Haydn was the Father of the Symphony, having composed 104 of them! His “Surprise” Symphony (#94) was written during his first stay in London. There is an excellent essay about the piece here – and a free orchestral score here. The purpose of the Classical Focus podcast is to introduce you and to help you…
How does one sum up a three-hour, epic work in a 30 minute program? It isn’t possible, but I will at least give you some pointers. The St Matthew Passion was written as an act of worship for Good Friday, and is built on an epic scale, not just in length, but in structure, as…
The gentle, playful, yet profound third movement of Mozart’s 4th Horn Concerto in E♭. Plus, a little bit of comedy to end the show, from the early 1960s, when humorists could assume their audience had a knowledge of classical music. The purpose of the Classical Focus podcast is to introduce you and to help you…
Tchaikovsky was the first of the well-known Russian composers, and he was trained in the Western style. So this piece is one of the greats of classical Music’s Romantic Era. Wikipedia contains a brief analysis of the piece here. A more detailed, interesting analysis can be found at Tonic Chord here. The purpose of the…
Beethoven’s Middle Period saw the writing of many sonatas for piano, and this is probably one of the greatest. Wikipedia contains a brief analysis of the piece here. A more detailed, interesting analysis can be found at Tonic Chord here. The purpose of the Classical Focus podcast is to introduce you and to help you…
Bach’s Cantata MWV 147 – Heart and Mouth and Deed and Life – demonstrates the composer’s use of counterpoint, harmony, and motif. But most of all, it is illustrative of Johann Sebastian Bach’s intensely strong Christian faith. The purpose of the Classical Focus podcast is to introduce you and to help you enjoy classical music.…
The first movement of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony is an iconic masterpiece. Instantly recognizable, listening to it will help us follow the classical music ideas of motif and sonata form. The purpose of the Classical Focus podcast is to introduce you and to help you enjoy classical music. If you like my podcasts, please support me on SubscribeStar,…
The first proper episode of Classical Focus features the Air, movement V from Handel’s Water Music Suite 1 in F major. The purpose of the Classical Focus podcast is to introduce you and to help you enjoy classical music. If you like my podcasts, please support me on SubscribeStar, where you will also be able…
The purpose of the Classical Focus podcast is to introduce you and to help you enjoy classical music. Here are some of the pieces we will listen to in the series. If you like my podcasts, please support me on SubscribeStar, where you will also be able to listen to my pay-to-listen podcast, My World.
