69 episodes

Join the National Arts Centre Orchestra's Marjolaine Fournier and one Canada's foremost music journalists, Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer, as they explore the symphonic form from Haydn to Shostakovich

Explore the Symphony Canada's National Arts Centre

    • Music
    • 4.6 • 71 Ratings

Join the National Arts Centre Orchestra's Marjolaine Fournier and one Canada's foremost music journalists, Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer, as they explore the symphonic form from Haydn to Shostakovich

    Carl Nielsen’s De fire Temperamenter

    Carl Nielsen’s De fire Temperamenter

    Jean-Jacques Van Vlasselaer and Marjolaine Fournier study The Four Temperaments, the second symphony by Carl Nielsen. The hosts find this Danish composer a little enigmatic and difficult to reach. They explore the world around him at the time of this composition, and talk about his music in that context. Find out how he lived his life, allowed his wife to pursue a career, and gave orchestral musicians a little something to talk about.

    Music Excerpts:

    NIELSON Symphony No. 2 The Four Temperaments II. Allegro comodo e flammatico

    Danish National Radio Symphony


    Nielsen: Commotio, Op. 58, FS 155

    Organ Recital: John, Keith

    • 51 min
    Mozart and Religion

    Mozart and Religion

    Marjolaine Fournier and Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer discuss the role of religion in Mozart’s life and music. This in depth conversation focuses on Mozart’s Mass in C Minor and its beautiful celebration of universality that lead the way towards 18th-century romanticism.

    • 57 min
    Edvard Grieg

    Edvard Grieg

    Marjolaine Fournier and Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer describe the music of Edvard Grieg’s Peer Gynt, his A minor Piano Concerto, and his C minor Symphony. His music, his melodies and his small works for piano are simply perfect. Can you believe that his symphony, composed in 1864 when Grieg was only 21, was played in 1981 for the first time? Listen to this podcast to learn more about why his Piano Concerto is his greatest work, and what influenced his composition style.

    • 1 hr 1 min
    Béla Bartók and Witold Lutosławski

    Béla Bartók and Witold Lutosławski

    Marjolaine Fournier and Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer talk about two Concertos for orchestra: one by Béla Bartók and the other by Witold Lutosławski. They take a moment to explain the format of a concerto for orchestra (what do you mean, a concerto without a soloist?), and the dialog that develops within the orchestra performing it. Bartók and Lutosławski, who lived concurrently but in different contexts, composed two completely different and marvellous works.

    • 55 min
    Verdi’s Requiem

    Verdi’s Requiem

    Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer and Marjolaine Fournier discuss Verdi’s Requiem, first performed in Milan in 1874. The text for this was written in about 1250, when a requiem was meant to be music to sustain the mass of the death. Our hosts uncover some history about the evolution of requiem works and their cultural significance, and shed light on Verdi’s atheist and anti-clerical views had a role in taking the requiem into the concert hall.

    • 56 min
    Claude Vivier

    Claude Vivier

    Marjolaine Fournier and Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer discuss the masterful Claude Vivier, composer from Québec. His music, which can be characterized as “beautiful, immense, tragic, inspiring,” is celebrated and heard regularly in France, Germany, Holland and Austria. Lonely Child will be featured during the NAC Orchestra’s tour in Europe in May 2019.

    • 48 min

Customer Reviews

4.6 out of 5
71 Ratings

71 Ratings

Bahsjsievfufotj ,

Love the conversation, favorite classical music pod

Would love it if the two hosts give suggestions to recordings for every piece.

sofieindie ,

Love this podcast

I never missed one episode. The two elegant and passionate hosts give all they have to the audience, their love for music and life is hugely appreciated.

az01 ,

Amazing

A breath of fresh air.

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