
- Program List
Below are many of the more than 200 five-hour 'weeks' of Exploring Music that have been created since 2003. The first seven minutes of every program are free to sample. Several entire 5-hour programs are also free to listen (marked 'free' below). For complete access to all of the shows, click here to become a subscriber. To sort through the shows by composers Click Here. To see the Playlist for a given show, click on the show and then on the 'playlist' button beneath any of the five one-hour programs.
AAmerican Masters, Part I American Masters, Part II American Masters, Part IIIAmerican Masters, Part IVAmerican Masters, Part V An Intelligent Conversation: String Quartets Arias & BarcarollesArtists in Exile, Part IArtists in Exile, Part II Autumn Leaves Autumnal Masterpieces BBach Sleeps in on SundaysBach to Beethoven Bach's Christmas Oratorio Bach's Not-So-Minor B-Minor MassBallad of East and West Baltic MusicBarber, SamuelBartok, BelaBeethoven and that Danged MetronomeBeethoven and the PianoBeethoven at Parnassus, Part IBeethoven at Parnassus, Part IIBeethoven Piano Sonatas (FREE)Beethoven Quartets Berlioz, HectorBernstein, LeonardBill's Keepers Boulanger, NadiaBrahms, Johannes, Part IBrahms, Johannes, Part II Britten, Benjamin Bruckner, Anton CCall for ScoresCarnegie Hall, Part 1 (FREE)Carnegie Hall, Part 2 (FREE)Cello Concertos Child's PlayChopin, FredericClash of the Titans Clowning AroundCopland, Aaron Corigliano, JohnCzech out those Bohemians DDebussy, Claude Demons, Spooks and Other Things That Go Bump in the NightDirector's ChoiceDistant Neighbors Don't Shoot the Piano PlayerDvořák, AntoninDvorak, Tchaikovsky & Borodin String Quartets EElgar, EdwardEmotion and Meaning in MusicEnescu, GeorgesEspanaFFamilies of Instruments Family Matters: All in the FamilyFauré, GabrielFit for a KingFour SeasonsFranck, CésarFrom This Mighty River: Music of the Children of J.S BachGGame of Pairs, Part I Game of Pairs, Part IIGershwin, GeorgeGet the PictureGitana: Gypsy Music and Its InfluencesGreen and Pleasant Land Grieg and SibeliusHHandel, George FridericHaydn and Mozart QuartetsHaydn SymphoniesHidden Gold, Part IHidden Gold, Part IIHHindemith, PaulHit or MythHoliday CelebrationHomageHow Strange the Change from Major to Minor, Part IHow Strange the Change from Major to Minor, Part IIII Didn't Know About YouI Hear a Rhapsody I Hear America Singing I Lost it at the MoviesIn a Family WayIncidentally SpeakingIntimate Conversations: Conversations with Samuel Rhodes and David FinckelInvitation to the Dance, Part IInvitation to the Dance, Part II Invitation to the Dance, Part IIIIt Takes Two to TangoIt Was a Lover and His Lass Italian SouvenirsJJanáček, LeošKKeyboard SmorgasbordLLatin CarnivalLes Cinq PlusLes SixLife Among the Dead: Requiem MassesListener's Choice, Part IIListener's Choice, Part III Liszt, FranzLittle Night Music Little Traveling Music, Please London, The Music of, Part 1London, The Music of, Part 2MMaestro, Part IMaestro, Part IIMagnificent MagyarsMahler, Gustav, Part IMahler, Gustav, Part IIMaiden Voyages Mendelssohn, FelixMendelssohn, Schumann and Brahms String QuartetsMerrie EnglandMozart at his ZenithMozart Piano ConcertosMozart's Birthday BashMozart: Bright Lights, Big CityMusic for the MassesMusic from the Magic Box Music in 19th Century Paris: Waterloo to Bismarck Music in the Time of WarMusic of ScandinaviaMusical CryptogramsMusical LandscapesNNationalismNew Releases, Part INew Releases, Part IINew Releases, Part III, week 1 of 2New Releases, Part III, week 2 of 2 New Wine in Old Bottles Nielsen, Carl Ninth SymphoniesNobody Ever Builds a Statue to a CriticOOrpheus in the New World Outward BoundPPastoral SymphoniesPiano ConcertosPolandPorts of Call, Part I Ports of Call, Part II Poulenc, FrancisProkofiev, SergeiProud Tower, Part I (FREE)Proud Tower, Part IIRRachmaninoff, SergeiRavel, Maurice