The Joy of Classical Music

The other day I was reading an article about Duke Ellington who described his style of music as American. What is American Music? That’s a question to big to answer here but this weeks selections offer a taste of the Americanness in contemporary American art music.

Stacey Tappan performs Ricky Ian Gordon - Just an Ordinary Guy

Stacey Tappan performs Ian Ricky Gordon - What the Living Do

Missy Mazzoli, The Victoire Ensemble and Wilco drummer Glenn Kotche perform Missy Mazzoli - Wayward Free Radical Dreams

Jos Milton and Melinda Coffey Armstead perform John Musto’s song cycle - Shadow of the Blues
1. Silhouette
2. Litany
3. Island
4. Could Be

Marc-André Hamelin performs William Bolcom - Lost Lady Rag

Nmon Ford and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra perform Jennifer Higdon - Dooryard Bloom

Over the next hour I’ll be taking a closer look at some of my favourite new discoveries from recent episodes and for this episode that means George Gershwin and Igor Stravinsky.

Michael Tilson Thomas performs George Gershwin - 3 Preludes for Piano

Daniil Trifonov and The Philadelphia Orchestra perform George Gershwin - Piano Concerto in F

Sinfonietta de Montréal perform Igor Stravinsky - Concerto in E-Flat: Dumbarton Oaks

For the next two episodes I’m going to be taking a closer look at some new favourites and this week it’s music from pianists Julia Hamos and Jeremy Denk, songwriter and composer Marc Blitzstein, soprano Isabel Schicketanz and Sweden’s Gavle Symphony Orchestra.

Julia Hamos performs Charles Mingus - Myself When I Am Real

William Sharp and Steven Blier perform Marc Blitzstein - The New Suit

Isabel Schicketanz performs Adam Krieger - Der Liebe Macht herrscht Tag und Nacht

Jeremy Denk performs Claude Debussy - Images, Book 1, L. 110: No. 1, Reflets dans l’eau

Avi Avital, Between Worlds Ensemble and Marina Heredia perform García Lorca, Solinís: Canciones españolas antiguas: No. 10, Zorongo

Julia Hamos performs György Ligeti - Etudes, Book 1: No. 4, Fanfares

Gavle Symphony Orchestra performs Max Reger - Romantic Suite, Op. 125

Last week's episode opened with Theory of Flight, the first part of the the first movement of Marc Blitzstein’s Airborne Symphony, a work I enjoyed so much that this week I’m doing something I have never done before, devoting an entire episode to one piece of music.

Leonard Bernstein, The New York Philharmonic, The Choral Arts Society and Orson Welles perform Marc Blitzstein: The Airborne Symphony

FIRST MOVEMENT
Theory of Flight
Ballad of History and Mythology
Kittyhawk
The Airborne

SECOND MOVEMENT
The Enemy
Threat and Approach
Ballad of the Cities
Morning Poem

THIRD MOVEMENT
Ballad of Hurry-Up
Night Music/Ballad of the Bombarder
Recitative: Chorus of the Rendezvous
The Open Sky


The Joy of Classical Music
Episode 143 - Part 1: New Favourites and Recent Discoveries

For the next two episodes I’m going to be taking a closer look at some new favourites and this week it’s music from pianists Julia Hamos and Jeremy Denk, songwriter and composer Marc Blitzstein, soprano Isabel Schicketanz and Sweden’s Gavle Symphony Orchestra.

Julia Hamos performs Charles Mingus - Myself When I Am Real

William Sharp and Steven Blier perform Marc Blitzstein - The New Suit

Isabel Schicketanz performs Adam Krieger - Der Liebe Macht herrscht Tag und Nacht

Jeremy Denk performs Claude Debussy - Images, Book 1, L. 110: No. 1, Reflets dans l’eau

Avi Avital, Between Worlds Ensemble and Marina Heredia perform García Lorca, Solinís: Canciones españolas antiguas: No. 10, Zorongo

Julia Hamos performs György Ligeti - Etudes, Book 1: No. 4, Fanfares

Gavle Symphony Orchestra performs Max Reger - Romantic Suite, Op. 125

Beginning around the 1920s, composers in American and elsewhere began imagining a new kind of musical theatre, a fusion of styles that borrowed from established operatic traditions, Broadway and popular music and culture, but whatever it was going to be, it wasn’t going to happen overnight, it would be something that evolved over time. Over the next few weeks I’ll be exploring the new musical theatre and some of the composers that brought it to life.

Leonard Bernstein, Choral Art Society and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and Orson Welles perform Marc Blitzstein - Airborne Symphony: I. Theory of Flight

Steven Blier and William Sharp perform Marc Blitzstein - Stay In My Arms

Marc Blitzstein - The Cradle Will Rock: Scene 1 - Streetcorner: I'm Checkin' Home Now

Marc Blitzstein - The Cradle Will Rock: Scene 2 - Nightcourt
Marc Blitzstein - The Cradle Will Rock:Scene 3 - Mission Scene

Sheri Greenawald and the Scottish Opera Orchestra perform Marc Blitzstein - Regina: Act 1: Lionett

Gregory Mercer performs Marc Blitzstein - Sacco’s The Whole Shoe from Sacco and Vanzetti

Magdalena: A Musical Adventure Studio Cast Recording: Villa-Lobos - Magdalena: Festival of the River

Magdalena: A Musical Adventure Studio Cast Recording: Villa-Lobos - Magdalena: Finale: The Seed of God

The Hague Philharmonic perform Shostakovich - Mosow-Cheryomushki: Prologue - Meeting You Here We Do Not Want Superfluous Words.

The Hague Philharmonic perform Shostakovich - Mosow-Cheryomushki: Tyoplui Lane

The Hague Philharmonic perform Shostakovich - Mosow-Cheryomushki: Lidochka's Song

The Hague Philharmonic perform Shostakovich - Mosow-Cheryomushki: When I am Wondering Along the Streets of Moscow