The Leading Tone Podcast: Recent Episodes

Alex & Fernando

Ever wanted to appreciate music on a deeper level? Join Alex and Fernando as they take a deep dive into the depths of classical and jazz music.

View Details

Join Alex and Fernando as they discuss an overdue topic for The Leading Tone: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart! What brings the spirit of light and agelessness to his music? And why do Classical Musicians take him so seriously? Find out on this week's episode of the Leading Tone!

Listening Includes the following:

12 variations on “Ah, Vous Dirai-je Maman”
Minuet in G Major K.1e (1761-1762)
Symphony No. 25 (1773)
Serenade No. 9 “Posthorn” (1779)
Piano Concerto No. 17 (1784)
Musical Joke (1787)
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (1787)
Symphony No. 40 (1788)
Classical Symphony, Sergei Prokofiev (1916)
Magic Flute, Queen of the Night aria (1791)

Check out the Leading Tone Podcast on:

Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcas...t/id1524397394

Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/7jykSW...RxeRYm-eMfL6JQ

Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjrD0ajkhvPxtBpC3FFrR7g

Stitcher:
https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the...ast?refid=stpr

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/The-Leading...02694984862125

Instagram:
@theleadingtonepodcast (https://www.instagram.com/theleadingtonepodcast/)

Email:
theleadingtonepodcast@gmail.com

View Details

In Alex's first solo episode, join him as he compares and contrasts Antonin Dvorak's final two symphonies. Listening in this episode includes the following:

Serenade for Strings, Antonin Dvorak
Slavonic Dances, Antonin Dvorak
Symphony No. 8, Antonin Dvorak
Symphony No. 9, Antonin Dvorak

View Details

Welcome to Season 2 of the Leading Tone, your source for anything classical or jazz! Listen as Alex and Fernando take a deep dive into the tone poems of Richard Strauss. 

Listening derived from the following:

Alpine Symphony, Richard Strauss
Also Sprach Zarathrusta, Richard Strauss
Ein Heldenleben, Richard Strauss
Symphony No. 3, Ludwig van Beethoven
Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks, Richard Strauss

View Details

Join Alex and Fernando as they wrap up their Top 100 Composers List in part two of the Season 1 Finale of The Leading Tone Podcast!

Join the discussion on social media!
Instagram: @theleadingtonepodcast
Facebook: The Leading Tone Podcast
Email: theleadingtonepodcast@gmail.com

Listening this week includes:

C.P.E. Bach - Symphony in E minor for Strings
C.M. von Weber - Grand Duo Concertant for Clarinet and Piano
Johannes Brahms - Hungarian Dance No. 1
Arnold Schoenberg - Pierrot Lunaire
Zoltan Kodaly - Serenade, Op. 12
Francis Poulenc - Trio for Oboe, Bassoon, and Piano, III. Rondo

View Details

Join Alex and Fernando in part one of the Season 1 Finale of The Leading Tone Podcast.

Listening this week includes:

Dido's Lament- Henry Purcell
Symphony No. 101 - Franz J. Haydn
Symphony No. 9 - Franz Schubert
Symphony No. 3 - Robert Schumann
La Forza Del Destino - Giuseppe Verdi
Nocturne No. 2 in Eb Major - Frederic Chopin
Requiem Op. 48 - Gabriel Faure
Die Moldau - Bedrich Smetana
Sonata for Guitar in D Major - Joaquin Turina

View Details

Enjoy a discussion about some holiday music ranging from classical to pop! Be sure to check out our Holiday Music playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5kXYLoqCn7McIGPA413sEj

Join the discussion on social media!
Instagram: @theleadingtonepodcast
Facebook: The Leading Tone Podcast
Email: theleadingtonepodcast@gmail.com

Recordings Featured in This Episode:
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov - "Polonaise" from Christmas EvePyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" and "Waltz of the Flowers" from The Nutcracker

View Details

Join Fernando and Alex as they unpack this year's top trends in music, worldwide as well as their own personal tastes! Follow the link to our new weekly Spotify Playlist including recommended listening for this episode!

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5m158jufItnR07Ccjf11SW?si=AOBSZj0pSQi0fx7eDlszSw 

View Details

In the sixth episode of their monthly Top 100 Composers series, Alex and Fernando discuss some of their favorite composers. Listen to great recordings of works by John Barnes Chance, Anton Bruckner, Anton Webern, Alban Berg, and more!

Join the discussion on social media!
Instagram: @theleadingtonepodcast
Facebook: The Leading Tone Podcast
Email: theleadingtonepodcast@gmail.com

Recordings Featured in This Episode:
Richard Wagner - Tannhäuser Overture
Paul Dukas - L'apprenti sorcier (The Sorcerer's Apprentice)
Alexander Borodin - Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor
Anton Bruckner - Symphony in D minor, WAB 100
Édouard Lalo - Cello Concerto in D minor
Johann Strauss II - An der schönen, blauen Donau (The Blue Danube Waltz)

View Details

Join Alex and Fernando for this special 20th Episode of the Leading Tone Podcast, where they delve deep into one of Gustav Mahler's most overlooked symphonies: his Symphony No. 4 in G Major! 