Respighi, OttorinoRimsky-Korsakov and His PupilsRoaring 20's Russian Five: The Mighty Handful SSchool DaysSchubert String QuartetsSchubertiade, Part ISchubertiade, Part IISchuman, WilliamSchumann, Robert Shakespeare Shostakovich, Dmitri, Part I Shostakovich, Dmitri, Part IISlipped Through the Cracks Sounds of the City of Lights SoundtracksSpanish SchoolSpring is Here St-Saëns, Camille St. Matthew PassionStrauss, RichardStravinsky, IgorString Quartets from Fibich to SibeliusStrings Plus OneSweet Home Chicago Symphony, Part 01Symphony, Part 02Symphony, Part 03Symphony, Part 04Symphony, Part 05Symphony, Part 06 (French)Symphony, Part 07 (Russian)Symphony, Part 08Symphony, Part 09Symphony, Part 10Symphony, Part 11TTchaikovsky, Peter, Part I (FREE)Tchaikovsky, Peter, Part II (FREE)The Big Five I: Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Part IThe Big Five II: New York Philharmonic, Part IThe Big Five II: New York Philharmonic, Part IIThe Gathering Storm: Music from the Great Depression to WWIIThrough the Mail SlotTo the Finland Station, Part ITo the Finland Station, Part IITone Poems Too Darn BigTriple PlayTudor MusicTwo Very Different Worlds Delius and HolstUUnder the Hood, Part IUnder the Hood, Part II Unfinished Symphonies VVariationsVaughan Williams, RalphVenice: The Glories ofVerdi, Giuseppe, Part IVerdi, Giuseppe, Part IIVienna, Part IVienna, Part II ViolaViolin Concerto Virtuoso, The World ofVoices from the East WWagner's Ring CycleWagner, RichardWalton, WilliamWater MusicWhat Else Ya Got?Wind QuintetsWunderkinder, Part IWunderkinder, Part IIYYin and Yang: The Play of Opposites, Part 1Yin and Yang: The Play of Opposites, Part 2You and the Night and the Music
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It Takes Two to Tango Purchase Now
This week, we will explore the world of musical duos. First, we will listen to instruments working in tandem to obtain unexpected performances. Then we will focus on composers who collaborated or worked against each other such as Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart. We’ll also savor the great love duets of Verdi, Puccini, and Wagner.
A duo doesn't always have two people. In J.S Bach’s Inventions Nos. 8 & 6 left and right hand of the piano hold contrapuntal conversations. Then, listen to how seamlessly No 6 is arranged for violin and cello. A slower tempo, and the interpretation fills with yearning. Our next duo is an unlikely one, marimba and banjo playing Invention No. 13. Surprisingly, the banjo has all the elegance of an acoustic guitar, and the marimba brings an unexpected warmth.
In Telemann's Sonata No. 1 fr. 6 Canonic Sonatas, flute and oboe flirt with unison and harmony. Much like the tango, this duo is all about the tension of coming together and coming apart.
It’s not long before we’re back to Bach. In his Concerto for Two Violins, harpsichord and strings paint a backdrop for the duet between the violins.
Much of Bach’s music was lost, but thankfully not his Concerto for Violin and Oboe. Hilary Hahn & Allan Vogel play on period instruments.
Our next selection is still from Germany, but a few centuries later with Brahms’ Double Concerto for Violin & Cello II. A master of counterpoint, Brahms makes some unexpected choices.
J.S. Bach: Inventions Nos. 8 & 6
Peter Serkin, p.
:51,2:46
J.S. Bach: Invention No. 6
Kennedy, v.; Harrel, vc.
3:33
J.S. Bach: Invention No. 13
B. Fleck, banjo; Glennie, marimba
Sony 89610
1:31
Telemann: Sonata No. 1 fr. 6 Canonic Sonatas
Schulz, fl.; Schellenberger, ob.
Den 8 1757 9614
4:10
J.S. Bach: Concerto for Two Violins in d minor
Academy ofAncientMusic/Manze; Manze & Podger, vlns.
HM 907155
14:16
J.S. Bach: Concerto for Violin & Oboe, I
L.A.Chamber/Kahane; Hahn, v.; Vogel, ob.
DG 474199
3:09
Brahms: Double Concerto for Violin & Cello, II & III
Cleveland/Szell; Oistrakh, v.; Rostropovich, vc.
