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
Sunday Apr 30, 2023
Sunday Apr 30, 2023
A short podcast about the shortest of pieces, yet Aaron Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man still packs a punch and seems to point to big issues.
'No taxation without representation'? Perhaps today's call should be 'No representatives (from the Head of State down) who don't pay their taxes!'
Listening time c10 minutes (podcast 6', music 3')
Listen to the whole piece here, played by the San Francisco Symphony conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas on Youtube, Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon music
You can buy the piece as a high-quality download from Presto music.
What do you think? Tell me with a comment at Cacophonyonline.com! I'd love to hear from you!
If you’d like to support Cacophony there are easy, great, ways:
– help with the costs of running it (and me) with a one-off contribution or with a regular payment at ko-fi.com: https://ko-fi.com/cacophonyonline
– share this episode with someone you know
– share the 100 second trailer: http://cacophonyonline.com/trailer
– subscribe/ review and keep listening!
More episodes at: www.cacophonyonline.com/
Thanks for listening!
Thursday Apr 20, 2023
Thursday Apr 20, 2023
Often on the edge, in life and music, Beethoven goes to extremes on the piano to show us the extreme depth of his feelings. His Appassionata Sonata is every bit as intense as its name suggests! Listening time 33 mins (podcast 10', music 23')
Listen to the whole piece here, played by Maurizio Pollini on piano on Youtube, Spotify, Apple Music (this links to mvt 1 and you need tracks 23,24,25) and Amazon music (also mvt 1 and you need tracks 7,8,9)
You can buy the piece as a high quality download from Presto music.
Thanks to Vanessa Thomas for this episode's artwork!
What do you think? Tell me with a comment at Cacophonyonline.com! I'd love to hear from you!
If you’d like to support Cacophony there are easy, great, ways:
– help with the costs of running it (and me) with a one-off contribution or with a regular payment at ko-fi.com: https://ko-fi.com/cacophonyonline
– share this episode with someone you know
– share the 100 second trailer: http://cacophonyonline.com/trailer
– subscribe/ review and keep listening!
More episodes at: www.cacophonyonline.com/
Thanks for listening!
Monday Apr 10, 2023
Monday Apr 10, 2023
Lost for 150 years and then, because it was so good, presumed to have been written by her brother, Fanny Mendelssohn's Easter Sonata for piano is passionate, intense, lyrical and dramatic... and the story of its rediscovery is no less compelling.
Listening time c36 mins [11' podcast, 21 or 25' music]
The complete music is here in the original 1970s recording by Eric Heidsieck on Spotify, Youtube, Amazon and Apple Music
I think I prefer this more recent rendition by Sofya Gulyak on Youtube, taken from a 2013 BBC Radio 3 broadcast.
What do you think? Tell me with a comment at cacophonyonline.com! I'd love to hear from you!
If you want to play the piece yourself you can download the music for free from Dr Angela Mace Christian's website!
Here, you can listen to Cacophony's recent episodes on Clara Schumann's piano trio or the 16 year old Felix Mendelssohn inspired by Shakespeare.
If you’d like to support Cacophony there are easy, great, ways:
– help with the costs of running it (and me) with a one-off contribution or with a regular payment at ko-fi.com (https://ko-fi.com/cacophonyonline)
– share this episode with someone you know
– share the 100 second trailer ( http://cacophonyonline.com/trailer)
– subscribe/ review and keep listening!
More episodes at: www.cacophonyonline.com/
Thanks for listening!
Thursday Mar 30, 2023
Thursday Mar 30, 2023
English folk music is often typically nostalgic and melancholy. Cacophony goes in search of happiness with Malcolm Arnold's English Dances - pretty, witty and bright!
Listening time 24 mins (podcast 6', music 18')
Music here, played by the Queensland Symphony Orchestra conducted by Andrew Penny on Youtube, Spotify, Apple Music (tracks 1-8 English Dances Set 1 op.27 and Set 2, op.33) and Amazon (tracks 1-8). You can buy a whole cd (also including the other 'national'(and Cornish!) dances as a high quality download here
The Dvořák Slavonic Dances talked about in this episode were covered previously on Cacophony.
What do you think? Tell me with a comment at Cacophonyonline.com! I'd love to hear from you!
If you’d like to support Cacophony there are easy, great, ways:
– help with the costs of running it (and me) with a one-off contribution or with a regular payment at ko-fi.com: https://ko-fi.com/cacophonyonline
– share this episode with someone you know
– share the 100 second trailer: http://cacophonyonline.com/trailer
– subscribe/ review and keep listening!
More episodes at: www.cacophonyonline.com/
Thanks for listening!
Tuesday Mar 21, 2023
Tuesday Mar 21, 2023
Haunting and melancholy music from my hometown, Vaughan Williams's Norfolk Rhapsody No.1 features the old songs of fisherman and the last days of a way of life. Like the local landscape it's bleak but beautiful!
Total listening time 18 mins (podcast 7', music 11')
Here's Joe Anderson, James ‘Duggie’ Carter and the Reverend Alfred Huddle:
The music is here on Youtube, Spotify Apple Music and Amazon., played by The Hallé conducted by Mark Elder (and it's available to buy as a high-quality download from Presto Music ). What do you think? Let me know with a comment at cacophonyonline.com. I'd love to hear from you!
If you’d like to support Cacophony there are easy, great, ways:
– help with the costs of running it (and me) with a one-off contribution or with a regular payment at ko-fi.com
– share this episode with someone you know
– share the 100 second trailer
– subscribe/ review and keep listening!
The picture credit goes to William Norris - who's visited King's Lynn as a tourist more recently than me!
