Episodes
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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...
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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.
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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…
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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...
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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…
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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...
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Brahms’ and Schumann’s first symphonies
Marjolaine Fournier and Jean Jacques van Vlasselaer compare Brahms’ and Schumann’s first symphonies. They explore the relationships between the two composers and Clara Wieck. Schumann was alive in an extraordinary and explosive decade, Clara was nine years younger and a remarkable pianist, and...
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Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem
Marjolaine Fournier and Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer discuss Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem. How much do you know about Benjamin Britten? There is fury in this composition. Where does it come from? Pacifism started in the 20th century, and Britten is a member of this movement. War is morally...
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Schubert's Ninth Symphony
John Storgårds will conduct the NAC Orchestra on October 10 and 11, 2018, in their performance of Schubert’s ninth and final symphony. Marjolaine Fournier, NACO double bassist, and Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer, musicologist, explore this work and uncover that Schubert never heard it performed in…
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You don’t have to be a music-lover to love Beethoven
Marjolaine Fournier and Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer prepare us for the Festival Focus 2018 featuring all nine Beethoven symphonies. Did he really invent the boogie-woogie? Beethoven offered so much variety within his symphonies, and as a genius, is a guiding light. Concert halls continue to be...
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Anton Bruckner’s eighth symphony with the TSO
Bruckner scholars seem to focus on psychoanalysis rather than closing their eyes and listening to the music. To listen to Anton Bruckner’s eighth symphony is to listen to the summit of his music. The Toronto Symphony Orchestra performs this work with conductor Peter Oundjian on May 7, 2018.…
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Kaija Saariaho, Violin Concerto Graal théâtre
Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer and Marjolaine Fournier talk about Saariaho’s violin concerto which was featured as part of the 2017 Ideas of North festival produced by the NAC Orchestra. Saariaho is seen as a wonderful and intriguing contemporary composer who will stand the test of time, with master...
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Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade
This work opens many doors to wonderful and exciting musical study. It is a fine example of Orientalism and our perception of “the other”. Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer and Marjolaine Fournier talk about who Rimsky-Korsakov was, his 19th-century influences from Mendelssohn to Wagner, and his...
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Shostakovich Violin Concerto No 1 in A minor Op 77
Your hosts Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer and Marjolaine Fournier talk about Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 77, which will be performed by Guy Braunstein with the NAC Orchestra in January 2018. This work in four movements is technically and emotionally challenging for the...
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Sibelius’ Symphonic Poems
Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer and Marjolaine Fournier present part two of their 2017-2018 podcasts on Sibelius. In this episode, hear them trace the trajectory of Sibelius’ six symphonic poems, all performed by the NAC Orchestra during the 2017 Ideas of North festival. Composed between 1896 and…
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Jean Sibelius' First Symphony
Jean Sibelius , born Johan Julius Christian Sibelius, was a Finnish composer and violinist of the late Romantic and early-modern periods. He is widely recognized as his country's greatest composer and, through his music, is often credited with having helped Finland to develop a national identity...
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Harry Somers - Louis Riel
The story of the polarizing Métis leader and Canada’s westward expansion is told in this landmark work. Composed by Harry Somers for our nation’s centennial in 1967, this uniquely Canadian contribution to the opera world is returning on the work’s 50th anniversary, and will help mark the 150th...
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Sibelius' Majestic 2nd and 6th Symphonies
Jean Sibelius, born Johan Julius Christian Sibelius (8 December 1865 – 20 September 1957), was a Finnish composer and violinist of the late Romantic and early-modern periods. He is widely recognized as his country's greatest composer and, through his music, is often credited with having helped...
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Robert and Clara: The whirlwind love affair of Robert Alexander Schumann and Clara Josephine Wieck
Robert Schumann[1] (8 June 1810 – 29 July 1856) was a German composer and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career as a virtuoso pianist. He had been assured by his teacher...
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Richard Strauss - Also sprach Zarathustra
Richard Georg Strauss (11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a leading German composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras. He is known for his operas, which include Der Rosenkavalier, Elektra, Die Frau ohne Schatten and Salome; his Lieder, especially his Four Last Songs; his tone poems,...
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Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky: Pulcinella
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential composers of the 20th century. Pulcinella is a ballet by Igor Stravinsky based on an 18th-century play—Pulcinella is a character originating from Commedia...
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Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Symphonies no. 5 & 6
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was a Russian composer of the late-Romantic period, some of whose works are among the most popular music in the classical repertoire. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally, bolstered by his appearances as a guest conductor...
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Wilhelm Richard Wagner: Tristan und Isolde
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is primarily known for his operas. Unlike most opera composers, Wagner wrote both the libretto and the music for each of his stage works. Initially establishing his reputation as a composer of works in…
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Erich Wolfgang Korngold: The Man Who Changed Movie Scores Forever
"Treating each film as an 'opera without singing' (each character has his or her own leitmotif) Korngold created intensely romantic, richly melodic and contrapuntally intricate scores, the best of which are a cinematic paradigm for the tone poems of Richard Strauss and Franz Liszt. He intended...
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The Music of George Gershwin
By far the bulk of Gershwin’s output is devoted to songs – more than five hundred of them, most of which come from his more than four dozen works for the musical stage. Two of these stage works are operas – the short Blue Monday Blues and the full-length Porgy and Bess. Gershwin also wrote music...
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Episode 43: Mahler Symphony No. 4
In the first of the 2015-16 season's "Explore the Symphony" podcasts, the NAC Orchestra's assistant principal double bass Marjolaine Fournier and one of Canada's foremost music journalists Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer discuss Mahler's Symphony No. 4.
