolla: Libertango — Argentine musician, Astor Piazzolla wrote this piece in the ‘70s as a request by his agent to write something they felt would be good to play on the radio. He wrote this piece. Its name is the blending of two words— “libertad,” which is Spanish for “freedom” and “tango”.

LISTEN  —  Astor Piazzolla: Libertango

Peter Tchaikovsky: Dance of the Little Swans — Tchaikovsky is well-known for his ballets. His ballet Swan Lake is considered one of the greatest of all time. When ballet dancers perform this piece they do a move called a pas de chat which looks an awful lot like graceful hopping.

LISTEN  —  Peter Tchaikovsky: Dance of the Little Swans

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Music can still be music without a melody or harmony, but you can’t really have music without some sort of rhythm. Join host Liz Lyon as we explore the musical concept of rhythm.

George Gershwin: I’ve Got Rhythm — Gershwin worked with his older brother on this piece. He composed the music, and his older brother, Ira Gershwin, wrote the lyrics. This rhythm can really help to put you in a good mood.

LISTEN  — George Gershwin: I’ve Got Rhythm

Igor Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring — Rhythm doesn’t have to be a simple pattern of sound and silence. In 1913, Stravinsky used rhythm in new ways that people weren’t used to. Because of this, many listeners didn’t like this piece at first, but over time it has become an orchestral favorite.

LISTEN  —  Igor Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring

Danny Elfman: Percussion Quartet, 3rd Movement — Percussion instruments do a great job of presenting the rhythm of a piece. Sometimes pieces of music are written just for percussion, and they can play really complicated rhythms. Here the Third Coast Percussion Ensemble plays a piece by Elfman.

LISTEN  —  Danny Elfman: Percussion Quartet, 3rd Movement

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The percussion instrument family is massive. In a previous episode, we shared pieces of music featuring a few different percussion instruments including the xylophone. Did you know that the xylophone has siblings? Join host Liz Lyon and producer Melanie Renate as we explore pieces of classical music that feature more mallet instruments.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Schnelle Füße, rascher Mut Glockenspiel — The Magic Flute is an opera composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The glockenspiel is featured in this fairytale. This instrument started out as a set of individual bells, but they were eventually replaced by steel bars. At first, the glockenspiel was considered a substitute for real bells, but it gradually became its own instrument.

LISTEN — Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Schnelle Füße, rascher Mut Glockenspiel

Jennifer Bellor: Reflections at Dusk  — The vibraphone was invented in 1920 and quickly became a major instrument used in jazz and dance bands. It can also be found in the orchestra. Jennifer Bellor uses the vibraphone throughout her 2019 album, which was inspired by Nevada sunsets. The feeling of sunsets is described using the mystical and magical sounds of the vibraphone.

LISTEN — Jennifer Bellor: Reflections at Dusk

Steve Reich: Nagoya Marimbas — The marimba is an instrument that has been around for hundreds of years and has its roots both in Africa and Central America. Indigenous Mayan populations even constructed and played the marimba. Composer, Steve Reich has used the marimba throughout much of his work and he is known as one of a handful of living composers who can legitimately claim to have altered the direction of musical history.

LISTEN — Steve Reich: Nagoya Marimbas

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Fireworks have been used in many cultures for hundreds of years as a way to celebrate. Join host Liz Lyon and producer Melanie Renate as we explore pieces of music inspired by fireworks.

Claude Debussy: Feux d’Artifice — This piece is the last of Debussy’s 24 preludes. It is a challenging piece to play and can help you imagine a spectacular fireworks display over Paris.

LISTEN — Claude Debussy: Feux d’Artifice

Oliver Knussen: Flourish With Fireworks  — Knussen wrote this piece to celebrate his friend Michael Tilson Thomas as he began his first season as principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra.

LISTEN — Oliver Knussen: Flourish With Fireworks  

Peter Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture - Finale — This piece features a cannon that adds to the intense celebratory flavor. When the music is played with cannons in concert, you might see a member of the orchestra within sight of those working the cannon who cues the team with the cannon so that its booming sound hits its mark within the music.

LISTEN — Peter Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture - Finale

George Fredrich Handel: Music for the Royal Fireworks — This piece was written to celebrate peace in London. There were fireworks that accompanied the music when it was performed in April 1749. However, because rainy weather caused many firework misfires and one pavilion of the performance space caught fire, Handel’s music was the true star of the show.

LISTEN — George Fredrich Handel: Music for the Royal Fireworks

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Harmony in music is when more than one note or chord is layered on top of one another. It creates an often pleasing and sometimes interesting sound. Join host Liz Lyon and producer Melanie Renate as we explore the concept of harmony.

Thomas Tallis: If Ye Love Me — A great example of harmony is a madrigal, which is a vocal piece of music that includes a number of voices ranging from two to eight, but usually three to six voices. Madrigals present a great opportunity to play with harmony.

LISTEN  — Thomas Tallis: If Ye Love Me

Johann Sebastian Bach: Bach's Minuet in G Major — When learning music, this piece of music is often one of the first pieces to be included in lessons. It can happily be a solo, but once you add an accompaniment, such as a piano or even a full orchestra, then you’ve created harmony.

LISTEN  — Johann Sebastian Bach: Bach's Minuet in G Major

Robert de Visee: La Muzette — This music is performed by four string instruments working together to create a piece that shows harmony in a variety of ways. Can you hear when the harmony is pleasing to the ear (consonant) or when the harmony is a little uncomfortable (dissonant)?

LISTEN  — Robert de Visee: La Muzette 

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The viola often plays a supporting role in the orchestra, but these three viola players bring the instrument into the spotlight. Join Host Liz Lyon as we talk about how these musicians found their way to the viola.

Kim Kashkashian: In Nomine  — Along with being a successful viola player, Kashkashian also teaches the instrument. She also founded Music for Food, a musician-led hunger relief initiative that has presented hundreds of artists in concert and has created more than one and a half million free meals for people in need.

LISTEN - Gyorgy Kurtag: In Nomine

Nokuthula Ngwenyama: Some Stuff - Ngwenyama became well-known when she won the Primrose International Viola Competition in 1993 and the Young Concert Artists International Auditions in 1994. She is not just a violist but also a composer, a teacher and a leader in the world of music. This is a piece she composed.

LISTEN - Nokuthula Nngwenyama: Some Stuff

Matthew Lipman: Fuga Libre — Lipman is new to the music world but has already made a name for himself performing with orchestras around the world. He released his first album in 2015. This is one of the pieces from that album.

LISTEN - Garth Knox: Fuga Libre

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