CACOPHONY

A subtle extremist, in his Symphony no.51 Haydn throws down some extraordinary challenges to his horn players - can they beat the ‘immutable forces of nature'? Listening time 30 mins (podcast 9′, music 21′) Music here on YouTube, Spotify and [with links to first movement only] on Apple and Amazon played by The English Concert, conducted by Trevor Pinnock. They're playing on 'period instruments' which Haydn would recognise including valveless natural horns played by Anthony Halstead and colleague. You can buy the recording as a download from Presto music (on its own or with a whole bunch of other Haydn symphonies)   What do you think? Tell me with a comment below! I'd love to hear from you!   Check out the playlist of 126 pieces by different women composers from the 32 countries that played in last year's  Women's World Cup of Classical Music: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCXUbmBaA9Orj2ENFMutv-X1u6DO162hA&si=nw23RYztmTC-ntyr 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!

A cool and funky wedding anniversary present - a 15 minute classic from the most famous composer alive, Stravinsky's Dumbarton Oaks is stylish, sophisticated and hugely enjoyable!  Listening time 23 mins (podcast 8', music 15')   Music here, played by the Ensemble InterContemporain conducted by Pierre Boulez, on Youtube, Spotify, and (links to the 1st movement) on Amazon and Apple Music. If you like to watch people playing, this video is also good. You can buy a hi quality download at Presto Music for a few quid.   What do you think? Tell me with a comment at www.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!

Pianist Rolf Hind introduces one of the epics of piano music. A heady mix of virtuoso composing and devout faith, Olivier Messiaen's 20 reflections on the infant Jesus, Vingt regards sur l'infant Jésus, brings us a two-hour deep dive of awesome power and beautiful stillness. Listening time 38 mins (plus music 2hrs 8') Music here on Youtube, played live in concert by Rolf Hind. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2W34IlnsDX8&t=4521s] Be quick and go see Rolf play this at Durham Cathedral. Visit Rolfhind.com for more information on our excellent guest! What do you think? Tell me with a comment at www.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!

Hot off the press! The wonders of modern tech allow us to enjoy Katharina Nohl's rhapsody for piano and orchestra, Spices, before it's even been performed by live musicians! And Katharina joins us to talk us through the recipe. Listening time 33 mins (podcast 15', music 18') The complete music here on Youtube.   What do you think? Tell me with a comment at www.cacophonyonline.com! I'd love to hear from you!   Check out our earlier conversation with Katharina about her life and Swiss female composers as part of Cacophony's Women's World Cup of Classical Music... and visit https://www.katharina-nohl.ch/   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!

Always entertaining the crowds, Haydn brings up his 50 with typical style (before settling down for 50 more symphonies). Not a famous piece but well worth a listen! Listening time 27 mins (podcast 9', music 18') Music here on Youtube, Spotify, Amazon and Apple Musics  played by the Swedish Chamber Orchestra conducted by Béla Drahos. You can buy the recording as a download from Presto music: https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7926758--haydn-symphonies-volume-27   What do you think? Tell me with a comment at www.cacophonyonline.com! I'd love to hear from you!   Check out the playlist of 126 pieces by different women composers from the 32 countries that played in the Women's World Cup: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCXUbmBaA9Orj2ENFMutv-X1u6DO162hA&si=nw23RYztmTC-ntyr     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!

It's the Women's World Cup of Classical Music! And it's THE FINAL! USA vs Republic of Ireland Complete music here: hthttps://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCXUbmBaA9OoRjafAn_k1zTnHR8cH9qyj Please listen to the music and then: vote here: https://forms.gle/XJoU1Vr3MfWraQL48   Voting open NOW   Please share the podcast widely, by telling people you know and getting them to listen and vote! If you want to explore further, there are podcast interviews with some of our curators at cacophonyonline.com or wherever you listen to Cacophony. And if you're able to, you might like to buy us a coffee, and support women composers, which you can do at www.Kofi.com/cacophonyonline   Come back for more next time and thanks for listening!