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Episode 42: Anton Bruckner and his Ninth Symphony
Words like “epic” and “timeless” are regularly applied to Bruckner symphonies. They have a pace of their own. But let yourself get in synch with their pulse, and you’ll be richly rewarded. The Ninth inspires awe, as its sweeping score unfolds, rising—like spires of a grand cathedral—to God.
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Episode 41: Maurice Ravel and his two Piano Concertos
Join Marjolaine Fournier and Jean-Jacques Van Vlasselaer for an intriguing look into Maurice Ravel's life and his two piano concertos.
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Episode 40: Jean-Marie Beaudet, founding father of the NAC Orchestra
A conversation with Josée Beaudet, the author of Jean-Marie Beaudet, l'homme orchestre. Beaudet was the very first music director at the NAC - he founded the orchestra, secured its first conductor, concertmaster and new members, and then quietly disappeared.
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Episode 39: Schumann and the Rhine
Marjolaine and Jean-Jacques reveal Schumann's relationship with the Rhine.
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Episode 38: Brahms' Symphonies
In this week’s Explore the Symphony, Marjolaine and Jean-Jacques dig into not one, but all four of Brahms’ symphonies! Musical Excerpt: NAC Orchestra Brahms, Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68 Performance date: March 09, 1988 Date composed: 1876 Listen to the entire piece at: nacmusicbox.ca
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Episode 37: Hindemith
In this episode of Explore the Symphony, Marjolaine and Jean-Jacques discuss Symphonic Metamorphoses of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber by Paul Hindemith. Musical excerpts: Symphonic Metamorphoses on Themes of Carl Maria von Weber by Paul Hindemith performed by the NAC Orchestra on April 5, 1995....
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Episode 36: Shakespeare
In this Explore the Symphony, Marjolaine Fournier and Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer talk about Shakespeare, Nicolai, Korngold and Mendelssohn.
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Episode 35: Fauré
In this episode, Marjolaine and Jean-Jacques delve into Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem, once called, “a lullaby of death” and “a Requiem without the Last Judgment” for its gentle nature and sublime choral writing.
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Episode 34: Schoenberg
In this Explore the Symphony, Marjolaine Fournier and Jeans-Jacques van Vlasselaer talk about the life of Arnold Schoenberg and his string sextet, Verklärte Nacht.
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Episode 33: Bruckner (Symphony no. 2)
Today on Explore the Symphony Marjolaine and Jeans-Jacques discuss Anton Bruckner and his second symphony.
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Episode 32: Shostakovich and his 10th Symphony
Marjolaine and Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer sit down and discuss Dmitri Shostakovich and his 10th Symphony.
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Episode 31: Hector Belioz
Marjolaine and Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer sit down and discuss Hector Berlioz and his Symphonie Fantastique.
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Episode 30: Richard Strauss
Marjolaine Fournier and Dr. Jean-Jacques Van Vlasselaer dive into the 2013-2014 season with Richard Strauss. They discuss his life, and focus on "Also Sprach Zarathustra", and the suites from "Der Rosenkavalier" and "Die schweigsame Frau".
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Episode 29: Sibelius
Marjolaine Fournier and Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer discuss Jean Sibelius, his life, his struggle with depression, alcoholism, and his 3rd Symphony.
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Episode 28: Shostakovich
Marjolaine and Jeans-Jacques discuss Shostakovich, his life in the Soviet Union, and his 9th Symphony.
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Episode 22: Sibelius Symphony No. 4
Jean-Jacques and Marjolaine give Sibelius's Symphony no. 4 the, "Explore the Symphony" treatment.
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Episode 23: Prokofiev's Alexander Nevsky
Marjolaine Fournier and Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer discuss Prokofiev's stirring score, Alexander Nevsky. It was composed for Sergey Eisenstein's 1938 cinematic thriller and stands as a spectacular masterpiece for chorus and orchestra.
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Episode 24: Dmitri Shostakovich
Marjolaine Fournier and Jean-Jacques Van Vlasselaer discuss Dmitri Shostakovich's life, from growing up in Saint Petersburg to political manoeuvrings in Stalin's Russia. Marjolaine and Jean-Jacques focus on his first symphony, which he wrote at the age of nineteen as a graduation piece for the...
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Episode 25: Carmina Burana
Marjolaine and Jeans-Jacques explore Carl Orff; his life in early 20th century Germany and his seminal work, Carmina Burana.
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Episode 27: Schumann
In this episode, Marjolaine and Jean-Jacques talk about Robert Schumann's life leading up to the creation of his second symphony.
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Episode 26: Elgar
In this Explore the Symphony, Marjolaine Fournier and Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer talk about a truly singular Symphonic composer -- Edward Elgar -- THE shining star of British music, who's life spanned the era of romantic and post-romantic music while keeping his style completely his own.
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Episode 21: Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4
The first of the 2011-12 season's "Explore the Symphony" podcasts examines the 4th Symphony of Tchaikovsky. From the quiet plucking of the strings to the bombastic brass in the finale, Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony, declared “semi-barbaric” by the New York Post in 1890, will leave you breathless.
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Episode 20: The NAC Orchestra and Brahms’s final symphonies
The third of the 2010-11 season's "Explore the Symphony" podcasts examines the 3rd and 4th Symphonies of Johannes Brahms. In this podcast, the NAC Orchestra's assistant principal double bass Marjolaine Fournier and one of Canada's foremost music journalists, Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer, discuss...
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Episode 19: The NAC Orchestra and Felix Mendelssohn
The second of the 2010-11 season's "Explore the Symphony" podcasts examines the short life and remarkable career of German composer Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847), one of the most popular composers of the Romantic era. In this podcast, the NAC Orchestra's assistant principal double bass Marjolaine...