View Details

From trios to octets, join Alex and Fernando on a trip through music history as they discuss chamber music.

Featured Selections Include:
Franz Joseph Haydn - String Quartet in D Major, Op. 64 No. 5 "Lark"
Franz Schubert - Octet in F Major
Mikhail Glinka - Trio Pathétique
Richard Strauss - Serenade in E-flat Major, Op. 7
Antonín Dvořák - String Quartet No. 12, Op. 96

View Details

Join Alex and Fernando as they sit down and chat with composer and producer Jake Daniels. Get some great insight into the compositional processes and music of a modern composer and beat producer.
Reach out to Jake Daniels on Instagram: @jakedanielsmusic
Listen to Jake Daniels on SoundCloud

View Details

Join Alex and Fernando in their ongoing futile quest of discussing some of their favorite composers. Listen to great recordings of works by Giacomo Puccini, Manuel De Falla, Johann Sebastian Bach, Erik Satie and more!

View Details

Join Fernando and Alex as they take a tour of three classic composers of the Wind Band genre, including works by Grainger, Holst, and Sousa. 

View Details

Alex and Fernando take a deeper look into the legacy of Stan Kenton and his iconic big band albums including Artistry in Rhythm,  Cuban Fire, 7.5 on the Richter Scale, West Side Story, Adventures in Jazz, and more! 

View Details

Alex & Fernando explore the music of Ralph Vaughan Williams through an analysis of his Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis.

Join the discussion on social media!
Instagram: @theleadingtonepodcast
Facebook: The Leading Tone Podcast
Email: theleadingtonepodcast@gmail.com

Recordings Featured in This Episode:

Vaughan Williams - Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
Performed by the US Army Strings. Excerpts taken from the original recording.
(This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.)

Intro: Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 6, Mvt. II 
(This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Public Domain Mark 1.0 License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.)

Thank You for Listening to Another Episode of The Leading Tone Podcast!

View Details

Join Alex and Fernando in their ongoing futile quest of discussing some of their favorite composers. Listen to great recordings of works by Georges Bizet, Antonin Dvorak, Leos Janacek, Ottorino Respighi and more!

View Details

Alex & Fernando discuss César Franck and break down his, often overlooked, Symphony in D minor.

View Details

Fernando and Alex answer the questions of "What is Modern Classical Music." This episode is based on the Luke Muelhauser article "The Beginner's Guide to Modern Classical Music." This episode tackles the music of David Lang, Phillip Glass, Henry Gorecki, Eric Whitacre, and many, many more!

Recordings Featured in This Episode:

Charles Gounod: Petite Symphonie, Mvt. 3
(This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Share-Alike 3.0 License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.)

Intro: Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 6, Mvt. II 
(This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Public Domain Mark 1.0 License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.)

Outro: Dvorak - Symphony No. 8, Mvt. III 
(DuPage Symphony Orchestra, excerpt cropped from original recording. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.)

Thank You for Listening to Another Episode of The Leading Tone Podcast!

View Details

Alex & Fernando uncover a hidden gem, Bizet's Roma! Join us as we discuss and listen to one of Bizet's lesser-known works.

Email: theleadingtonepodcast@gmail.com
Instagram: @theleadingtonepodcast
Facebook: The Leading Tone Podcast

Recordings Featured in This Episode:

Bizet - Roma
(University of Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Barbara Schubert, excerpts cropped from original. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.)

Intro: Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 6, Mvt. II 
(This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Public Domain Mark 1.0 License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.)

Outro: Dvorak - Symphony No. 8, Mvt. III 
(DuPage Symphony Orchestra, excerpt cropped from original recording. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.)

Thank You for Listening to Another Episode of The Leading Tone Podcast!

View Details

Fernando and Alex continue their musical journey through 100 great composers, with this week focusing on 10 more brilliant composers. This is not one to miss with dynamic recordings of great works by Debussy, Holst, Gershwin, Halvorsen and more!

Listening derived from:

  • La Mer, 1st Movement (Claude Debussy) CC Public Domain Mark 1.0
  • Entry March of the Boyars (Johan Halvorsen) CC Attribution 3.0
  • Rhapsody in Blue (George Gershwin) CC Public Domain Mark 1.0
  • Second Suite in F for Military Band (Gustav Holst) CC Public Domain Mark 1.0
  • Clarinet Concerto Op. 57 (Carl Nielsen) CC Attribution 4.0
  • Carnival of the Animals (Camille Saint-Saens) CC Attribution Share-Alike 3.0

Enjoy this great article about Vincent Persichetti:
Persichetti: Portrait of a Teacher | The Juilliard School

View Details

Join Alex & Fernando for a "Romantic Music Monday" as they listen to and discuss some of the essential piano concerti from the Romantic Period. Featuring two new segments and some fantastic music, this is not one to miss! This episode includes piano concerti by Delius, Rachmaninoff, Beethoven, Grieg, and Chopin.

