How to ListenEpisodes Episode guide
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Schumann and Beethoven
Mark Lowther explores a piano concerto by Robert Schumann and Beethoven's 7th Symphony
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Proms - The Fairy's Kiss and The Chairman Dances
Mark Lowther discusses two pieces performed at the 2005 Proms
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Proms - Symphonies Explored
Presenter Mark Lowther guides us through some of the music at this year's Proms
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The Rock Stars of Classical Music
How the concerto helps to bring out the inner rock star of soloist musicians
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The Prolific Gioachino Antonio Rossini
Why composer Gioachino Antonio Rossini decided to retire at the age of 37
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Power and Subtlety - The Work Of Maurice Ravel
The life and work of the French composer Maurice Ravel
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In Words - Mahler's Eighth Symphony
An attempt to describe Gustav Mahler's Eighth Symphony
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The String Section
The use of orchestral string instruments is explored
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Brahms Concerto No. 2
An examination of Brahms Concerto No. 2
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Exoticism - Ravel and Stravinsky
The influence of oriental culture on classical music
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Synthonic Music Explained
Two examples of masterpieces on a synthonic scale
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Tchaikovsky and How to Distinguish Instruments
How Tchaikovsky's Souvenir de Florence exemplifies instrumental minimalism
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Music Inspired by Pelleas and Melisande
How the play Pelleas and Melisande inspired several composers
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French Impressionism and Music
Debussy was considered to be the sound of French impressionism
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Composers and the Countryside
How the countryside and the rural ideal has inspired composers
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Musical Classification Explained
A discussion of whether it is possible to categorise or 'classify' music
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Strauss - Four Last Songs
The work of Richard Strauss and the first aired recording of his Four Last Songs
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Russian Orthodox Easter Music
How music is used to celebrate Easter in the Orthodox Christian Church
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Hearing or Listening?
An examination of the difference between hearing and listening
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Music from the Last Night of The Proms
A look at three pieces of music that are always played on the last night of The Proms
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The Work of Leos Janacek
The life and work of Czech composer Leos Janacek, whose music had a truly unique sound
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Beethoven's Piano Concerto No 4
Why Beethoven's Piano Concerto No 4 is a unique piece of work
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The Symphony as a Story
How a symphony can be used to tell a story
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The Concerto
The concerto, which features a solo instrument and an orchestra
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Classical Beginnings
How the tone is set in classical music
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Dvorak - Cello Concerto
How to appreciate the romantic theme of Dvorak`s Cello Concerto
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Stravinsky - Octet
How Igor Stravisky's Octet was inspired by a dream he had
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Bach - the Improver
How Bach managed to improve and refine existing pieces of music
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Beethoven's 8th Symphony
How to approach Beethoven's 8th Symphony
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What is Classical Music?
How we define the use of the word classical in music
