A Belated Valentine
The creation of emotional tension and the release of it is a common aesthetic goal among all composers of wordless, abstract music. The moment of greatest emotional intensity in a…
Composers
Gentle Goodbyes
The first and final movements of many symphonies and concertos end with a bang! “Send them home on a high note!” But that is not universally the case. George Marriner…
Why Do They Write That Way?
Maestro Maull jumps headlong into the dissonant writing of early 20th Century composers. . .from the perspective of asking what their motivations for composing in such a fashion might be….
Pedal Point City
This harmonic device has been used for hundreds of years and derives its name from a compositional practice employed by church organist-composers like Bach. In this episode George Marriner Maull…
Past Event-Virtual Classical Conversation: Beethoven The Agony and The Ectasy
April 29, 2022 at 7:00 PM ETNJPAC Virtual Free Event Join us for a special Zoom event exploring Beethoven’s Symphony No.3 (Eroica) and Symphony No.5, which will be performed next…
Discovery Orchestra Chat 177 – The Firebird Suite Lullaby & Finale Play-Through
This Chat Video features the final two movements of Stravinsky’s “Firebird” Suite with our Listening Guide on screen. Performed by the Vienna Symphony courtesy of Naxos of America.
Your “listening guide” amazes me, in that it is a means of illustrating the role of various instrumental sections in communicating and “telling” a story. My background is science and technology so the 1 -1 ½ hours listening to a symphony with your presentation was an exciting learning experience I was not expecting.You are an exceptional talent and personality to be able to introduce someone like myself to the very complicated language of a symphony.