Recordings included in this episode:

Frederick Delius' Piano Concerto in C Minor, Mvt. I: Moderato
(Justin Bird, Nick Hersh, IU Adhoc Symphony Orchestra; clip from original recording)
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.

Sergei Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Mvt. II: Adagio sostenuto
(Skidmore College Orchestra/Anthony Holland, conductor; clip from original recording)
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.

Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat Major, Mvt. I: Allegro
(Ursula Oppens, Barbara Schubert, DuPage Symphony Orchestra; clip from original recording)
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.

Edvard Grieg's Piano Concerto in A Minor, Mvt. I: Allegro Molto
(Neal O'Doan, Peter Eros, University of Washington Symphony; clip from original recording)
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.

Frédéric Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Minor, Mvt. III: Allegro Vivace
CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication

Intro: Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 6, Mvt. II
(This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Public Domain Mark 1.0 License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.)

Outro: Dvorak - Symphony No. 8, Mvt. III
(DuPage Symphony Orchestra, excerpt cropped from original recording. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.)

Thank You for Listening to Another Episode of The Leading Tone Podcast!

View Details

Alex and Fernando discuss six great film composers, including John Williams, Justin Hurwitz, Elmer Bernstein, Joe Hisaishi, and Ennio Morricone! 

View Details

The first in an ongoing series where Alex and Fernando explore where to begin with music of the Baroque Period! Listen to great and sometimes overlooked works by Purcell, Telemann, Vivaldi, and more!

Excerpts in this episode include:

Henry Purcell- Abdelazer (II. Rondeau) Carl Pini, John Tunnell, Anthony Pini, Harold Lester (Public Domain 1.0 This work has been identified as being free of known restrictions under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights)

Antonio Vivaldi- Concerto for 2 Cellos in G Minor, The Modena Chamber Orchestra
(Public Domain 1.0 This work has been identified as being free of known restrictions under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights)

George Phillipe Telemann- Partita in Bb Major (VII. Allegro), Telemann Trio
(Public Domain 1.0 This work has been identified as being free of known restrictions under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights)

Johann Sebastian Bach- Violin Partita No. 3 (III. Gavotte en Rondeau) Michael Rondeau
(Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) Attribution, this work has been cut down in length to approximately 1:15)

Johann Sebastian Bach- Prelude and Fugue in G, Kimiko Ishizaka (Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0), this work has been cut down in length to approximately 1:40)

George Friederic Handel- Music for the Royal Fireworks, Leeds Chamber Orchestra
(Public Domain 1.0 This work has been identified as being free of known restrictions under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights)

George Friederic Handel- Zadok the Priest, St Matthew's Concert Choir; Damien Giromella, director
(Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) This work has been cut down in length to approximately 1:30)

Thank you for listening to another episode of the Leading Tone Podcast!

View Details

Alex and Fernando discuss composers 11 through 20 on their averaged Top 100 Composers list. This episode includes Prokofiev, Mahler, Bartok, Grainger, Mozart, Copland, Ravel, Scriabin, Elgar, and Rimsky-Korsakov.

Excerpts used in this episode include:

Prokofiev - Piano Sonata No. 7, Op. 83, Mvt. III
(This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Public Domain Mark 1.0 License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.)

Mahler - Symphony No. 5, Mvt. I
(Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony Orchestra, excerpt cropped from original recording. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.)

Bartok - Allegro Barbaro
(Simone Renzi, excerpt cropped from original recording. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.)

Grainger - Lincolnshire Posy, Mvt. IV
(United States Marine Band, excerpt cropped from original recording. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.)

Mozart - Symphony No. 29, Mvt. I
(Das Orchester Tsumugi, excerpt cropped from original recording. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.)

Scriabin - 5 Preludes, Op. 74 V. Fier, belliqueux
(Michal Gajzler, excerpt cropped from original recording. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.)

Rimsky-Korsakov - Russian Easter Festival Overture
(This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Public Domain Mark 1.0 License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.)

Intro: Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 6, Mvt. II
(This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Public Domain Mark 1.0 License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.)

Outro: Dvorak - Symphony No. 8, Mvt. III
(DuPage Symphony Orchestra, excerpt cropped from original recording. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.)

View Details

Fernando and Alex dive into the world of jazz with an in-depth analysis of two icons: Miles Davis and John Coltrane!

View Details

Join Alex and Fernando on a journey to shed some light on an overlooked group of orchestral composers, including Carl Nielsen, Jean Sibelius, Johan Halvorsen, and more!

View Details

Listen to Alex and Fernando discuss their takes on several iconic musicals including Hamilton, In The Heights, West Side Story, Into The Woods, Les Misérables, and Jesus Christ Superstar. 

View Details

In their debut episode, Alex and Fernando discuss the first ten of their averaged Top 100 Composers.