Explore The Symphony

The NAC Orchestra presents its second season of "Explore the Symphony", a series of musical podcasts hosted by the National Arts Centre Orchestra's assistant principal double bass Marjolaine Fournier and featuring one of Canada's foremost music journalists, Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer. The theme of this season is the Romantic Concerto: listen and learn about five magnificent piano concertos that are part of the Orchestra’s 2008-09 season. In this first episode: TCHAIKOVSKY Piano Concerto No. 1

Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer and Marjolaine Fournier explore the music of Bruckner and the man behind the music.

Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer and Marjolaine Fournier explore the life and times of Johannes Brahms and his 4th Symphony.

Discover Shostakovich's "anti-war" symphony. His 9th Symphony is one of the composer's shorter symphonies, a totally non-serious, unpretentious piece shot through with sardonic humour, verve and wit.

Discover one of classical music's best-loved symphonies, Dvořàk's 9th Symphony, in the context of the composer's life and times.

Discover Beethoven's symphonic monument -- his 9th symphony -- in its social, historical, and musical context as well as its continuing importance today.

In this introductory episode, Marjoloaine Laroche discusses the symphonic form and demystifies terms such as sonata, cadenza, and fugue.