Hear more. Feel more. Be more! Come with me and dive into some great classical music. For over 1000 years great musicians have explored what it means to live, love, die and everything in between: asking all our deep and universal questions. Escape the cacophony - the noise of your brain and daily life; tune into the music, your feelings and emotions ‘good’ and ‘bad’ …and find the space, stillness and love that underpins everything. NB: May include loud noise, surprises, challenges, cacophonous racket. May cause shock, comfort, discomfort, smiles, tears, peace, transcendence. www.cacophonyonline.com classical music Home of the Women’s World Cup of Classical Music
Episodes
Tuesday Sep 22, 2020
Tuesday Sep 22, 2020
300 years ago JS Bach was writing music at the cutting edge - with the newest instruments and freshest ideas. My friend, conductor and TV presenter, Jason Lai says Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No.5 is an 'unbelievable box of delights' and he's got much more to say too in our conversation about this conversational music, that's both moving and full of life.
Listening time = 34mins (intro conversation 14', music 20')
Music here, in the live performance we speak about:
or on Spotify
Find out more about the guest, my friend, conductor, presenter and coach, Jason Lai.
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Thanks for listening!
Friday Sep 18, 2020
Friday Sep 18, 2020
I love the final September burst of summer and this piece - Samuel Barber's Summer Music - is the perfect accompaniment. Languid, hazy and slightly wistful.
Music here on Youtube or Spotify.
Listening time c16 mins (Intro podcast 4', music 12')
Please comment on Facebook or at Cacophonyonline.com
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Thanks for listening!
Wednesday Sep 16, 2020
Wednesday Sep 16, 2020
My daughter's bed time reading inspires a brief trip to the opera, for some great singing - high drama and high silliness from Mozart's Magic Flute.
Listening time = 14 mins (5' podcast, 9' music)
Music here, with pictures, from a recent production from London's Royal Opera House.
Or here with just music on Spotify
Please comment on Facebook or at Cacophonyonline.com
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Thanks for listening!
Wednesday Sep 09, 2020
Wednesday Sep 09, 2020
One of my very favourite things, Sibelius takes us on an all-encompassing journey from the musical spring to the wide open ocean: it's organic, generous, inevitable and uplifting.
Total listen: 35 mins (Intro podcast 7', great music 28')
Music here on Youtube, or Spotify
Please rate, comment at cacophonyonline.com or the Cacophony Facebook page.
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Friday Sep 04, 2020
Friday Sep 04, 2020
Fully of exuberance and swagger, Roman Carnival is great music from Berlioz, the man who wrote the book on how to write for orchestra in glorious technicolour.
Total listen time: c14mins (5 mins intro plus 8/9' music)
The music:
Live concert performance with video here on Youtube
Or music only on Spotify
Please rate, comment at cacophonyonline.com or the Cacophony Facebook page.
Please subscribe to the podcast and share it too!
Friday Aug 21, 2020
Friday Aug 21, 2020
George Gershwin spent two hectic weeks on holiday in Cuba and returned with a case full of percussion instruments, latin spirit and musical inspiration.
The resulting Cuban Overture became an instant hit.
Total listening time c14 mins (3'30" podcast, 10' music)
The music:
There’s a fab concert performance on Youtube, with the Teresa Carreño Symphony Orchestra - one of Venezuela's top youth orchestras, playing with great style - check out the easy enjoyment of the percussionists. Youth Orchestras and classical music are a big deal in Venezuela, using music as a vehicle for social change in disadvantaged communities, thanks to a system (actually called The System - El Sistema) which has now been copied across the world.
My Spotify recommendation is the Dallas Symphony Orchestra conducted by AndrewLitton
The 1930s Cuban hit, Echale salsita by Septeto Naconal De Ignacio Pineiro is on youtube too.
Please comment at www.cacophonyonline.com or the Cacophony Facebook page.
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Tuesday Aug 18, 2020
Tuesday Aug 18, 2020
Erich Korngold was one of the composers who invented the sound of Hollywood - and his music for The Sea Hawk (a 1940 Erol Flynn swashbuckler) is passionate, exhilarating and hugely influences our very ideas of what film music should sound like.
Total listen time 36mins [podcast plus music]
I talk about all this with my pal, Lev Parikian.
Music here:
Though the "overture" gets played in concerts, it doesn't really exist as a thing that gets recorded! Mostly people record a suite - giving you more of Korngold's great music...
So here are my recommendations:
I've selected my favourite bits (all the stuff Lev and I talked about) on Spotify:
Top conductor Vladimir Jurowski has made a suite of his favourite bits and it's here on Youtube:
complete with clips from the film and the State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia.
Please comment at www.cacophonyonline.com or the Cacophony Facebook page.
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Monday Aug 17, 2020
Monday Aug 17, 2020
Hear more. Feel more. Be... more! Cacophony brings you great music you may or may not know, but we think you'll love.
If you've not heard any Cacophony, start with The Trailer!
...and then pick an episode and dive right in!
Visit: www.cacophonyonline.com and let me know what you think, or use the Facebook page or Twitter @steve_cacophony
Please share the trailer and your favourite episodes!
Trailer music from:
Richard Strauss's opera: Elektra, Felix Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream Overture, Sergei Rachmaninov: Symphonic Dances
Monday Jul 20, 2020
Monday Jul 20, 2020
Vanessa's been humming a bit of Nutcracker, so I thought we should hear how it's meant to go - and there's so much great music to delight and enjoy. And it turns out she knows the storyline better than I did!
Music here with pictures
or here on Spotify
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Please leave a comment on the website or Facebook
Saturday Jul 11, 2020
Saturday Jul 11, 2020
Fans of Rachmaninov describe his music as lush, passionate, romantic. They're right!
His Cello Sonata is a terrific piece, and I love it much more than his famous piano concertos.
Music here.
or here on Spotify
Please rate the podcast at apple podcasts or your provider
Please leave a comment at cacophonyonline.com, on Facebook or Twitter [@steve_cacophony]
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