Maja S K Ratkje joins Cacophony at the Women's World Cup to explore the fun and joy of writing music and choose pieces by her Norwegian colleagues. But there must be something in the Norwegian water, as there's the same tiny inspiration for several of the composers! The complete pieces on Maja's list can be heard here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCXUbmBaA9Orpqp5R5jfX-LzBIjoUeRim Listening time 31 min (podcast 18', music, 13')   Discover more about Maja and her music at her website: https://ratkje.no and check out more of Cacophony's conversations with female composers. What do you think? Leave a comment or easy voice-message at Cacophonyonline.com If you can, please consider making a donation to support Cacophony at Ko-fi.com. If you'd like particularly to support female composers leave an appropriate message!  Please share the podcast with everyone you think would enjoy this… Any contributions, shares and support most gratefully received! Come back for more next time. Thanks for listening!   Cacophony/ Women's World Cup of Classical Music logo created by Vanessa and Emmie Thomas.  

It's Cacophony… at the Women's Football World Cup! A glorious celebration of music from around the world, all written by women, and chosen specially for Cacophony by leading female musicians. Singer, Gabriella di Laccio is our guide to music by women from Brazil - a melting pot of traditions and cultures that ends up with music that sounds... Brazilian! Listening time: podcast 27mins, music playlist 20 mins The complete music is available in the YouTube playlist.   You can discover more about Gabriella di Laccio on her website: https://www.gabrielladilaccio.com; Donne - Women in Music, home of Gabriella's indispensable 'Big List' of Women composers is here at: https://donne-uk.org What do you think? Leave a comment or easy voice-message at Cacophonyonline.com   If you can, please consider making a donation to support Cacophony at Ko-fi.com. If you'd like particularly to support female composers, or sponsor Brazil - leave an appropriate message!  Please share the podcast with everyone you think would enjoy this... Any contributions, shares and support most gratefully received! Come back for more next time.   Thanks for listening!   Cacophony/ Women's World Cup of Classical Music logo created by Vanessa and Emmie Thomas.

It's Cacophony… at the Women's Football World Cup! A glorious celebration of music from around the world, all written by women, and chosen specially for Cacophony by leading female musicians. In this episode we turn to Canada, where Melissa Hui's selection is typically diverse with living composers who are first nations, Canadian born and immigrant. Melissa brings her thoughtfulness and insight to a playlist that might challenege our perceptions, but will leave us satisfied. Listening time: podcast 26mins, music playlist 31 mins The complete music is available in the YouTube playlist. You can discover more about Melissa and her music on her website: https://sites.google.com/view/melissahui/home What do you think? Leave a comment or easy voice-message at Cacophonyonline.com   If you can, please consider making a donation to support Cacophony at Ko-fi.com. If you'd like particularly to support female composers, or sponsor England - leave an appropriate message!  Please share the podcast with everyone you think would enjoy this... Any contributions, shares and support most gratefully received! Come back for more next time.   Thanks for listening!   Cacophony/ Women's World Cup of Classical Music logo created by Vanessa and Emmie Thomas.  

It's the Women's World Cup of Classical Music, Match Day 6! Each day the teams in the football matches are replaced by short pieces of music written by women from the countries. You listen and vote for your favourites!  It's a month long glorious celebration of music written by women from around the world.   TODAY: Colombia v Korean Republic New Zealand v Philippines Switzerland v Norway [Listening time: Podcast 2mins, music c24 mins]   Listen here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCXUbmBaA9OrxnpesXoo-wbjpuiF60u8d Vote here: https://forms.gle/NC1c7cybMyTUAkvd8 (opens in new window - we don't take any of your data… so it's just click to vote and click to send) Step 3: Support your favourites, support your country by telling your friends and sharing! Step 4: Explore further with Cacophony's interview with Swiss composer Katharina Nohl at https://www.cacophonyonline.com/2023/07/15/wwcswitzerland/  and others on the website too. Steps to infinity: Please share the podcast with someone you know, someone who you think would enjoy this, someone from one of the countries involved Share it on all your social media! Donate - if you're able to, please visit  https://ko-fi.com/cacophonyonline and make a small or large donation - why not sponsor a country! Thanks for listening, thanks for supporting! Come back next time!    

It's the Women's World Cup of Classical Music, Match Day 5! Each day the teams in the football matches are replaced by short pieces of music written by women from the countries. You listen and vote for your favourites!  It's a month long glorious celebration of music written by women from around the world.   TODAY: Brazil v Panama Italy v Argentina Germany v Morocco [Listening time: Podcast 2mins, music c22 mins]   Listen here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCXUbmBaA9Orv3XaYx7K39SP90ksEei5F Vote here: https://forms.gle/uhhANGRQJMFJsCJK8 (opens in new window - we don't take any of your data… so it's just click to vote and click to send) Step 3: Support your favourites, support your country by telling your friends and sharing! Steps to infinity: Please share the podcast with someone you know, someone who you think would enjoy this, someone from one of the countries involved Share it on all your social media! Dive deeper - explore Cacophony...at the Women's World Cup a series of podcast interviews with leading female musicians exploring creativity and music from their country written by women. Donate - if you're able to, please visit  https://ko-fi.com/cacophonyonline and make a small or large donation - why not sponsor a country! Thanks for listening, thanks for supporting! Come back next time!    

