Whether to Laugh or Cry
Two recent items published on-line by the League of American Orchestras reminded me of the importance of allowing music to speak for itself – to deliver its own message. The…
Brahms
Discovery Orchestra Chat 97 – Noticing Tempo Change #2
In this Chat, Maestro Maull challenges you to count the number of tempo changes in Brahms’ Hungarian Dance #6 – are you up to the challenge?
Beating the Winter Blahs and Blues
People speak of the ‘winter blues, grays, darkness. . .” the list goes on and on. And, depending on our personalities, our reaction to fewer hours of daylight, cold temperatures,…
Where Does It Come From?
Often I find myself in a state of awe with this question: “How on earth does someone create a piece of music that can – one or two hundred years…
Weathering Life’s Storms
‘Devastating, terrifying, catastrophic, lethal’. . .all these adjectives and more have been used to describe the effects of the hurricane that pounded the northeastern United States two weeks ago. Grief,…
Discovery Orchestra Chat 80 – Revisiting Paragraphs
Discovery Orchestra Chats continue with another lesson in ternary form. Follow along as the orchestra’s Executive Director Virginia Johnston and Maestro Maull’s wife, Marcia, perform the second movement of Brahms’…
Today I watched an episode called “Discover Beethoven’s Fifth”, and it was marvelous! Maestro Maull and his talented orchestra gave me a one-hour thrill. I’ve always loved Beethoven, especially his Fifth Symphony. I studied piano for 7 years as a young person, and came to appreciate so many of the classical composers, but Beethoven’s Fifth has always thrilled me. I so appreciated the format of the program, and the Maestro involved all of us and taught us so much. Thank you for this fine program. And many thanks and praise to the orchestra! When the program ended, I clapped loudly and shouted “Bravo!! Bravo!!!”