You know Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. You’ve heard it in films, advertisements, parodied in Saturday morning cartoons and disco-ized in Saturday Night Fever. The Fifth Symphony is a given, so much so that it blends into the background. You know this piece, but how well? Of all the symphonies of the bewigged classical "greats," why is this one still stuck in o ... Show More
Yesterday
Ten years of "Alaska": Maggie Rogers on going viral and singing for 200,000 protestors
Ten years ago, Maggie Rogers was a senior at NYU, scrambling to finish a song for a music production class she was close to failing. The guest critic that week happened to be Pharrell Williams. She played him "Alaska," a track she'd written in about fifteen minutes. It is a bit o ... Show More
37m 36s
Apr 14
Learning to Love Train: "Drops of Jupiter" is back in the atmosphere
Train is the kind of band that some people love to hate. Songs like "Meet Virginia" and "Hey Soul Sister" gave the band huge hits, and no small amount of snark. And then there's "Drops of Jupiter." Released in 2001, the song is almost impossible not to love, no matter how many ly ... Show More
47m 25s
Jun 2023
Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4
<p class="p1">Welcome to episode number 200 of Sticky Notes!!</p> <p class="p1">On December 22nd, 1808, a day that would live in classical music lore forever, Ludwig Van Beethoven sat down for his very last appearance as a solo pianist to play this new piano concerto, his 4th. Th ... Show More
59m 35s
Sep 2023
Mahler Symphony No. 4, Part 2
<p class="p1">If you haven't listened to Part 1 of this episode about Mahler's 4th symphony, I highly recommend doing that, as every movement of this symphony builds to the "Heavenly Life" of the last movement. On Part 2, we'll be going through the 3rd and 4th movements. Mahler t ... Show More
59m 48s
Jun 2021
Beethoven Symphony No. 9, Part 1
<p>More has been written about the meaning of Beethoven's 9th than any other symphony. There are more recordings of it, more performances of it, and more uses of its most famous theme, the Ode to Joy, than any other piece. But what is often talked about less than the political an ... Show More
48m 38s
Sep 2023
Mahler Symphony No. 4, Part 1
<p class="p1">After the truly heavenly slow movement of Mahler's 4th symphony, a soprano emerges and sings a song literally called "The Heavenly Life." It is a symphonic ending like no other, one that leaves the listener peaceful and contented after taking a long(but not as long ... Show More
51m 49s
May 2021
Beethoven Symphony No. 3, "Eroica"
Two of the most famous chords in classical music propel us into this revolutionary, wild, and remarkable symphony. At the time, the Eroica symphony was the longest symphony ever written. At the time it was definitely the loudest symphony ever written! It delved into emotions that ... Show More
1h 8m
Dec 2022
Vivaldi, The Four Seasons
<p class="p1">Ask a non-classical music fan to name a piece of classical music. If they don't say Beethoven 5, or the Ode to Joy, they probably will say The Four Seasons. They might not know that it was written by Vivaldi, but the Four Seasons are a set of pieces that have made t ... Show More
1h 5m