Jeremy Siepmann - The Instruments of the Orchestra
Selected orchestral works accompanied by a narrative from Siepmann
Jeremy Siepmann (reader)
- Catalogue No: 8558040-46
- Label: Naxos
- Series: Educational
- Length: 7 hours 58 minutes
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Jeremy Siepmann: Instruments of the Orchestra
- Jeremy Siepmann
Wagner: Tannhauser: Overture
Anonymous: Domna, pos vos ay chausida
We don't merely use instruments, we play on them. And they play on us.
Brahms: Hungarian Dance No. 7
The violin Is one of the most tender and beautiful instruments ever invented.
Brahms: Violin Concerto in D Major: II. Adagio
But for a long time It was seen as the instrument of the devil.
Stravinsky: The Soldier's Tale: Triumphal March of the Devil
The manipulative seductiveness of the gypsy violin
Anonymous: Csardas Music
The violin and the imitation of nature
Vivaldi: The Four Seasons: Spring: I. Allegro
Birds Are again evoked in the second concerto, especially music's natural favourite.
Vivaldi: The Four Seasons: Summer: I. Allegro non molto
Like the devil, the violin Is a master of disguise.
Kreisler: Schon Rosmarin
The menacing sensuality of Ravel's Tzigane; a very different side of the violin:
Ravel: Tzigane
Do we now have the true measure of This instrument? Not just yet.
Paganini: Caprice No. 24
Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 4: III. Presto / Schubert: Quartettsatz in C Minor
Britten: Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge: VIII. Moto Perpetuo
Prokofiev's tremolo in Romeo and Juliet should not be heard just before bedtime
Jeremy Siepmann: Instruments of the Orchestra, Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet: Act IV
- Jeremy Siepmann
Jeremy Siepmann: Instruments of the Orchestra
- Jeremy Siepmann
Vivaldi uses It to illustrate the shivering of travellers crossing the ice.
Vivaldi: The Four Seasons: Winter: I. Allegro non molto
The violin muted
Debussy: Clair de lune
The gentleness of muted strings persists even when a whole orchestra plays.
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major, K. 467: II. Andante
The pizzicato violin
Strauss: Pizzicato Polka
In Prokofiev's Second Violin Concerto, the accompaniment Is pizzicato.
Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 2 in G Minor: II. Andante assai
Jeremy Siepmann: Instruments of the Orchestra, Kabalevsky: Colas Breugnon / Warlock: Capriol Suite: III. Tordion / Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet: Act I
- Jeremy Siepmann
Jeremy Siepmann: Instruments of the Orchestra
- Jeremy Siepmann
Holst: The Planets: I. Mars: The Bringer of War
Bach: Sonata No. 3 in C Major for unaccompanied violin: II. Fugue
Brahms: Hungarian Dance No. 4
Double-stopping Is a standard feature of a lot of folk music.
Vivaldi: The Four Seasons: Autumn: I. Allegro
Now the same technique, but the sound might have come from another world.
Ravel: Bolero
Double-stopping can only approximate the sound of a real violin duet.
Joachim: Cadenza to the Violin Concerto by Brahms
Now compare That with a real violin duet.
Bartok: 44 Duos: I. Teasing Song
Another duo by Bartok, demonstrating the violin's rich lower register
Bartok: 44 Duos: II. Maypole Dance
And now what may be the most beautiful accompanied violin duet in history
Bach: Concerto in D Minor for two violins: II. Largo ma non tanto
The soul of the violin Is in song; but what about This weird passage?
Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major: II. Scherzo
The use of harmonics in the orchestra can be both magical and unsettling.
Mahler: Symphony No. 1, "Titan": I. Langsam, schleppend (opening)
Tchaikovsky's use of harmonics in the Sleeping Beauty Is both strange and daring.
Jeremy Siepmann: Instruments of the Orchestra, Tchaikovsky: The Sleeping Beauty: Act II, No. 15: Entr'acte
- Jeremy Siepmann
Jeremy Siepmann: Instruments of the Orchestra
- Jeremy Siepmann
Ravel's harmonics in Mother Goose effect a magical transformation.
