Explore The Symphony

Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is primarily known for his operas. Unlike most opera composers, Wagner wrote both the libretto and the music for each of his stage works. Initially establishing his reputation as a composer of works in the romantic vein of Weber and Meyerbeer, Wagner revolutionized opera through his concept of the Gesamtkunstwerk, by which he sought to synthesize the poetic, visual, musical and dramatic arts, with music subsidiary to drama. - Wikipedia

"Treating each film as an 'opera without singing' (each character has his or her own leitmotif) Korngold created intensely romantic, richly melodic and contrapuntally intricate scores, the best of which are a cinematic paradigm for the tone poems of Richard Strauss and Franz Liszt. He intended that, when divorced from the moving image, these scores could stand alone in the concert hall. His style exerted a profound influence on modern film music." — Brendan G. Carroll, Korngold, Erich Wolfgang, The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians

By far the bulk of Gershwin’s output is devoted to songs – more than five hundred of them, most of which come from his more than four dozen works for the musical stage. Two of these stage works are operas – the short Blue Monday Blues and the full-length Porgy and Bess. Gershwin also wrote music for four films (Shall We Dance is the most famous), a few piano pieces and a handful of concert works: Rhapsody in Blue, An American in Paris, Cuban Overture, Concerto in F, Second Rhapsody and Variations on “I Got Rhythm.” Gershwin’s style is derived from the American soul and spirit. “Epitomizing the Jazz Age in every pore of his suave being,” writes critic Alex Ross, “Gershwin was the ultimate phenomenon in early-twentieth century American music, the man in whom all the discordant tendencies of the era achieved sweet harmony.” Many of Gershwin’s works are infused with jazz, and if he can be said to have made one single overriding accomplishment in his life, it was to create a bridge between jazz and the concert ha

In the first of the 2015-16 season's "Explore the Symphony" podcasts, the NAC Orchestra's assistant principal double bass Marjolaine Fournier and one of Canada's foremost music journalists Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer discuss Mahler's Symphony No. 4.

Words like “epic” and “timeless” are regularly applied to Bruckner symphonies. They have a pace of their own. But let yourself get in synch with their pulse, and you’ll be richly rewarded. The Ninth inspires awe, as its sweeping score unfolds, rising—like spires of a grand cathedral—to God.

Join Marjolaine Fournier and Jean-Jacques Van Vlasselaer for an intriguing look into Maurice Ravel's life and his two piano concertos.

A conversation with Josée Beaudet, the author of Jean-Marie Beaudet, l'homme orchestre. Beaudet was the very first music director at the NAC - he founded the orchestra, secured its first conductor, concertmaster and new members, and then quietly disappeared.

Marjolaine and Jean-Jacques reveal Schumann's relationship with the Rhine.

In this week’s Explore the Symphony, Marjolaine and Jean-Jacques dig into not one, but all four of Brahms’ symphonies! Musical Excerpt: NAC Orchestra Brahms, Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68 Performance date: March 09, 1988 Date composed: 1876 Listen to the entire piece at: nacmusicbox.ca

In this episode of Explore the Symphony, Marjolaine and Jean-Jacques discuss Symphonic Metamorphoses of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber by Paul Hindemith. Musical excerpts: Symphonic Metamorphoses on Themes of Carl Maria von Weber by Paul Hindemith performed by the NAC Orchestra on April 5, 1995. Available in full on the NACMusicbox.ca

In this Explore the Symphony, Marjolaine Fournier and Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer talk about Shakespeare, Nicolai, Korngold and Mendelssohn.

In this episode, Marjolaine and Jean-Jacques delve into Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem, once called, “a lullaby of death” and “a Requiem without the Last Judgment” for its gentle nature and sublime choral writing.

In this Explore the Symphony, Marjolaine Fournier and Jeans-Jacques van Vlasselaer talk about the life of Arnold Schoenberg and his string sextet, Verklärte Nacht.

Today on Explore the Symphony Marjolaine and Jeans-Jacques discuss Anton Bruckner and his second symphony.

Marjolaine and Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer sit down and discuss Dmitri Shostakovich and his 10th Symphony.

Marjolaine and Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer sit down and discuss Hector Berlioz and his Symphonie Fantastique.

Marjolaine Fournier and Dr. Jean-Jacques Van Vlasselaer dive into the 2013-2014 season with Richard Strauss. They discuss his life, and focus on "Also Sprach Zarathustra", and the suites from "Der Rosenkavalier" and "Die schweigsame Frau".

Marjolaine Fournier and Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer discuss Jean Sibelius, his life, his struggle with depression, alcoholism, and his 3rd Symphony.

Marjolaine and Jeans-Jacques discuss Shostakovich, his life in the Soviet Union, and his 9th Symphony.

Jean-Jacques and Marjolaine give Sibelius's Symphony no. 4 the, "Explore the Symphony" treatment.