Music

He ultimately became the greatest symphonic voice of the 20th century, but 19-year-old Shostakovich was a “precocious” composer, with his First Symphony causing a sensation. People fought to hear its premiere. It anticipates the characteristics that mark his later creations, too—it’s cheeky, brash, vigorous, full of rhythmic drive. A wonderfully...

He ultimately became the greatest symphonic voice of the 20th century, but 19-year-old Shostakovich was a “precocious” composer, with his First Symphony causing a sensation. People fought to hear its premiere. It anticipates the characteristics that mark his later creations, too—it’s cheeky, brash, vigorous, full of rhythmic drive. A wonderfully...

There’s nothing like hiking across moors and encountering castle ruins to ignite the creative process—as Mendelssohn experienced it on a tour of Scotland. Holyrood Castle (where Mary Queen of Scots was crowned) inspired the mysterious mood of the Third Symphony’s opening. But the mists ultimately lift in the sunny, lively...

There’s nothing like hiking across moors and encountering castle ruins to ignite the creative process—as Mendelssohn experienced it on a tour of Scotland. Holyrood Castle (where Mary Queen of Scots was crowned) inspired the mysterious mood of the Third Symphony’s opening. But the mists ultimately lift in the sunny, lively...

There’s nothing like hiking across moors and encountering castle ruins to ignite the creative process—as Mendelssohn experienced it on a tour of Scotland. Holyrood Castle (where Mary Queen of Scots was crowned) inspired the mysterious mood of the Third Symphony’s opening. But the mists ultimately lift in the sunny, lively...

A bracing whack from the percussionist’s “slap stick” launches Ravel’s Concerto on an effervescent romp, evoking the Harlem jazz clubs he visited with Gershwin. Riffs from the brasses and piano fireworks make for a breathless dash to the finish. Ravel’s lush Daphnis et Chloé opens with a radiant sunrise—golden strings,...

A bracing whack from the percussionist’s “slap stick” launches Ravel’s Concerto on an effervescent romp, evoking the Harlem jazz clubs he visited with Gershwin. Riffs from the brasses and piano fireworks make for a breathless dash to the finish. Ravel’s lush Daphnis et Chloé opens with a radiant sunrise—golden strings,...

Bask in Beethoven’s sun-infused, high-spirited Fourth Symphony, whose second movement, said Berlioz, sounds like “an angel singing at the gates of Paradise.” Plus, saxophonist Steven Banks performs Childs’ Diaspora, which the composer describes as “a symphonic poem which strives to chronicle the paradigm of the forced black American diaspora, as...