Ravel: Ma Mere l'oye (Mother Goose): IV. Beauty and the Beast
Stravinsky: The Firebird: Introduction
The natural upper notes of the violins have a unique emotional "grab"
Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra: Of the Afterworldsmen
Still in their upper register, the violins unleash the energy of a young colt.
Britten: Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge: V. Aria Italiana
Elsewhere, Britten uses the same high register to create a very different mood.
Britten: Peter Grimes: 4 Sea Interludes, Op. 33a: I. Dawn
To end This outing with the violins, a charming little elfin dance
Hellmesberger: Elfenreigen
Introduction to the viola
Telemann: Viola Concerto: I. Largo
Khachaturian gets a very different sound from It: Fuller, fruitier, more exotic.
Khachaturian: Gayane Suite No. 1: III. Armen's Solo
Very nearly the whole of the violin's upper register Is also available to the viola.
Britten: Peter Grimes: Passacaglia, Op. 33b
Strauss: Don Quixote
Berlioz: Harold in Italy: IV. Orgy of Brigands
The muted viola: Intimate, gentle, poignant in Dvorak
Dvorak: Cypresses: IX. Thou Only Dear One
The massed violas of the modern symphony orchestra in Mahler
Mahler: Symphony No. 4: III. Ruhevoll, poco adagio
The "period" viola in Bach
Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 6: III. Allegro
The cello: A voice of unique nobility
Bach: Suite No. 1 for unaccompanied cello: I. Prelude
Brahms and the "soul" of the cello
Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-Flat Major: III. Andante
Most orchestral composers tend to emphasise the cello's lower register.
Bach: Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, BWV 147: Aria. Bereite dir, Jesu
In the time of Beethoven the cello remained as fundamental as ever.
Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 "Eroica": IV. Finale
But the cello Is not condemned to spend its life in the basement.
Popper: Elfentanz, Op. 39
Not only in recital showpieces like That Is the cello used in its highest register.
Tavener: The Protecting Veil: Opening
A cello with an identity-crisis: The pizzicato Flamencan
Tagell: Flamenco
Double-stopping in the lower reaches of the cello's range
Cassado: Solo Suite for Cello and Piano: Sardana
It's in its middle register That the cello really comes into its own.
Rachmaninov: Oriental Dance, Op. 2, No. 2
Beethoven: Symphony No. 5: II. Andante con moto
Beethoven: Symphony No. 9: IV. Finale
Introduction to the double-bass
Saint-Saens: The Carnival of the Animals: The Elephant
But the double-bass can be intensely expressive and graceful.
Bottesini: Elegy No. 1 in D Major
Bottesini: Allegro di concerto, "Alla Mendelssohn"
Bottesini: Capriccio di bravura
Mahler: Symphony No. 1, "Titan": III. Feierlich und gemessen, ohne zu schleppen / Mahler: Symphony No. 3: I. Kraftig
Jeremy Siepmann: Instruments of the Orchestra, Prokofiev: Lieutenant Kije Suite: III. Kije's Wedding / Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet: Act III
- Jeremy Siepmann
Jeremy Siepmann: Instruments of the Orchestra
- Jeremy Siepmann
Beethoven: Symphony No. 5: III. Allegro
The antiquity and magic of the flute
Debussy: Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune
The versatility and agility of the flute
Bach: Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B Minor: VII. Badinerie
The flute in fifteenth-century Spain
Anonymous: Sa'dawi
Other flutes: The bass and alto
Sallinen: Chamber Music II
The Piccolo - Aptly named
Rameau: La Naissance d'Osiris: VI. Premier et deuxieme tambourin
From a piccolo of the eighteenth century to one of its descendants in the twentieth
Stravinsky: Suite No. 2 for Small Orchestra: II. Valse
A variety of techniques
Sallinen: Chamber Music II
Flutter-tonguing. But Tchaikovsky got there eighty years before.
Jeremy Siepmann: Instruments of the Orchestra, Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker: Act II, No. 2: Scene
- Jeremy Siepmann
Jeremy Siepmann: Instruments of the Orchestra
- Jeremy Siepmann
From the transverse to the vertical: The Baroque recorder
Telemann: Recorder Suite in A Minor: Menuet II
An unfamiliar, early vision of the instrument
Baston: Naelden, Naelden
The Bachian oboe
Bach: Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott, BWV 80: Duetto. Wie selig sind doch die
Introduction to the cor anglais or 'English horn'
Dvorak: Symphony No. 9, "from the New World": II. Largo
The loneliness of the cor anglais
Sibelius: The Swan of Tuonela
The cor anglais joins the French horn in Haydn.
