In the 19th century, many composers began turning toward the unfamiliar — not necessarily to document it, but to imagine it. Romanticism was a period shaped by introspection, emotion, and the power of suggestion. Distant places such as Spain, the Middle East, or Japan were not explored musically in realistic…
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What does triumph sound like in classical music? It isn’t always loud or heroic. Sometimes, it’s persistent. Sometimes, joyful. At times, deeply personal — or carefully staged. This week’s playlist explores four pieces that reflect different kinds of triumph, each in its own way. We begin with Anton Bruckner, whose life…
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Invitations to Dance is a playlist of four orchestral works that approach dance from different angles — as narrative, tribute, rhythm, and tradition. All four pieces were composed between 1819 and 1852, and though rooted in different styles and national contexts, each uses dance as a musical form of expression…
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This week’s topic is interlude — a word that has several meanings but always points to something that happens in between. The term comes from Latin: inter means “between” and ludus means “play” or “performance.” Originally, it referred to short theatrical or musical scenes placed between the main acts of…
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Here you can download the full curriculum vitae of Herbert von Karajan!