151. An unbeaten 50 of flair and panache! Haydn, Symphony No.50
Always entertaining the crowds, Haydn brings up his 50 with typical style (before settling down for 50 more symphonies). Not a famous piece but well worth a listen! (27 mins)… Listen
149. Keeping us fresh since 1784: Haydn, Piano trio No.19
Meeting his boss’s insatiable desire for new content ‘forced’ [his word] Joseph Haydn to write original, inventive music that sounds as fresh and full of life today as when it was written. And he wrote so much great music that I only heard this piano trio for the first time this week – and it’s wonderful stuff. Listening time 19 mins.… 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
122. The height of passion? Haydn, Symphony No.49
It’s not about that sort of passion, but this symphony La Passione is intense, dark, thrilling, and one of Haydn’s best! Listening time c30 minutes (podcast 5.5′, music 23′)… Listen
99. Heaven is a place on earth: Mahler, Symphony No.4
For ep99, I wanted to explore something deeply personal. Mahler’s Symphony No.4 is one of the first pieces I discovered for myself and it moves me like very little else. Sometimes pained, sometimes playful, but most often sublime, the third movement takes you all the way to heaven, just by opening your heart. Listening time 33 mins … Listen