EMI 66219
16:37
Bill samples horn fifths on the keyboard, and describes Mozart's additions to the horn's aural vocabulary. Mozart continues to innovate with his use of the bassoon combined with the cello. In the year 1785, Mozart progresses in his opera career by continuing work on Figaro. Here is another playlist of unique duos.
Mozart: Horn Duo No. 8, K. 487
Ab Koster, Knut Hasselmann hns.
Sony 46702
1:23
Mozart: Sonata for Bassoon & Cello, K. 292, II & III
Gary Stucka, vc; Bruce Grainger, bs.
Centaur 2244
4:34, 3:05
Mozart: Sonata for Violin & Piano, K. 481, II
Perlman, v.; Barenboim, p.
DG 431673
8:58
Mozart: Concerto for Two Pianos, K. 365 (excerpt)
Marlboro Festival Orch/ Schneider; Rudolf and Peter Serkin, pnos.
Sony 46255
6:44
Mozart: Excerpts from: The Marriage of Fiagro, Cosi fan Tutti & Don Giovanni
Orchestra del Acadamia Nationale de Santa Cecilia/ Chung; Bartoli, s.; Terfel, bar.
Decca 458 928
10:35, 6:31, 3:08
Join Bill as he explores the Sonata, a form which places the piano on equal footing as the instrument. Beethoven, Brahms and Strauss all feature, with a particular stand out in Brahm's first Violin Sonata that perfectly illustrates both the melencholy and majesty of rain with only violin and piano.
Beethoven: Sonata No. 9 in A Major for Violin & Piano,“Kreutzer”I
Perlman, v.; Ashkenazy, p.
Lon 410554
11:46
Brahms: Violin Sonata No. 1, I
P. Frank, v.; P.Serkin, p.
Lon 2 89 455 643
9:30
Brahms: Sonata for Violoncello & Piano, Op. 99, I
Ma, vc.; Ax, p.
Sony 48191
9:16
Strauss: Duet Concertino
CSOMembers/Barenboim; Combs, cl.; McGill, bsn.
Teld 23913
19:47
Duos develop and a cat fight breaks out on the opera stage to open. But then comes the love between two, which is a theme much pondered in the development of duos. Catch a fresh breath of air in Verdi's "Un di, felice" and "Parigi, o cara." Then give an ear to Shakespeare's mark on the love affair in the famous "Othello." But the panic picks up again with Ravel's Cat Duet.
Rossini: Cat Duet
Schwarzkopf & De Los Angeles, sopranos; Moore, p.
EMI 49238
3:03
Verdi: “Un di, felice” & “Parigi, o cara” fr. La TraviataLon 421308-2
National Phil/ Bonynge; Pavarotti & Sutherland, soloists
3:33, 4:55
Verdi: “Gianella notte densa” fr. Othello
Vienna Phil/ Solti; Cosutta & Price, soloists
Lon 421308-2
9:30
Verdi: Act II, Scene 1 duet fr. Don Carlos
Covent Garden/ Giulini; Domingo & Milnes
EMI 747701
9:27
Wagner: Die Walküre (excerpt)
Vienna Phil/Walter
EMI 61020
3:56
Puccini: “Chegelida manina” & “O suave fanciulla” fr. La Boheme
BPO/Karajan; Pavarotti & Freni, soloists
4:39, 4:11
Ravel: Cat Duet
LSO/ Previn; Huttenlocher & Finnie, soloists
EMI 47169
4:29
From college exams to compositions, listen now to Debussy's modern sounding Sonata for Violoncello as the duo's voices exchange their concerns. Perhaps the sore tones relate to the losses of the first World War. Bill explores music that sounds out a dance, once again providing you with a breath of fresh air, or an ignorance of reality. Nostalgia and culture mix together.
Debussy: Premiere Rapsodie
Shifrin, cl.; Watts, p.
Del 3167
8:29
Debussy: Sonata for Violoncello, I
Gary Hoffman, vc; David Golub, p
Del 3167
4:19
Ravel: Duo for Violin and Violoncello, I & II
Laredo, v.; Robinson, vc.
Arabesque 6736
7:41
Barber: Souvenirs (excerpts from)
Slatkin, Browning, Pnos.
RCA 60732
10:15, 2:10
Mozart: Sinfonia Concertante, K. 364(excerpts from)
Vienna Phil/ Harnoncourt; Kremer, v.; Kashkashian, vla.
DG 453043
17:32