Haydn: Symphony No. 22, "the Philosopher": I. Adagio
Introduction to the oboe d'amore, beloved of Bach - But also of Ravel
Ravel: Bolero
Herrmann: The Egyptian: Violence / Janacek: Taras Bulba: The Death of Ostap
Jeremy Siepmann: Instruments of the Orchestra, Stravinsky: Petrushka: Peasant with Bear / Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique: V. Songe d'une nuit / Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet: Act II
- Jeremy Siepmann
Jeremy Siepmann: Instruments of the Orchestra
- Jeremy Siepmann
As the high clarinets tend to be loud, so the bass tends to be soft
Khachaturian: Gayane Suite No. 1: V. Gayane's Solo
Stravinsky: Petrushka: The Blackamoor / Albeniz: Iberia: Almeria
The range of the normal clarinet parts goes quite high...
Jeremy Siepmann: Instruments of the Orchestra, Tchaikovsky: The Snow Maiden: Scene 5: Melodrama
- Jeremy Siepmann
Jeremy Siepmann: Instruments of the Orchestra
- Jeremy Siepmann
....And quite low.
Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf: The Cat
The clarinet as concerto soloist
Mozart: Clarinet Concerto in A Major: III. Rondo
But That's not the instrument Mozart wrote It for; This Is:
Mozart: Clarinet Concerto in A Major: III. Rondo
Introduction to the saxophone
Kodaly: Háry János Suite: IV. The Battle and Defeat of Napoleon
The soprano saxophone has quite a different feel to It
Bizet: L'Arlesienne Suite No. 1: II. Minuet
The little sopranino sax goes even higher
Ravel: Bolero
The most famous use of the saxophone Is in an orchestration by Ravel
Mussorgsky: Pictures at an exhibition: The Old Castle
The saxophone can be quite contagiously good-humoured.
Wiedoeft: Sax-o-phun
The puffa-puffa image of the bassoon
Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf: Grandfather
The Bachian bassoon, in accompanimental mode
Bach: Weichet nur, betrubte Schatten, BWV 202, "Wedding Cantata": Aria No. 1
Bizet: Carmen Suite No. 1: V. Les Dragons d'Alcala
And Ravel, also in Spanish mode, does likewise
Ravel: Bolero
The bassoon as a voice of high seriousness, indeed desolate loneliness
Bax: Symphony No. 3: I. Lento moderato
The eerie bassoon in its highest register
Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring: Opening
Stravinsky now draws on its lowest register, lonely and melancholy.
Stravinsky: The Firebird Suite (1919): Berceuse
The bassoon as concerto soloist, avoiding all exaggeration
Molter: Bassoon Concerto in G Minor: III. —
The deep-voiced contra-bassoon, as a fairy-tale beast
Ravel: Ma Mere l'oye (Mother Goose): IV. Beauty and the Beast
The French Horn under its woodwind hat
Nielsen: Wind Quintet, Op. 43: III. Praeludium - Tema con variazioni
Now a more prominent role, in a woodwind quintet from an earlier era
Reicha: Wind Quintet in A Minor, Op. 100, No. 5: II. Andante con variazioni
The horn in harmonious blend with strings in another quintet
Mozart: Horn Quintet in E-Flat Major, K. 407: III. Rondeau
The Trumpet as virtuoso soloist
Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 2: III. Allegro assai
The special brilliance of paired trumpets
Vivaldi: Concerto in C for two trumpets, RV 537: I. Allegro
The ceremonial trumpet
Copland: Fanfare for the Common Man
Trumpets and drums - An incomparable alliance
Handel: Messiah: The Trumpet Shall Sound
The versatility of the trumpet, from the most public to the most lonely
Gershwin: Piano Concerto in F: II. Andante con moto - Adagio
Gershwin: An American in Paris / Stravinsky: The Soldier's Tale: The March
Bizet: Carmen Suite No. 2: II. Habanera
The trumpet as the voice of strength and courage
Bizet: Carmen Suite No. 2: IV. Toreador's Song
Stravinsky: Petrushka: The Blackamoor / Prokofiev: Lieutenant Kije Suite: I. The Birth of Kije
