YourClassical Adventures

Halloween is a great time to explore the most mysterious music ever composed.

Camille Saint-Saens: Danse Macabre — Music about ghosts and spirits coming alive in a graveyard to dance in the moonlight.

LISTEN — Camille Saint-Saens: Danse Macabre

Carl Orff: O Fortuna from Carmina Burana — This piece makes us want to hide. Where is your favorite hiding spot? Do you use it when you play hide-and-seek?

LISTEN — Carl Orff: O Fortuna

Edvard Grieg: Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, “In the Hall of the Mountain King” — This piece may make you feel like running. How fast can you run in place?

LISTEN — Edvard Grieg: Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, “In the Hall of the Mountain King”

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Composers use their imagination to bring stories to life through music. Join host, Liz Lyon, and producer, Melanie Renate as they explore the beautiful music of flutist and composer Valerie Coleman and hear her ensemble, Imani Winds.

Valerie Coleman: Silver Rain — When she was young, Valerie would play outside and imagine that sticks were flutes before she practiced and became a flutist and composer.

LISTEN — Valerie Coleman: Silver Rain

Valerie Coleman: Ev'ry Time I Feel the Spirit — Valerie often brings her heritage into her music. This piece was inspired by an African American spiritual.

LISTEN — Valerie Coleman: Ev'ry Time I Feel the Spirit

Valerie Coleman: Umoja — Umoja is Kiswahili for the word 'Unity'. This piece is performed by Valerie’s ensemble, Imani Winds.

LISTEN — Valerie Coleman: Umoja

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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. In this piece, it is used to get your attention.

LISTEN — George Fredrich Handel: Trumpet Concerto; Overture

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Have you ever wanted to learn how to play the drums or any percussion instrument? Join host Liz Lyon and producer Melanie Renate as we learn about three percussion instruments and how they add excitement to music.

Richard Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra — There are two notes played back and forth on timpani. It's a pitched, percussion instrument. Can you hear the two different pitches on the timpani?

LISTEN — Richard Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra

Maurice Ravel: Bolero — One of the most famous pieces in classical music featuring the snare drum. Can you hear the snare played continuously throughout this piece?

LISTEN — Maurice Ravel: Bolero

Aaron Copland: "Hoe Down" from Rodeo — This is a really fun piece of ballet music featuring the xylophone. The xylophone almost looks like a keyboard, but you strike the wooden bars with mallets. Can you hear the xylophone among all of the other instruments?

LISTEN — Aaron Copland: Hoe Down from Rodeo

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Which classical pieces go with big things that happen in your life such as moving or living with quarantines? Join host Liz Lyon and producer Melanie Renate and listen to music that deals with change.

Claude Debussy: Arabesque No. 1 — Debussy moved when he was a child to live with his aunt, who discovered his musical talent. This is one of his popular pieces.

Ludwig Van Beethoven: Ode to Joy — Beethoven experienced change when he lost his hearing, but that didn’t stop him from creating great music like this well-known selection from his Symphony No. 9.

Philip Glass: Etude No. 6 — Pianist Simone Dinnerstein had to cope with change during quarantine and found a new way to record music, including this performance.

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You must be 13 or older to submit any information to American Public Media/Minnesota Public Radio. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about things like our programs, products and services. See Terms of Use and Privacy.

Which classical pieces excite you the most? Join Melissa Dundis and listen to the beautiful piano music of Chopin.

Frederic Chopin: Polonaise No. 6 (Heroic) — This style of the polonaise is common in piano music from Poland.

Frederic Chopin: Raindrop Prelude - The lower-sounding note that repeats throughout the prelude is the constant rainfall.

Frederic Chopin: The “Little Dog” Waltz — Is this what your dog sounds like when they are running around the house or yard?

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You must be 13 or older to submit any information to American Public Media/Minnesota Public Radio. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about things like our programs, products and services. See Terms of Use and Privacy.

Which classical pieces excite you the most? Join Melissa Dundis and listen to different pieces inspired by carnivals and celebrations.

Jean Baptiste Arban: Carnival Overture — This piece was inspired by a noisy and colorful carnival in Venice, Italy.

Arturo Marquez: Conga del Fuego Nuevo - This piece was written for a carnival in Mexico and features the famous conga line dance theme.

Camille Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals - Finale — This is a suite of music based on different animals that you might see at a carnival or parade.

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You must be 13 or older to submit any information to American Public Media/Minnesota Public Radio. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about things like our programs, products and services. See Terms of Use and Privacy.

Which classical piece paints a picture in your mind? Join Melissa Dundis and listen to different pieces inspired by paintings on this episode of YourClassical Adventures.

Modest Mussorgsky: The Great Gate of Kiev — This piece was inspired by a painting of a great big gate, opening to a city in Russia.

Ralph Vaughan Williams: In the Fen Country - This piece is like a poem, using the music to describe the beautiful, wide open landscapes in England.

Sergei Rachmaninoff: The Isle of the Dead — This piece was based on a painting of an abandoned island surrounded by dark waters.

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You must be 13 or older to submit any information to American Public Media/Minnesota Public Radio. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about things like our programs, products and services. See Terms of Use and Privacy.

What is a symphony? Join Melissa Dundis and listen to different sections of a symphony on this episode of YourClassical Adventures.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: 1st movement from Symphony No. 40 — The first movement of a symphony is usually fast, energizing and exciting.

Ludwig van Beethoven: 2nd movement from Symphony No. 7 - The second movement is usually slow and can feel like a sadder or sweeter part of the story.

Dmitri Shostakovich: Finale from Symphony No. 5 — The finale is a really fun, loud and exiting movement that finishes the symphony and allows the piece to show off its best qualities.

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You must be 13 or older to submit any information to American Public Media/Minnesota Public Radio. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about things like our programs, products and services. See Terms of Use and Privacy.

Have you heard any music by the famous pianist Amy Beach? Join Melissa Dundis and listen to Beach's original compositions on this episode of YourClassical Adventures.

Amy Beach: Ballade — This is a popular piano piece by the composer.

Amy Beach: 2nd mvt from the Gaelic Symphony - This became the first symphony published by a woman in the United States.

Amy Beach: 1st mvt from the Piano Concerto — Back in the day, you could have heard Beach perform this work of hers live.

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You must be 13 or older to submit any information to American Public Media/Minnesota Public Radio. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about things like our programs, products and services. See Terms of Use and Privacy.