It's the Women's World Cup of Classical Music, Match Day 4! Each day the teams in the football matches are replaced by short pieces of music written by women from the countries. You listen and vote for your favourites!  It's a month long glorious celebration of music written by women from around the world.   TODAY: Netherlands v Portugal France v Jamaica  Sweden v South Africa   [Listening time: Podcast 2mins, music c17 mins]   Listen here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCXUbmBaA9Op7XgyLysHBoWlicYb2IkBE Vote here: https://forms.gle/BURQna3u1p63uNPa8 (opens in new window - we don't take any of your data… so it's just click to vote and click to send) Step 3: Support your favourites, support your country by telling your friends and sharing! Steps to infinity: Please share the podcast with someone you know, someone who you think would enjoy this, someone from one of the countries involved Share it on all your social media! Dive deeper - explore Cacophony...at the Women's World Cup a series of podcast interviews with leading female musicians exploring creativity and music from their country written by women. Donate - if you're able to, please visit  https://ko-fi.com/cacophonyonline and make a small or large donation - why not sponsor a country! Thanks for listening, thanks for supporting! Come back next time!    

It's Cacophony… at the Women's Football World Cup! A glorious celebration of music from around the world, all written by women, and chosen specially for Cacophony by leading female musicians. We shift the focus to England, with Roxanna Panufnik's choice of rich and satisfying pieces from a line up of stellar composers.   Listening time: podcast 20mins, music playlist 23 mins The complete music is available in the YouTube playlist.   You can discover more about Roxanna Panufnik on her website: https://roxannapanufnik.com What do you think? Leave a comment or easy voice-message at Cacophonyonline.com   If you can, please consider making a donation to support Cacophony at Ko-fi.com. If you'd like particularly to support female composers, or sponsor England - leave an appropriate message!  Please share the podcast with everyone you think would enjoy this... Any contributions, shares and support most gratefully received! Come back for more next time.   Thanks for listening!   Cacophony/ Women's World Cup of Classical Music logo created by Vanessa and Emmie Thomas.

It's the Women's World Cup of Classical Music, Match Day 3! Each day the teams in the football matches are replaced by short pieces of music written by women from the countries. You listen and vote for your favourites!  It's a month long glorious celebration of music written by women from around the world.   TODAY: Zambia v Japan England v Haiti Denmark v China USA v Vietnam   [Listening time: Podcast 2.5mins, music c29 mins]   Listen here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCXUbmBaA9OqnAojMz2DUSoMZqL4FKbzh Vote here: https://forms.gle/rDUm9bB3yJzejZkSA (opens in new window - we don't take any of your data… so it's just click to vote and click to send) Step 3: Support your favourites, support your country by telling your friends and sharing! Steps to infinity: Please share the podcast with someone you know, someone who you think would enjoy this, someone from one of the countries involved Share it on all your social media! Dive deeper - explore Cacophony...at the Women's World Cup a series of podcast interviews with leading female musicians exploring creativity and music from their country written by women. Donate - if you're able to, please visit https://ko-fi.com/cacophonyonline and make a small or large donation - why not sponsor a country! Thanks for listening, thanks for supporting! Come back next time!    

It's the Women's World Cup of Classical Music, Match Day 2! Each day the teams in the football matches are replaced by short pieces of music written by women from the countries. You listen and vote for your favourites!  It's a month long glorious celebration of music written by women from around the world.   TODAY: Nigeria & Canada Philippines & Switzerland Spain & Costa Rica.   [Listening time: Podcast 3mins, music 24 mins]   Listen here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCXUbmBaA9OoEmnU_pqIS5u8SJjYrtwJz Vote here: https://forms.gle/tAV4fUwBkjHXfYLG7 (opens in new window - we don't take any of your data… so it's just click to vote and click to send) Step 3: Support your favourites, support your country by telling your friends and sharing! Steps to infinity: Please share the podcast with someone you know, someone who you think would enjoy this, someone from one of the countries involved Share it on all your social media! Dive deeper - explore Cacophony...at the Women's World Cup a series of podcast interviews with leading female musicians exploring creativity and music from their country written by women. Donate - if you're able to, please visit https://ko-fi.com/cacophonyonline and make a small or large donation - why not sponsor a country! Thanks for listening, thanks for supporting! Come back next time!    

