Classical Music Playlist, December 2, 2024As a response to the devastation of World War I that had changed everything and everyone, Danish composer Carl Nielsen imbues his Symphony No. 5 with chaos that finds its way into a new musical world redefined. It’s today's Midday Masterpiece.
Classical Music Playlist, November 29, 2024A suite of music from the 1841 ballet “Giselle” by Adolph Adam — that tells the tale of peasant girl Giselle’s ghost who saves the man she loved in life from a terrible fate — is today’s Midday Masterpiece.
Classical Music Playlist, November 28, 2024Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 15, whose 3rd movement he described as a “Holy Song of Thanksgiving,” is today's Midday Masterpiece.
Classical Music Playlist, November 27, 2024Celebrated for over 200 years for how Mozart brilliantly weaves five different themes through the final movement, Mozart’s final symphony, No. 41, is today’s Midday Masterpiece.
Classical Music Playlist, November 26, 2024Symphonic in scale with four movements instead of a concerto’s typical three, the Piano Concerto No. 2 by Johannes Brahms is today's Midday Masterpiece.
Classical Music Playlist, November 25, 2024Inspired by the paradox of beautiful sunsets the composer witnessed over WW I killing fields in northern France, the Symphony #3, the “Pastoral,” by English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams is today's Midday Masterpiece.
Classical Music Playlist, November 22, 2024The culmination of his related 2nd and 3rd symphonies, the entire Symphony No. 4 by Gustav Mahler is today's Midday Masterpiece.
Classical Music Playlist, November 21, 2024After decades of suffering performance in a heavily edited version to which he strongly objected, Tchaikovsky’s original version of his Piano Concerto No. 2 is winning appreciation in recent exposure. It’s today’s Midday Masterpiece.
Classical Music Playlist, November 20, 2024Just as Felix Mendelssohn composed his "Scottish" Symphony #3 after exploring Scotland, after wandering through Italy he wrote his “Italian” Symphony #4 which includes tuneful traditional Italian dances. The "Italian" is today’s Midday Masterpiece.
Classical Music Playlist, November 19, 2024Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 13, whose revised final movement is the last music he ever composed - and one of his “Late” String Quartets that are considered among the greatest musical works ever created - is today's Midday Masterpiece.
