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Classical music can be intimidating to newcomers and frequent concertgoers alike. Attention to Detail introduces practical techniques for finding meaning, enjoyment, and confidence in the process of listening to classical music that everyone can use, regardless of background.
Episodes
Thursday Aug 13, 2020
Thursday Aug 13, 2020
Today we review the final act of Die Walküre, which opens with the famous "Ride of the Valkyries," and concludes with "Wotan's Farewell," one of the most passionate and heart-wrenching moments in all of music.
If you're enjoying our breakdowns of the Ring Cycle, make sure to rate, subscribe, and leave us a comment!
All recording clips from the Vienna Philharmonic and Georg Solti, found here.
Sunday Aug 09, 2020
Sunday Aug 09, 2020
Today we continue our review of the second opera of Wagner's Ring Cycle, looking at Act 2 of Die Walküre!
All recordings are from the Vienna Philharmonic and Georg Solti, found here.
Wednesday Aug 05, 2020
Wednesday Aug 05, 2020
On this episode, we start our review of the first major opera of the Ring Cycle, Die Walküre! We look at the first act which features the heroic characters Siegmund and Sieglinde, siblings reunited after being separated at birth.
All recordings from the Vienna Philharmonic and Georg Solti, found here.
Saturday Aug 01, 2020
Saturday Aug 01, 2020
Today we start our review of Wagner's Ring Cycle with a look at the first opera, Das Rheingold! We explore the important leitmotifs that will come back in the later operas, and listen to important musical and narrative moments.
All audio clips come from the Vienna Philharmonic and Georg Solti, full performance found here.
Wednesday Jul 29, 2020
Wednesday Jul 29, 2020
Over the month of August, we'll be boiling down the massively influential (and long) operas of Wagner's Ring Cycle to their most important moments. In preparation for these ten upcoming episodes, we discuss the life and music of the controversial Richard Wagner, and go over what we'll be covering as we review his magnum opus, as well as what we'll leave out.
Saturday Jul 18, 2020
Saturday Jul 18, 2020
The classical music community lost a great friend this past week in violinist and conductor Greg Cardi. In the wake of his passing, we decided to record a special episode exploring the relationship between music and grief. First, we interviewed music therapist Suzanne Hanser to discuss using music (and silence) as a powerful healing tool, and then spoke to several friends and colleagues of Greg who shared some of their most poignant memories.
Tuesday Jul 07, 2020
Tuesday Jul 07, 2020
We're back with another fantasy sports-style draft, this time picking our most underrated composers! We averaged several Top 100 Composers lists to approximate the general consensus on who the greatest composers are, and then we picked apart the list. Enjoy!
Compiled List of Top 100 Composers: Link
Saturday Jul 04, 2020
Saturday Jul 04, 2020
Hannah is back, and today we're tackling the tricky world of modern/contemporary music! We discuss some techniques for new listeners to approach this often challenging and intimidating sub-genre of classical music, and predictably get sidetracked philosophizing about the meaning of July 4th and the decline of American exceptionalism.
Thursday Jun 25, 2020
Thursday Jun 25, 2020
Today we're joined by Elizabeth Hellmuth Margulis, Professor of Music at Princeton University and author of two books, On Repeat: How Music Plays the Mind and The Psychology of Music: A Very Short Introduction. We discuss a variety of topics, including her work on repetition, how to measure musicality, and the parallels between language and music!
To hear the speech-to-song illusion mentioned in the episode, click here.
Friday Jun 19, 2020
Friday Jun 19, 2020
We're back with our penultimate episode on our pandemic years series, this time reviewing the eventful 1918! We look at Janacek's Taras Bulba and Bartok's Bluebeard's Castle, two fascinating works of musical modernism.