Wishing you a very Cacophonous Christmas, everyone!
A selection of Cacophony episodes featuring a mix of the explicitly Christmas and a bit of fairytale ballet action… Listen
Not the World Cup of (largely) classical music!
During the 2022 men’s Football World Cup I ran a thing that looked simple but was actually a bit epic: Each team in each game of round one of the football World Cup represented by a short piece of music … Listen
133. A woman on the money: Clara Schumann, Piano Trio
Urbane sophistication mixes with poetry and drama in Clara Schumann’s Piano Trio, her biggest piece from a small catalogue of great music. Better known in recent times as the wife of Robert Schumann, it was Clara who was an international star as the leading pianist of their day. It was composing, though, that brought her the greatest joy and her music is full of deep inspiration and honesty. Listening time … Listen
132. The strange disappearence of Emilie Mayer: Mayer, Symphony no.7
Brand new old music in this episode: a great forgotten symphony by a composer forgotten for around 150 years, Emilie Mayer. It’s memorable, tuneful and inventive – a real discovery! Listening time 48’… Listen
Spine-tinglers for Halloween
They say the devil gets all the best tunes. If you’re looking for music at the scarier/ creepier/ spine-tingling end of the spectrum here are the episodes for you!… Listen
131. Into the woods: Weber, Der Freishütz overture
Terror, excitement and delight – all there in handfuls as Carl Maria von Weber takes us into the depths of the forest for a folk tale of magic, sorcery, love, good and evil. One of my long time favourites and a brave new world for German opera in Der Fresichütz (“The Free-shooter”). Are you brave enough to go down to the woods today? Listening time, 20mins… Listen
130. Talking about a revolution: Webern, Six Pieces for orchestra
At a time when everything seemed on the brink and the old ways no longer looked fit for purpose, Anton Webern was part of a musical revolution – giving us new ways of hearing music and seeing the world. His six pieces for large orchestra are. Whole worlds compressed into a few minutes of bleak beauty, terrifying dissonance and even more disturbing silence. It’s compelling. Listening time 22mins… Listen
129. Hitting the sweet spot at sixteen: Mozart, Divertimento K.136
Mozart’s music is brilliant, right? Even people who claim to know nothing about music say that. Well, it’s true! In this Divertimento the 16 year-old Mozart really hits the spot with a piece of perfection, delight and joie de vivre. Listening time 20mins… Listen
The energy boosters: setting you up for the day
I thought I’d gather together some Cacophony episodes on some loose themes to make things easier to find. Here are some episodes featuring pieces that always get me going or put a spring in my step, they help cement a good mood …and sometimes help me find one! … Listen