Classical Breakdown

Bonus! A performance of Handel's Water Music

Enjoy a Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra recording of the music we learned about last week, plus a listener comment that helps clarify the situation after Queen Anne's dea

Handel's Water Music; a Kings bid to lift his reputation and one smelly river

Why did Handel write this, and what would it have been like on the river's edge? John Banther and Linda Carducci explore how Handel went above and beyond for a King and e

Season 7 Recommended Summer Listening!

It's time again to look at some recently recorded albums for us to enjoy and grow with this summer. John Banther has 4 albums to recommend, and one of them includes a rem

Tosca! Puccini's tragic opera on love, lust, and brutality

Why watch a thriller on a Friday night when you can watch the dramatic and compact "blood and guts" opera by Puccini that is... Tosca! John Banther and Linda Carducci giv

The Montgomery Variations: A Piece of American History by Margaret Bonds

Music can be just as much of a historical document as letters or legislation, and we see that directly in this episode with music by Bonds written in 1963. John Banther a

Haydn's Trumpet Concerto: Revolutionary in ways you didn't know!

There is so much more to this humble concerto than you realize, because the context of hearing a trumpet do something unheard of before has been lost. We show you what ma

Leos Janacek: an original composer who found success late

Another listener request! John Banther and Bill Bukowski explore the life of Leos Janacek and look at 2 specific subjects to understand this composer's original sound, sp

Bonus! John and James discuss Eine Kleine Nachtmusik and gigs

John Banther and James Jacobs discuss Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik and performing it at gigs, which for James reaches into the hundreds at weddings! Plus, we enjoy a f

Also Sprach Zarathustra: Where Music and Philosophy Reach New Heights

You know the opening of this work through its countless use in movies, commercials, and even popular music. But do you know the underlying philosophy that inspired Straus

Bonus! 2 Opera preludes by Richard Wagner

Let's enjoy two iconic Wagner preludes in two larger-than-life recordings featuring the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and conductor Bernard Haitink!

Richard Wagner: The flawed man who changed opera

This composer's life was tumultuous and sometimes straight out of a soap opera. John Banther and Evan Keely explore what led him to opera, his initial success and failure

Bonus! 3 Preludes and Fugues from the Well-Tampered Clavier Book 1 by Sam Post

Listen to Ralitza Patcheva and Sam Post in their latest recording, featuring a rhythmic reimaging of JS Bach. If you missed last week's episode, listen afterwards to lear

The Well-TAMPERED Clavier: A rhythmic reimagining of JS Bach by Sam Post

JS Bach was experimental, and that spirit has carried on into the 21st century with composers and pianists like Sam Post and Ralitza Patcheva. While Bach was experimentin

Brahms Symphony No. 3: Perfection in Orchestration and Form

The first symphonies came from a place of insecurity, but his 3rd exudes confidence from the first note to the last. John Banther and Evan Keely show you what to listen f

3 Composers lost to Tyranny

A hallmark of tyranny is its desire to control and stifle creative expression. In this episode, in memory of Lubna Alyaan, John Banther and Evan Keely explore three 20th-

Meet Grammy-Winning Composer Jessie Montgomery!

Jessie Montgomery and John Banther discuss her popular works, her time writing for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Blacknificent 7 composer group, and her early artis

A performance of Carnival of the Animals featuring Argerich and Freire!

Enjoy this performance after listening to the previous episode all about Carnival of the Animals by Saint-Saens. (Elephant image: By Muhammad Mahdi Karim)

Carnival of the Animals, a work of genius kept hidden (plus animal facts!)

One of the most endearing works in music was also hidden for years because the composer worried about his reputation. John Banther and Evan Keely explore the world of ani

Bonus episode: Ballet music from 2 operas by Verdi!

Different audiences have different tastes, and you can't always serve them the same dish. If Verdi wanted his grand operas to be staged in Paris, he needed to include bal

Giuseppe Verdi: A life of drama, censorship, and even farming!

This composer wrote operas almost exclusively, and his 19th-century success and popularity are hard to grasp even today. John Banther and Linda Carducci explore his life,