Curtain Raiser: Recent Episodes
RNZ
This music-theatre work, based on Russian folk tales, tells of a violin-playing soldier tricked by the Devil. Presented by Elizabeth Kerr (RNZ)
Indra Hughes provides an introduction to the wonderful 'Magnificat', written by J S Bach to celebrate the Christmas of 1723, at the end of his first year as Director of Music at St Thomas's Church in Leipzig.
Amber Read talks to Ross Harris about his music and the four poems by Vincent O'Sullivan which serve as the text and subject matter of his sixth symphony.
Illuminations of the Beyond expresses Messiaen's dazzlement and ecstatic spirituality in his last composition. Presented by Elizabeth Kerr.
The shimmering beauty of Paris is reflected in Ravel's strongly structured masterpiece of 1903. Presented by Charlotte Wilson.
In this 1909 symphony for orchestra, choir and soloists, the vast spaces between haze-shrouded vistas and unfathomable depths of the sea become a metaphor for eternity. Presented by Peter Mechen.
In the summer of 1889 Strauss wrote that: "Beethoven's Eroica is so little beloved of our conductors, and is on this this account now only rarely performed, that to fulfil a pressing need I am composing a largish tone poem entitled Heldenleben, admittedly without a funeral march, but yet … with lots of horns, which are always a yardstick of heroism".
Beethoven’s Third Symphony was criticised for being too long, but he’d already declared his intentions after finishing his second symphony, in 1802. The 'Eroica' is introduced by Peter Watts.
Inspired by the paintings of Whistler, Debussy creates three moody impressions. Presented by Kenneth Young.
Mahler creates a whole world in a symphony with grand concepts reflecting nature and humanity. He said, "My work forms a musical poem covering all stages of evolution, ascending stepwise. It begins with inanimate nature and rises steadily to the love of God." Presented by David Morriss.
A dawn-to-dusk climbing trip in the Bavarian mountains is depicted in An Alpine Symphony by Richard Strauss. Indra Hughes discovers there are also other levels of meaning here.
Night by night, Scheherazade weaves a tapestry of stories, a shield against the crimson dawn. Presented by Amber Read.
A French composer introduces the blues to his classical music. Introduced by Margaret Ogilvie.
All too often a great work of art is completely misunderstood when it’s first unveiled. This was true of Claude Debussy’s 'La Mer' when it was premiered in Paris in 1905. Introduction by Indra Hughes.
Elgar's set of 14 variations are sketches of his friends ... well, actually 12 other people, the composer himself, and a dog. Indra Hughes presents an introduction.
Beethoven himself considered this symphony one of his best works. Introduced by Indra Hughes.
When fellow composer Herbert Howells first heard this music he was so overwhelmed that he couldn't sleep and paced the streets of Gloucester all night, reeling from the work's profound impact. Introduced by Indra Hughes.
Progress on this symphony was halted when Shostakovich broke his left leg at his son Maxim’s wedding. He spent the rest of 1960 in hospital, returning to work intensively on the symphony in 1961. It's introduced by Rachel Hyde.
By 1971, when Shostakovich composed his 15th and last symphony, the political tension had eased. The great Russian composer had been showered with honours and medals, and no longer needed to insert secret messages of artistic and political resistance into his music. Introduced by Rachel Hyde.
In 1791 Mozart was commissioned to write a Requiem and it turned out to be his final work as he died before he could finish it. Introduced by Peter Walls.
One of the most loved and frequently performed of orchestral masterpieces wasn’t composed for orchestra at all, but originally for piano. Introduced by Rachel Hyde.
Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony has so indelibly entered our cultural consciousness that it is as much a part of our collective identity as chocolate fish and jandals. Introduced by Rachel Hyde.
The sublime concerto for clarinet and orchestra is one of Mozart's most-loved works. Introduced by Murray Khouri.
This work is subtitled 'To the Memory of an Angel'. Matthew Crawford explains the story behind the dedication.
The War Requiem premiered in 1962 at the opening of the new Coventry Cathedral built alongside the ruins of the bombed out medieval one. Britten's chosen texts and searing music make a powerful anti-war statement. Introduced by Brian Kay.
This Symphony was famously given its Leningrad première in August 1942 by starving, yet defiant players, assembled under the banner of the Leningrad Radio Orchestra, during the Siege of Leningrad. Introduced by Matthew Crawford.
This symphony was one of many projects Mozart undertook to raise money in the year 1788 when his financial situation was becoming desperate. Introduced by Erica Challis.
Messiaen's work was written while he was a prisoner of the Nazis in 1941. Introduced by Roger Smith.
Nielsen’s Fifth Symphony is probably his masterpiece: a powerful, mysterious work whose themes are tightly woven into a stream of music that evolves organically from start to finish. Introduced by Erica Challis.
Mendelssohn's oratorio tells the story of the Old Testament prophet and was first performed at the Birmingham Festival. Introduced by Brian Kay.
Like a great story-teller Verdi draws the listener in with every colourful phrase of his dramatic Requiem. Introduced by Erica Challis.
The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace was composed in the year 2000 by Welshman Karl Jenkins. Our introduction to this popular modern work is by Brian Kay.
Some of the most beautiful music in the choral repertoire is to be found in the pages of Fauré's score. Introduced by Brian Kay.
Haydn's colourful oratorio uses texts from the book of Genesis and from Milton's Paradise Lost. Introduced by Allan Badley.
Even critics, who don’t put Antonín Dvořák in the top echelon of composers, make an exception with this piece. Introduced by Murray Khouri.
Composed between 1819 and 1823, the Missa Solemnis is one of Beethoven's supreme achievements. Introduced by Brian Kay.
Life for an artist working in Soviet Russia was not easy. The continual fear of the censors and of the secret police coming to carry you off was very much a part of Shostakovich’s life. Introduced by Peter Watts.
Gustav Holst's seven movement work was composed during WW1 and needs a large orchestra plus chorus of women's voices. The composer's own favourite movement was Saturn - the Bringer of Old Age. Presented by Matthew Crawford.
In his last symphony, Prokofiev aims for simplicity and nostalgia, but is persuaded to provide an alternative ending to impress the Soviet authorities. Introduced by Matthew Crawford.
Prokofiev conducted the premiere of his Fifth Symphony in 1944 and within months it was also being performed in America and the composer was on the cover of TIME magazine. Introduced by Matthew Crawford.
Beethoven had been living with deafness for over a decade when he played piano for the première of this Trio. Introduced by Peter Watts.
Beethoven's elegant and genial 4th piano concerto, composed at the same time as his more famous 5th symphony, is introduced by Peter Watts.
Brahms’s Violin Concerto represents a high point in the relationship between composer and violinist. Presented by Inge van Rij.
Brahms’s first symphony reflects the traditions of monumentalisation that formed around Beethoven. Presented by Inge van Rij.