Copland: Billy the Kid
The trumpet as character actor
Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition: Samuel Goldenberg and Schmuyle
The trumpet as the voice of God
Bach: Mass in B minor: Et expecto
The birth of the trombone
Anonymous: Aenmerckt nu hier
The birth of the brass as a family
Gabrieli: Canzon a 12 in Double Echo
The trombone in the eighteenth century
Albrechtsberger: Trombone Concerto in B-Flat Major: III. Finale
Hoser: Romance for trombone and organ / Berlioz: Requiem: Dies Irae
Liszt: Hosannah, S. 677 / R. 409
The trombones become part of the orchestra
Beethoven: Symphony No. 5: IV. Allegro
Wagner: Tannhauser: Overture
The Trombone as caricaturist
Stravinsky: Pulcinella: No. 19: Vivo
Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra: IV. Intermezzo interrotto
The horn and the hunt
Mozart: Horn Concerto No. 4 in e flat, K. 495: III. Rondo
The challenging horn of the Baroque
Rameau: Abaris ou les Boréades: II. Menuet
The scarcity of first-rate players in Handel's time
Handel: Water Music: Suite No. 1 in F Major, HWV 348: Menuet
Stravinsky: The Firebird Suite (1919): Finale
Horns and the sound of nobility
Wagner: Tannhauser: Overture (opening)
The special sound of the horn in its higher register
Bach: Mass in B Minor: Quoniam tu solus sanctus
The trumpet-like sound of massed horns
Mahler: Symphony No. 3: I. Kraftig (opening)
The tuba - Unfairly maligned?
Prokofiev: Symphony No. 6: III. Vivace
The tuba perfectly cast by Ravel
Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition: Bydlo
Introduction. And we begin with a bang.
Copland: Fanfare for the Common Man / Beethoven: Wellington's Victory, Op. 91 (opening)
At the opposite extreme Is the triangle.
Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-Flat Major: Scherzo
Categories of percussion: Tuned and untuned. The side drum
Rossini: La gazza ladra (the Thieving Magpie): Overture [opening]
Nielsen: Clarinet Concerto (opening)
The tambourine. One of the oldest instruments in the world
Anonymous: Den hoboecken dans
Even older Is the originally oriental gong.
Ravel: Ma Mere l'oye (Mother Goose): Laideronette
Britten: Peter Grimes: Passacaglia, Op. 33b
Satie: Gymnopedie No. 2
Elgar: The Sanguine fan / Cymbals clashed softly / Cymbals struck singly / Cymbals stroked with wire brushes
Jeremy Siepmann: Instruments of the Orchestra, Ravel: Piano Concerto in G Major (opening) / Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker: Act I Scene 5
- Jeremy Siepmann
Jeremy Siepmann: Instruments of the Orchestra
- Jeremy Siepmann
Wood blocks
Copland: Rodeo: IV. Hoe-Down
Glinka: Jota aragonesa
Monteverdi: Scherzi musicali: Damigella tutta bella
A still earlier example from fifteenth-century Spain
Traditional: Yo m'enamori d'un aire
The birth of the bongo
Bernstein: West Side Story (Symphonic Dances)
Jeremy Siepmann: Instruments of the Orchestra, Verdi: II Trovatore: Act II: Anvil Chorus
- Jeremy Siepmann
Jeremy Siepmann: Instruments of the Orchestra
- Jeremy Siepmann
Grofe: Grand Canyon Suite: III. On the Trail / Varese: Arcana
Moncayo: Huapango
Onwards to the tuned percussion. First, the timpani
Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra: Introduction
Mahler: Symphony No. 2, "Resurrection'": III. In ruhig fliessender Bewegung
Grofe: Grand Canyon Suite: I. Sunrise / Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique: V. Songe d'une nuit de Sabbat
Taking advantage of tunability
Bartok: Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta: II. Allegro
Shchedrin: Carmen Suite: IV. Changing of the Guard
Shchedrin: Carmen Suite: V. Carmen's Entrance and Habanera
Saint-Saens and the xylophone
