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The Music Listening Project

by The Music Listening Project

In these podcasts I talk to musicians and listeners about what they are hearing in the music that touches and moves them.

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Episodes

  1. Lyric for Strings – George Walker

    In this episode, I listen to the African American composer's Lyric for strings and think about the difference between music that evokes emotions and music that works through them.

  2. Joy and Learning in Brahms' Second Symphony

    Brahms' second symphony is, as commentators agree, "serene, full of warmth, and brimming with optimism." The philosopher, Roger Scruton, writes that great music does not simply express a state - serenity, warmth, optimism – it interrogates it. In this podcast I explore his idea, and its – and the...

  3. A passion for life: Dvorak's cello concerto

    In this podcast I explore the idea that Dvorak redeems the problems of life – specifically the problem of his homesickness for Czechoslovakia – not by solving them but by turning them into music.

  4. What's the deal with Mozart's Jupiter symphony?

    Commentators seem unable to praise the Finale of Mozart's 41st symphony enough, containing, "they say," the greatest 30 seconds of music ever written. I thought I'd work out why – and I'm not so sure I agree.

  5. In Dulci Jubilo

    In this podcast I explore the relationship of carols to the magic of Christmas.

  6. Hely-Hutchinson's Carol Symphony

    When I first rehearsed this music I could make no sense of it! So I made a podcast. Now I find parts of the Carol Symphony quite moving.

  7. Mahler's First Symphony – Movement 1

    Journey to "where no [person] has gone before" or an early morning walk? Chamber music or symphony of gigantic proportions? Mark and Matthew listen to key moments from a work haunted by themes of joy, unrequited love and death.

  8. Louise Farrenc's 2nd Symphony

    Matthew and Mark discover the classical in the romantic.

  9. Brahms Violin Concerto

    Mark and Matthew listen to the first movement of Brahms' violin concerto and discover that, at heart, its depth and richness lies in the organic development of simple, musical ideas.

  10. The Italian Symphony – Mendelssohn

    The opening pizzicato – the cork pops on a bottle of Prosecco – the brilliant Italian sunshine reveals the exquisite detail of Mendelssohn's mastery.

  11. Beethoven's Symphony No. 7, 1st Movement

    Mark listens to the first movement of Beethoven 7th Symphony with the conductor, Matthew Jones. What does it mean to hear a work for the first time?

  12. What's going on at the beginning of the last movement of Beethoven's Ninth?

    In this podcast, I unpack the narrative that forms the opening of the Ninth Symphony's Finale, as Beethoven searches for "joyful sounds," a tune we can all sing – the Ode to Joy.

  13. A sublime slow movement: Beethoven A minor Quartet, No. 15

    The slow movement of the A minor quartet is profound–but somehow difficult to discover without careful listening.

  14. Schubert and broken hearted lovers, a "Winter's Journey"

    In this podcast, I explore ways in which Schubert uses music in the first song of his cycle, "Winter's Journey," to give the lyrics an angle, rather like a film score gives a scene an angle. The singer is Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau with Gerald Moore on the Piano.

  15. Dylan Goes Electric

    This is a podcast produced for a music class at Humber College. It speaks to Bob Dylan's switch, in Bringing It All Back Home, from purely acoustic instruments to the introduction of the electric guitar: from folk to folk rock.

  16. Liszt's "Les Preludes"

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

  17. Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2

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

  18. Please Please Me: what makes the Beatles different

    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.

  19. Elvis's Mystery Train: Cover or New Song?

    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.

  20. Shostakovich's 10th Symphony

    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.

  21. Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture

    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...

  22. Bach, the baroque and the bass line

    This podcast was recorded for a music appreciation class for non musicians at Humber college. In line with the Etobicoke Philharmonic Orchestra's upcoming "discovery" concert, it locates the baroque period in the broad history of western art music and focuses on Bach's "Erbarme Dich" from the St....

  23. Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 4

    Some thoughts on the driving rhythm and interweaving motives of Bach's 4th Brandenburg Concerto.

  24. White Christmas Time (the good and the . . . well, not so good)

    In a departure from the western art music genre, Mark contemplates the depth (or not) of Paul McCartney's "Wonderful Christmas Time" and Otis Redding's "White Christmas."

  25. Elgar's Enigma Variations

    Mark Listens to Edward Elgar's Enigma Variations, tracing its connection to Hans Zimmer's soundtrack to Dunkirk

  26. Stravinsky Firebird Suite (1919)

    Mark listens with Matthew to Stravinsky's Firebird suite and discovers how Stravinsky creates a musical image of the story presented in dance

  27. Brahms Sextet in Bb major

    Mark listens with violist Lea Kerstein, member of the folk-pop duo, Citizen Jane, to the first movement of Brahms' wonderful Bb major sextet op. 18, played here by the Stuttgart Soloists.

