The Music Listening Project The Music Listening Project

First impressions of Liszt's symphonic poem, "Les Preludes:" the story of development.

Mark talks about the paradoxical relationship between the piano and orchestra in the opening movement of Brahms' 2nd piano concerto.

This is a podcast I created for a course I teach in music. In it I explore what sets the Beatles apart from their contemporaries in their first no. 1 hit.

I made this podcast for my "musical pioneers" class at Humber College. In it I compare Herman Junior Parker's original song, Mystery Train, released in 1953 with Presley's version released in 1955.

Mark is joined by Matthew, conductor of the EPO, to discuss musical development in the 1st movement of Shostakovich's 10th symphony: the composer's treatment of "dance," the conversation between simultaneous musical lines and the way the composer transforms melodies.

In his 1812 overture, Tchaikovsky tells the story of Napoleon's advance to, and retreat from Moscow, and the final victory of the Russians. He uses hymns, national anthems and folk songs to represent the main events. Mark asks whether it is the story that makes this music so compelling or the development of the musical materials themselves.