Scriabin Poem of Ecstasy

Ancient, mysterious, brooding savage dreams; Within them dwells the Forest's mighty God, And wood-sprites in the gloom weave magic secrets. These lines are affixed to the first page of Sibelius' tone poem Tapiola, a piece that is mysterious in many ways and stands as Sibelius' la ...  Show more

In the aftermath of World War II, the Swiss composer Arthur Honegger, who had been living in occupied Paris throughout the war, wrote a new symphony entitled "Liturgical." He wrote an extended commentary on the piece, which included these lines: "My intention in this work was to ...  Show more

Works include: Schumann's Violin Sonata #1, Bach's Brandenburg Concerto #2, Brahms' Horn Trio, Vivaldi's Cello Sonata #1 and Varese's Ionization. 

When we listen closely to the Fifth, we hear a testament to self-expression and determination. Which means that we get to decide how to honor this symphony today, whether that means taking a break from Beethoven to commission new works from underrepresented composers, bringing ne ...  Show more

Works include: Waltzes #3 &6, The Revolutionary Etude, Prelude #17, Scherzo #1, Nocturne #13 and Mazurka # 26. Pianists include: Alfred Cortot, Arthur Rubinstein, Sviatoslav Richter, Claudio Arrau, Dinu Lipatti and Wilhelm Backhaus. 

When the urge to compose finally struck again, Rachmaninoff took a little theme by Nicolo Paganini and turned it into a tour de force for the piano and orchestra, called Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. In this final episode of the Great Composers series on Rachmaninoff, we also ...  Show more