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Grieg – Two Elegiac Melodies

During the course of his life, Grieg had several unproductive periods due to a chronic illness.
The year 1880 marked the end of one of such periods, and the inspiration came from poet Aasmund Olafsson Vinje, a proud romantic Norwegian nationalist.

Grieg, whose sentiments perfectly aligned with Vinje’s, chose 12 poems to set to music as a song cycle. From those 12, Grieg transcribed two of them for string orchestra: HjertesÃ¥r (The Wounded Heart), and VÃ¥ren (The Last Spring).

Mozart – Mass K257 – Credo

The Mass K257 falls in the stream of the so-called Credo-Masses. The name is derived from the long setting of the Credo, a practice adopted on many occasions, including, among others, Mozart’s own Kleine Credo Messe K192 and, later on, Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis.

Bruckner – Symphony n.8, Mov. 4

The triumphant Finale of Bruckner 8th – the last symphony that the composer completed – is a marvel of compositional structure and clarity of process.

Haydn – Symphony n.44

Haydn’s symphony 44 is known as Trauer (Mourning). An apocryphal story relates that Haydn asked for the slow movement of this symphony to be played at his funeral.

Wagner – Parsifal Prelude to Act 1

Wagner – Parsifal Prelude to Act 1

The very first phrase of Wagner’s Prelude to Act 1 of Parsifal holds in itself the germs of dramatically important leitmotifs recurring throughout the whole opera: the Redemption, the Wound, and the spear motif.

Beethoven – Leonore overture n.3

Beethoven – Leonore overture n.3

Leonore 3, one of the 4 overtures Beethoven wrote for his only opera Fidelio, is a huge symphonic fresco, often programmed as a standalone concert piece

Josef Suk – Serenade for strings

Josef Suk – Serenade for strings

A prominent figure in the Czech musical world, Josef Suk was acclaimed by some of the greatest composers of his time like Brahms and Dvořák. His string serenade is to this day one of the audiences’ favorites.

Conducting Pills

A FREE video series with an analysis of structure, phrasing, and, of course, conducting tips of repertoire works: from Mozart to Brahms, from Beethoven to Debussy. A new episode every week!

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