logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2021
58m 12s

Bruckner Symphony No. 7

JOSHUA WEILERSTEIN
About this episode

With the rise of Wagner, the symphony seemed to be left for dead. But one composer in particular, Anton Bruckner, decided to take the plunge back into the symphonic genre, though he did it with a markedly Wagnerian touch. His most popular symphony? The 7th. We'll talk about the connection between Wagner and Bruckner throughout the show, but we'll also explore Bruckner's distinctive orchestral sound, and how his music seems destined to be performed in a cathedral, always looking up into the sky in wonder.

Up next
Oct 15
Chopin Piano Sonata No. 2 (The One With the Funeral March)
When the great pianist and composer Frederic Chopin decided to write a piano sonata in 1837, fashions had turned against the genre itself. Perhaps it was a feeling that Beethoven had essentially "finished" the genre, or perhaps it was a sense that a non-Germanic composer couldn't ... Show More
53m 4s
Oct 1
Gerald Finzi: Dies Natalis
As I've often said, I love doing Patreon-sponsored episodes in part because they allow me to discover music I might never have encountered otherwise. Today's episode is one of those, because the truth is that before I made it, I had heard of Finzi, but that was about it. I knew n ... Show More
51m 35s
Sep 17
Shostakovich Symphony No. 6
Dmitri Shostakovich: "I have set myself a task fraught with tremendous responsibility, to express in sound the immortal image of Lenin as a great son of the Russian people and as a leader of the masses. I have received numerous letters from all over the Soviet Union with regard t ... Show More
1h 2m
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2015
Symphony No. 2: Desperation and Determination
Ludwig van Beethoven's Second Symphony came at a pivot point in his life. Musically, the composer moved toward the more epic, revolutionary style that would define his later symphonies. Personally, Beethoven sank into despair as his hearing loss worsened. 
14m 48s
Nov 2015
Symphony No. 7: Rhythm And Restlessness
Ludwig van Beethoven's Seventh Symphony pulses with rhythmic invention. The reliance on the beat gives the piece an immediacy that rivals the music in any of Beethoven's symphonies. 
14m 9s
Nov 2018
Sergei Rachmaninoff, Chapter 8: A Stunning Finale
When the urge to compose finally struck again, Rachmaninoff took a little theme by Nicolo Paganini and turned it into a tour de force for the piano and orchestra, called Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. In this final episode of the Great Composers series on Rachmaninoff, we also ... Show More
33m 34s
Nov 2015
Symphony No. 8: A Musical Look Back
A fun, almost comical, moment before Beethoven stepped away from the symphony for a decade and wrote his ultimate triumph. 
15m 56s
Oct 2015
Symphony No. 3: Dedicated To ‘The Memory Of A Great Man’
With the "Eroica," Ludwig van Beethoven expanded the idea of what a symphony could be. The man who helped inspire the symphony? Napoleon Bonaparte. 
17m 57s
May 2023
Chamber Music Month
Works include: Schumann's Violin Sonata #1, Bach's Brandenburg Concerto #2, Brahms' Horn Trio, Vivaldi's Cello Sonata #1 and Varese's Ionization. 
40m 36s
Sep 2020
THE 5TH — MOVEMENT IV, What Beethoven Would Have Wanted
When we listen closely to the Fifth, we hear a testament to self-expression and determination. Which means that we get to decide how to honor this symphony today, whether that means taking a break from Beethoven to commission new works from underrepresented composers, bringing ne ... Show More
30m 23s
Sep 2020
THE 5TH — MOVEMENT II, From Struggle to Victory
In the first movement of his famous symphony, Beethoven sets up a battle between hope and despair. The dark side of that spectrum is represented by the anguished opening notes of the first movement: DUN DUN DUNNN. Over the course of the next three movements, Beethoven keeps tryin ... Show More
27m 4s