  28. Wagner's Prelude to Tristan and Isolde

    Mark and Mark discuss the nature of irresolvable desire and the famous "Tristan Chord" in Wagner's Prelude with the assistance of Wilhlem Fürtwangler and the Philharmonia's 1955 recording.

  29. Mahler 4 – the final movement

    Mark listens together with the Canadian soprano, Betty Waynne Allison, to Bernstein's 1960 performance of the final movement of Mahler's fourth symphony (soprano Reri Grist) and reflects on the way Mahler paints a pastoral, yet disturbing, picture of a "child's view of heaven."

  30. Mahler's Fourth Symphony, Movement 1

    Mark and Matthew listen to The Philharmonia's 1957 recording of the first movement of Mahler's 4th symphony, conducted by Paul Kletzki, discovering the tension between the grace, beauty and simplicity of its dancelike themes and the metronomic insistence of its accompanying motives.

  31. The fourth movement of Brahms 3rd Symphony

    Mark listens with Professor Brady Polka to Brahms' third symphony and learns about Brahms' ability to evoke both a sense of completeness and continual development.

  32. Schumann's Piano Concerto

    Mark listens to Rudolf Serkin's performance of Schumann's piano concerto in A minor, together with the renowned Canadian concert pianist, Arthur Ozolins.

  33. Brahms' 3rd Symphony

    Mark listens to Klemperer's recording of the first movement of Brahms' 3rd Symphony together with Matthew Jones, conductor of the Etobicoke Philharmonic, focussing on the composer's use of rhythmic displacement and resolution

  34. Mozart's D minor Piano Concerto

    Mark and Mark listen to the opening of Mozart's D minor piano concerto recorded by Jan Lisiecki, Christian Zacharias and the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks

  35. Prokofiev's Lieutenant Kîjé

    Mark and Matthew discuss Prokofiev's music, written to illustrate the strange tale of the fictional Lieutenant in Tzar Paul 1st's court – one of the first movie soundtracks.

  36. Vivaldi's Winter

    Mark and Mark listen closely to a recording of the first movement of Vivaldi's concerto, Winter, from "The Four Seasons" with Alan Loveday (violin) and The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, conducted by Neville Marriner. They compare it, briefly, to a recording by a British ensemble, Red Priest.

  37. Sibelius's Violin Concerto

    EPO concertmaster Mark Whale, listens with fellow Humber Professor, Mark Reczkiewicz, to part of the first movement of the Finnish composer, Jean Sibelius's violin concerto in D minor.

  38. Dvorak Symphony No. 8 in G major

    Mark listens together with the EPO's new conductor, Matthew Jones, to a recording by the Baltimore Symphony orchestra and Marin Alsop.

  39. Beethoven's Eroica Symphony

    Was Beethoven a revolutionary? Mark Whale and Matthew Jones, the Etobicoke Philharmonic Orchestra's conductor, listen closely to Beethoven's Eroica symphony to try to discover what the composer's revolution was.

  40. Tuttifantchen

    Mark and Mark talk about Paul Hindemith's incidental music to the Christmas fairy tale, nutcracker-like, Tuttifantchen.

  41. Sleigh Bells

    Join Mark and Jeff, the EPO's percussionist, in an intriguing discussion about the use of sleigh bells in the sleigh rides of Mozart, Delius and Anderson.

  42. Talking about Stevie Wonder's "Sir Duke"

    In this podcast, I talk to my brother, musician and teacher Rob Whale, about what it is that makes Stevie Wonder's song, "Sir Duke" at once "popular" and original. Transcript https://docs.google.com/document/d/13SieJvJg4R3cvJt9Cu7nodx_taPd0cYp36c4xfLFbuk/edit?usp=sharing

  43. Why is Bach's St. Matthew Passion relevant today?

    In this short podcast I listen to opening music of Bach's St. Matthew Passion, performed by John Eliot Gardiner and the Monteverdi Choir with the English Baroque Soloist, and offer one possible answer to the question of why a piece written in German, 300 years ago, in celebration of Christianity,...

  44. Jonathan Crow on Walton and Heifetz

    Jonathan Crow, concertmaster of the TSO, listens with me to Heifetz's recording of Walton's violin concerto and shares his insight into the connection between the composition and Heifetz's distinctive sound.

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ABOUT THIS SHOW

In these podcasts I talk to musicians and listeners about what they are hearing in the music that touches and moves them.

HOSTED BY

The Music Listening Project

CATEGORIES

arts

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does The Music Listening Project have?

The Music Listening Project currently has 44 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.

What is The Music Listening Project about?

In these podcasts I talk to musicians and listeners about what they are hearing in the music that touches and moves them.

How often does The Music Listening Project release new episodes?

The Music Listening Project has 44 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.

Where can I listen to The Music Listening Project?

You can listen to The Music Listening Project on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.

Who hosts The Music Listening Project?

The Music Listening Project is created and hosted by The Music Listening Project.
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