Thanks for listening!
Friday Mar 10, 2023
Friday Mar 10, 2023
Packed with memorable Czech songs about pigeons, nightingales, love, life and unploughed fields, Vítěslava Kaprálová's Rustic Suite mixes countryside charm with the confident orchestral swagger of a 23 year old receiving acclaim in Paris and London. Music full of life and good tunes!
Listening time 21 mins (music 16', podcast 5')
The music is here, played by the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Marko Ivanovic on Youtube, Spotify, and links to the album (where you want tracks 1-3) at Apple Music and Amazon.
What do you think? Let me know with a comment at cacophonyonline.com. I'd love to hear from you!
If you’d like to support Cacophony there are easy, great, ways:
– help with the costs of running it (and me) with a one-off contribution or with a regular payment at ko-fi.com
– share this episode with someone you know
– share the 100 second trailer
– subscribe/ review and keep listening!
Thanks for listening!
Thursday Mar 02, 2023
Thursday Mar 02, 2023
Small but perfectly formed, Germaine Tailleferre's Little Suite is seven minutes of innocent delight from a composer looking to escape from the trials of a difficult life. It may be short, but it's packed with memorable tunes and a joyous spirit. Irresistible!
Listening time c14 minutes (podcast 7', music 7')
It's not available commercially, but this Youtube video has an excellent performance from the Orchestre philharmonique de Radio France with conductor Mikko Franck.
Enjoy it? Let us know with a comment at cacophonyonline.com
Maurice Ravel's Mother Goose, mentioned in this episode, featured in Cacophony some time ago and it's here.
Please share Cacophony with your friends and social circle!
If you'd like to support us more directly you can make a one-off or regular financial contribution at ko-fi.com
Thanks for listening!
Monday Feb 20, 2023
Monday Feb 20, 2023
It's a riot of colour at the carnival in Stravinsky's wonderful ballet, Petrushka, with dancing (of course), puppets, romance (kind of), fighting, and a wild bear. It's got everything - even a French song about a woman's prosthetic limb, but you have to listen for an explanation...!
Total listening time 48 mins (podcast 13', music 35')
The music is here in full, played by The Cleveland Orchestra conducted by Pierre Boulez - a master of clarity and excitement on Youtube, Spotify, and links to the album (where you want tracks 1-4) at Apple Music and Amazon.
What do you think? Let me know with a comment at cacophonyonline.com. I'd love to hear from you!
The recording linked above is available to buy as a high-quality download from Presto Music (where it seems to be cheaper by track than to buy the whole album).
If you’d like to support Cacophony there are easy, great, ways:
– help with the costs of running it (and me) with a one-off contribution or with a regular payment at ko-fi.com
– share this episode with someone you know
– share the 100 second trailer
– subscribe/ review and keep listening!
Thanks for listening!
Friday Feb 10, 2023
Friday Feb 10, 2023
Who doesn't love gazing at the sea? It's something that brings out the meditative in all of us as we stare at it and think deep thoughts. Claude Debussy didn't want us to think too hard - just to listen. In La Mer, he brings The Sea to us wherever we are, in all its beauty and wonder.
Total listening time 36 mins (podcast 11', music 25')
The music is here in full, played by The Hallé Orchestra (from Manchester, UK) conducted by Mark Elder on Youtube, Spotify, and links to the album at Apple Music and Amazon.
The recordings linked above are available to buy as high-quality downloads from Presto Music for under GB£5!
This episode's title is a line borrowed from an epic poem by Spike Milligan.
What do you think? Let me know with a comment at cacophonyonline.com. I'd love to hear from you!
There are more great episodes featuring the sea at Cacophony. Check out episodes: 29, 63 and 81 for music by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Benjamin Britten and Ethel Smyth. Also, the previous episode, 136, which takes us on a journey ending at Finisterre on the Atlantic coast of Spain.
If you’d like to support Cacophony there are easy, great, ways:
– help with the costs of running it (and me) with a one-off contribution or with a regular payment at ko-fi.com
– share this episode with someone you know
– share the 100 second trailer
– subscribe/ review and keep listening!
Thanks for listening!
Monday Jan 30, 2023
Monday Jan 30, 2023
An epic and spiritual adventure for choir, Joby Talbot's Path of Miracles captures the hope, the expectation and the moments of overwhelm (both positive and negative) of travellers on the ancient and still popular pilgrimage trail the Camino de Santiago (Way of St James).
Simon Clark, scientist, author and singer joins me to share his passion for the piece and guide us on a journey of musical and maybe spiritual fulfilment! Listening time: podcast 24 mins, music 62'
Music here on Youtube, Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon.
f you like to see your singers in action, there's a live concert video performance on Youtube here.
Path of Miracles was commissioned and premiered by the choir Tenebrae and their conductor Nigel Short. Their recording and performances remain the 'benchmark' for this increasingly popular piece. You can buy the above recording as a cd or high-quality download here, direct from the choir.
The text is a mix of ancient Latin and early European languages (often taken from religious writings or music) alongside an English text writen by the poet Robert Dickinson. The complete words are here (starting on Page 4).
Simon Clark’s The Wikicast is on all major podcast platforms and his science videos are on his Youtube channel. Simon also appears on Cacophony episode 134, unpicking some celestial science as we investigate The sound of the solar system?
What do you think? Let me know with a comment at Cacophonyonline.com. I ‘d love to hear from you!
If you’d like to support Cacophony there are easy, great, ways:
– send us a little something or make a regular payment at ko-fi.com
– share this episode with someone you know
– share the 100 second trailer
– subscribe/ review and keep listening!
Thanks for listening!