Saint-Saens: The Carnival of the Animals: Fossils
Ravel and the xylophone
Ravel: Ma Mere l'oye (Mother Goose): Laideronette
Shchedrin: Carmen Suite: III. First Intermezzo
Introducing the vibraphone
Steiner: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre: Narange dolce
Shchedrin: Carmen Suite: V. Carmen's Entrance and Habanera
Introducing the Hungarian cimbalom
Traditional: Folk Dances
The cimbalom and the symphony orchestra
Kodaly: Háry János Suite : III. Song
Introducing the tubular bells
Kodaly: Háry János Suite: II. Viennese Musical Clock
A more "up-front" approach from Rodion Shchedrin
Shchedrin: Carmen Suite: I. Introduction
Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 7, "Sinfonia antartica": I. Prelude
Introducing the celesta
Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker: Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy
Magic, in the use of collective percussion
Ravels: Miroirs: V. La vallee des cloches
Jeremy Siepmann: Instruments of the Orchestra, Shchedrin: Carmen Suite: VI. Scene
- Jeremy Siepmann
Jeremy Siepmann: Instruments of the Orchestra, Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker: Act II: Scene / Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody No. 1
- Jeremy Siepmann
Jeremy Siepmann: Instruments of the Orchestra
- Jeremy Siepmann
The traditionally subservient role of the harpsichord in the Baroque orchestra
Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 2: II. Andante
Saint-Saens: Symphony No. 3, "Organ": II. Allegro moderato
Stravinsky: Petrushka: Russian Dance
The anti-Romantic piano as an integral part of the orchestra
Bartok: Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta: IV. Allegro molto
Keyboard instruments in the orchestra - The most powerful of them all:
Saint-Saens: Symphony No. 3, "Organ": II. Presto
But things in Handel's day were very different.
Handel: Organ Concerto in B-Flat Major, Op. 4, No. 3: IV. Gavotte
The organ Is difficult to classify.
An unexpected, organ-related guest
Boismortier: Concerto pour Zampogna: III. Allegro
Peasant-fancying… And a touch of the roaming cowboy
Schoenberg: Les Miserables: Drink with Me
Mozart: German Dance, K. 603, No. 3
Mahler: Symphony No. 4: I. Bedachtig, nicht eilen
Mahler: Symphony No. 6, "Tragic": I. Heftig, aber markig
Anderson: The Typewriter / Satie: Parade
Varese: Integrales / Gershwin: An American in Paris / Anderson: Sandpaper Ballet
Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 7, "Sinfonia antartica": I. Prelude
Strauss: Don Quixote: Variation VIII
Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez: III. Allegro gentile
Seeger / Hays: Washington Breakdown
Steiner: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre: Packing Up
Jeremy Siepmann: Instruments of the Orchestra, Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet: Act II: No. 14
- Jeremy Siepmann
Jeremy Siepmann: Instruments of the Orchestra
- Jeremy Siepmann
Steiner: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre: EI Desayuno
The bongos and the congas and a whole wealth of other drums from Africa and Central America
Evening Raga: Bhapoli
Ferre: Paris cancaille
Karas: The Third Man: Theme
Traditional: Folk Dances
Albeniz: Rondena
Traditional: Svetit Mesiats
Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 7, "Sinfonia antartica": I. Prelude
Debussy: Nocturnes: III. Sirenes
Instruments and the imitation of nature. The clarinet as cuckoo
Saint-Saens: The Carnival of the Animals: The Cuckoo
The flute as an all-purpose aviary
Saint-Saens: The Carnival of the Animals: The Aviary
The oboe as duck
Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf: The Duck
The recording of reality. Does It work as well?
