logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2024
46m 31s

Fast, Furious, Fortissimo

JOSHUA WEILERSTEIN
About this episode

Very often, when I tell people that I’m a classical musician, I am told, “wow, I love classical music! It’s so relaxing!” I think almost all classical musicians have heard that before, and you know what? Sometimes, it’s true! Classical music can be relaxing! But sometimes, and actually pretty often, classical music is NOT relaxing. It is exciting, emotional, passionate, and can make your heart race!  Don’t believe me? Today's show is all about proving that to you. I'm going to share with you some of the most thrilling, powerful,  and well, some of hte loudest music in the history of classical music. I should say SOME OF, because what we are going to play for you today is absolutely not an exhautive list. If you like what you hear today, there is so much more where that came from. What we’re going to do today is to take you through a kind of musical time machine of fast and furious symphonic music, trying to cover as many different styles and eras of classical music as possible.

NOTE: What will appear on the podcast feed is a shortened version of a full live concert I did with the Aalborg Symphony a few weeks ago. I highly recommend listening to that version as well, which features full length performances of many of the pieces I'm talking about on the show. You can find that here:

https://www.dr.dk/lyd/p2/p2-koncerten/p2-koncerten-2024/p2-koncerten-fuld-pedal-det-er-vildt-det-er-hoejt-det-er-weilersteins-stoerste-hits-12422443145

Enjoy!

Up next
Aug 22
Sticky Notes meets You'll Hear It
I had such a wonderful time joining the jazz podcast You'll Hear It! We talked about the meeting of jazz and classical music, a topic I've explored before, but never in this much depth and never with so much input from jazz musicians and experts like Peter Martin and Adam Maness. ... Show More
1h 10m
Mar 2025
Amy Beach, "Gaelic" Symphony
Amy Beach is a name that might not be familiar to you. She was born in 1867 and died in 1944, and her life was one of the most fascinating and varied in musical history. She was a child prodigy, became a successful pianist, and then pivoted to composing at her husband’s request. ... Show More
1 h
Feb 2025
Sticky Notes en Français! Shostakovich Symphonie No. 13 (Bonus Episode)
Voici un épisode bonus spécial de Sticky Notes en français, en avant-première de mes concerts avec l'Orchestre National de Lille, présentant la 13e symphonie de Shostakovich. Si vous souhaitez écouter la version anglaise de cet épisode, elle est disponible dans les archives. Je m ... Show More
1h 10m
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2023
Relaxing Piano Playlist Series 1 Episode 8
Feeling stressed? Need to unwind? Then how about some gentle relaxing music for you to ease into. Come and join me as your host, James Quinn as I take you through some wonderful music as I play for you on my own piano ranging from Bach, Mozart, Chopin and more.  In this episode I ... Show More
25m 40s
Sep 2023
Relaxing Piano Playlist Series 1 Episode 7
Feeling stressed? Need to unwind? Then how about some gentle relaxing music for you to ease into. Come and join me as your host, James Quinn as I take you through some wonderful music as I play for you on my own piano ranging from Bach, Mozart, Chopin and more. In this episode I ... Show More
37m 6s
Aug 2023
Relaxing Piano Playlist Series 1 Episode 6
Feeling stressed? Need to unwind? Then how about some gentle relaxing music for you to ease into. Come and join me as your host, James Quinn as I take you through some wonderful music as I play for you on my own piano ranging from Bach, Mozart, Chopin and more. In this episode I ... Show More
26m 48s
May 2016
"Drunken Piano Clowns And Saint PETE": The Beginning
Welcome to the first episode of That Classical Podcast! Do you like classical music? Then COME ON DOWN. Do you not like classical music? THEN COME ON EVEN MORE DOWN. This episode we talk about why we think classical music is great, and why we really want you to think the same. Mu ... Show More
34m 36s
Sep 2020
THE 5TH — MOVEMENT III, Putting the Classism in Classical
Before Beethoven’s time, classical music culture looked and sounded quite different. When Mozart premiered his Symphony 31 in the late 1700s, it was standard for audiences to clap, cheer, and yell “da capo!” (Italian for “from the beginning!”) in the middle of a performance. Afte ... Show More
32m 22s
May 2022
Relaxing Piano Playlist Series 3 Episode 2
Feeling tired? Need to unwind? Then how about some gentle, soothing piano music? Welcome to the Episode 2 of the third Series of Relaxing Piano Playlist! In this episode, I perform for you music by Field, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Scriabin, and the first offering of a movem ... Show More
33m 57s
Jan 2024
Relaxing Piano Playlist Series 4 Episode 10
Send us a textFeeling tired? Need to unwind? Then how about some gentle, soothing piano music? Welcome to the Episode 10 of the Fourth Series in the Relaxing Piano Playlist! In this very special episode, I perform for you music by Jean Louis Nicodé, Dora Pejacevic, Edward MacDowe ... Show More
38m 38s
Dec 2022
Relaxing Piano Playlist Series 3 Episode 8
Feeling tired? Need to unwind? Then how about some gentle, soothing piano music? Welcome to the Episode 7 of the third Series of Relaxing Piano Playlist! In this episode, I perform for you music by Scarlatti, Padwereski, Grieg, MacDowell, Tchaicovsky, and the Second Movement from ... Show More
31m 46s
Jun 2016
"Bread Flutes and Red-Shaped Instruments": Stravinsky & Debussy
Episode two HOT OFF THE PODCAST PRESS. Featuring the life and times of Stravinsky and Debussy in 60 seconds or less (or more) and a song which is legitimately about a man with a bag of fleas. ENJOY! Music featured in this episode: "Clair de Lune" by Claude Debussy "Chansons de Bi ... Show More
43m 23s