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…
Symphony
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…
The Joke’s On Us
Have you ever attended a symphony orchestra concert or chamber music recital, when suddenly the person next to you began to chuckle or laugh under their breath. You may have…
3-2-1 Blast Off
The psychological skill of elaboration – the ability to develop an idea or create variations of an idea – is explored in the Finale of Symphony No. 3 by Camille…
Scared ya Didn’t I?
Composer Johannes Brahms knew well the shock effect of sudden dynamic changes. George Marriner Maull exposes this Brahms trait as found in Movement 4 of Brahms’s Symphony No. 2. Inside…
I just listened to the first episode of this (Dvorak’s “New World” Symphony) and can’t believe how fortunate I was to run across this on Prime. I have heard Maull lecture many times before performances and now here he is right on my computer screen and with the clearest of visual aids. I promise if you listen to one of these you will understand a piece as never before. And, I have discovered from past experiences with his lectures that I always listen to any given piece with a greater connection. These “home” viewings of Maull’s lectures are such a gift! Highly recommended.