Respighi: The Pines of Rome: III. The Pines of the Janiculum
The recording of reality electronically reborn in new guises
Rautavaara: Cantus Arcticus, "Concerto for Birds and Orchestra": II. Melankolia (Melancholy)
Beethoven turns avian: Cuckoo, nightingale, and quail
Beethoven: Symphony No. 6, "Pastoral": II. Szene am Bach
Some importable casting: The violin as braying donkey
Saint-Saens: The Carnival of the Animals: Persons with Long Ears
A truly orchestral hee-haw to be reckoned with
Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream: Overture
A thunderstorm in a million
Beethoven: Symphony No. 6, "Pastoral": IV. Gewitter, Sturm
The instrumental depiction of a silent world
Saint-Saens: The Carnival of the Animals: The Aquarium
Saint-Saens' menagerie takes a curtain call
Saint-Saens: The Carnival of the Animals: Finale
The grouping of instrumental families. An additive approach. First, two violins.
Bartok: 44 Duos: IV. Midsummer Night Song
A greater contrast, of both pitch and character, violin and viola
Mozart: Duo for Violin and Viola in B-Flat Major, K. 424: Finale: Variations 1 and 2
Arrival at the standard string trio: Violin, viola and cello
Schubert: String Trio in B-Flat Major: III. Menuetto
The string quartet: Two violins, viola and cello
Beethoven: String Quartet in F Major, Op. 18, No. 1: III. Scherzo
The string quintet - When the extra instrument Is a second viola
Mozart: String Quintet No. 5 in D Major, K. 593: II. Adagio
The string quintet - When the extra instrument Is a second cello
Schubert: String Quintet in C Major: III. Scherzo
The string sextet: Two violins, two violas, and two cellos
Brahms: String Sextet No. 1 in B-Flat Major: II. Andante ma moderato
The string octet: The standard string quartet times two
Mendelssohn: Octet in E-Flat Major, Op. 20: Movement 1
Double the string octet: A fully fledged string orchestra
Mendelssohn: String Symphony No. 2: III. Allegro vivace
The massed strings of a symphony orchestra
Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis
Contrasts of pitch and instrumental 'colour' in the woodwind section
Reicha: Wind Quintet in A Minor, Op. 100, No. 5: Theme
In the First Variation It's the horn That gets the lion's share
Reicha: Wind Quintet in A Minor, Op. 100, No. 5: Variation 1
In Variation Two the torch Is handed to the bassoon
Reicha: Wind Quintet in A Minor, Op. 100, No. 5: Variation 2
In Variation Three the oboe leads
Reicha: Wind Quintet in A Minor, Op. 100, No. 5: Variation 3
Variation Four: Conversation before returning to a solo-dominated texture
Reicha: Wind Quintet in A Minor, Op. 100, No. 5: Variation 4
And Variation Five Is dominated by the clarinet
Reicha: Wind Quintet in A Minor, Op. 100, No. 5: Variation 5
The next to be featured Is the virtuoso flute.
Reicha: Wind Quintet in A Minor, Op. 100, No. 5: Variation 6
Individual farewells and a closing chorus
Reicha: Wind Quintet in A Minor, Op. 100, No. 5: Variation 7
A mixed group: Clarinet, bassoon, horn, string quartet, and double-bass
Schubert: Octet in F Major, D. 803: III. Trio
The early classical symphony orchestra of Haydn and Mozart
Mozart: Symphony No. 29 in A Major, K. 201: IV. Allegro con spirito
Strings, wind, but no brass. What Haydn and Mozart never knew
Gabrieli: Canzon 28
Beethoven's Fifth: Two horns, two trumpets, and three trombones join the team
Beethoven: Symphony No. 5: IV. Allegro
From Beethoven to the massive orchestras of Berlioz, Wagner, and Mahler
Beethoven changed the face of the symphony and the orchestra forever.
Mahler: Symphony No. 6, "Tragic": I. Heftig, aber markig
The cult of orchestral elephantiasis reaches its peak
Brian: Symphony No. 1, "Gothic": VI. Te ergo quaesumus
When large doesn't necessarily mean loud: Debussy
Debussy: Images: I. Gigues
A crisis of confidence; the orchestra's survival hangs in the balance, but It still develops. The ondes martenot:
Messiaen: Turangalila Symphony: II. Chant d'amour I
The advent of the "early music" movement brings a new vitality and freshness
Lully: Ballet de Xerxes: Gavotte en rondeau
Computer and synthesiser: Friends or foes?
Bach: Concerto in D Minor for two violins: II. Largo ma non tanto
Bach: Mass in B Minor: Dona nobis pacem