Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring, Part 1

When the great pianist and composer Frederic Chopin decided to write a piano sonata in 1837, fashions had turned against the genre itself. Perhaps it was a feeling that Beethoven had essentially "finished" the genre, or perhaps it was a sense that a non-Germanic composer couldn't ...  Show more

As I've often said, I love doing Patreon-sponsored episodes in part because they allow me to discover music I might never have encountered otherwise. Today's episode is one of those, because the truth is that before I made it, I had heard of Finzi, but that was about it. I knew n ...  Show more

It became known as the ‘Skandalkonzert’: an evening of expressionist, experimental pieces at Vienna’s Great Hall of the Musikverein on March 31, 1913, which so disturbed the audience that rioting and slapping ensued, followed by a lawsuit.  In time, it established the reputations ...  Show more

Episode two HOT OFF THE PODCAST PRESS. Featuring the life and times of Stravinsky and Debussy in 60 seconds or less (or more) and a song which is legitimately about a man with a bag of fleas. ENJOY! Music featured in this episode: "Clair de Lune" by Claude Debussy "Chansons de Bi ...  Show more

Here we talk about what distinguishes music from the Classical Period. We will analyze key pieces of music and discuss famous composers during this era.