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Latest Listeners’ Club Posts

Schubert’s “Die Götter Griechenlands” (“The Gods of Greece”): A Song of Alienation May 9, 2025

Friedrich Schiller’s 1788 poem, Die Götter Griechenlands (“The Gods of Greece”), is filled with nostalgia and longing for the long-vanished world of Greek antiquity. Rebelling against mechanical philosophy, it idealizes man’s harmonious interaction with the Greek gods and nature. Schubert’s 1819 song, Die Götter Griechenlands, D. 677 sets o […]

Schubert’s Octet: A Journey to the Magic Land of Song May 7, 2025

Although they lived in Vienna as contemporaries, it is unclear if Schubert and Beethoven ever met. The two composers shared a mutual respect, but in many ways they were polar opposites. While Beethoven dazzled audiences as a revolutionary giant of the symphony, during his lifetime, Schubert was known almost exclusively for his songs. Publis […]

Bach’s Fantasia and Fugue in A Minor, BWV 944: Warmup and Herculean Feat May 5, 2025

Composed in Weimar, circa 1713, J.S. Bach’s Fantasia and Fugue in A minor, BWV 944 amounts to a warmup, followed by a herculean feat of athleticism. The warmup, for our ears, the players fingers, and the instrument alike, comes with the brief ten-bar Fantasia. Bach notated this opening as chords, with the instruction, “arpeggio.” The player […]

Stephen Paulus’ “The Road Home”: A Timeless Early American Melody May 2, 2025

“The most powerful and beautiful message is often a simple one,” wrote American composer Stephen Paulus (1949-2014) regarding the popularity of his brief choral work, The Road Home. Paulus explained the background of the piece further, In the Spring of 2001 I received a commission from the Dale Warland Singers to write a short “folk” type c […]

Shunske Sato Plays Vivaldi: “Spring” from “The Four Seasons” April 30, 2025

Antonio Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons (Le quattro stagioni) is one of the earliest and most iconic examples of programmatic music. Vivaldi composed the collection of four violin concerti, each depicting a season of the year, during his tenure as music director at the court chapel of Mantua. Together with eight additional concerti, the works we […]

Stephen Paulus’ Concertante: Vibrant Instrumental Conversations April 28, 2025

The concertante is the most democratic of musical forms. Blending symphony and concerto, it opens the door to a vibrant, free-flowing musical conversation among solo instrumental voices and groups of instruments. The distinct persona of each instrument comes sharply into focus. Exhibiting brilliance and virtuosity, every voice gets its mome […]

George Butterworth’s “Love Blows As the Wind Blows”: Three Idyllic Songs April 25, 2025

English composer George Butterworth (1885-1916) left behind only a handful of brief musical treasures, among the most famous being The Banks of Green Willow and A Shropshire Lad. Emerging from the pastoral landscape with a sense of quiet nostalgia and dreamy impressionistic color, these magical, fleeting works make us long for what might […]