It's Cacophony… at the Women's Football World Cup! A glorious celebration of music from around the world, all written by women, and chosen specially for Cacophony by leading female musicians. Elena Kats-Chernin presents her choices of music from Australia - composers who all work hard and write music of vitality, invention, intensity and often fun! Listening time: podcast 24mins, music playlist 25 mins The music is available in the YouTube playlist   What do you think? Leave a comment or easy voice-message at Cacophonyonline.com The Women's World Cup of Classical Music is underway at www.cacophonyonline.com If you can, please consider making a donation to support Cacophony at Ko-fi.com. If you'd like particularly to support female composers, or sponsor Australia - leave an appropriate message!  Please share the podcast with everyone you think would enjoy this... Any contributions, shares and support most gratefully received! Come back for more next time.   Thanks for listening!   Cacophony/ Women's World Cup of Classical Music logo created by Vanessa and Emmie Thomas.

It's the Women's World Cup of Classical Music and it's Match Day 1. Each day the teams in the football matches are replaced by short pieces of music written by women from the countries. You listen and vote for your favourites!  It's a month long glorious celebration of music written by women from around the world.   TODAY: New Zealand & Norway Australia & Republic of Ireland   [Listening time: Podcast 3mins, music 12 mins]   Listen here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCXUbmBaA9Orj2ENFMutv-X1u6DO162hA Vote here: https://forms.gle/Z5TcK5xbGrjxQY3A9 (opens in new window - we don't take any of your data… so it's just click to vote and click to send) Step 3: Support your favourites, support your country by telling your friends and sharing! Steps to infinity: Please share the podcast with someone you know, someone who you think would enjoy this, someone from one of the countries involved Share it on all your social media! Dive deeper - explore Cacophony...at the Women's World Cup a series of podcast interviews with leading female musicians exploring creativity and music from their country written by women Donate - if you're able to, please visit https://ko-fi.com/cacophonyonline and make a small or large donation - why not sponsor a country! Thanks for listening, thanks for supporting! Come back next time!    

It's Cacophony… at the Women's Football World Cup! A glorious celebration of music from around the world, all written by women, and chosen specially for Cacophony by leading female musicians. In this epsiode, Inés Medina Fernández presents her choices of music from Spain, carefully chosen from accross the country and including including famous musical names we might know - but pieces we definitely won't!   Listening time: podcast 24mins, music playlist 20 mins The complete music is available in the YouTube playlist.   You can discover more about Inés Medina-Fernández on her website: https://www.inesmedinafernandez.com What do you think? Leave a comment or easy voice-message at Cacophonyonline.com   If you can, please consider making a donation to support Cacophony at Ko-fi.com. If you'd like particularly to support female composers, or sponsor Spain - leave an appropriate message!  Please share the podcast with everyone you think would enjoy this... Any contributions, shares and support most gratefully received! Come back for more next time.   Thanks for listening!   Cacophony/ Women's World Cup of Classical Music logo created by Vanessa and Emmie Thomas.

It's Cacophony… at the Women's Football World Cup! A glorious celebration of music from around the world, all written by women, and chosen specially for Cacophony by leading female musicians. This episode features music from the Netherlands and Marion von Tilzer's choices of music that gets us more connected. We'll hear how, when a performer is relaxed, it can be like being in the audience...or writing the music afresh, and why the Netherlands is famous for painters...but not composers... Listening time: podcast 21mins, music playlist29 mins The complete music is available in the YouTube playlist.   You can discover more about Marion von Tilzer on her website: https://marionvontilzer.com What do you think? Leave a comment or easy voice-message at Cacophonyonline.com   If you can, please consider making a donation to support Cacophony at Ko-fi.com. If you'd like particularly to support female composers, or sponsor The Netherlands - leave an appropriate message!  Please share the podcast with everyone you think would enjoy this... Any contributions, shares and support most gratefully received! Come back for more next time.   Thanks for listening!   Cacophony/ Women's World Cup of Classical Music logo created by Vanessa and Emmie Thomas.  

It's Cacophony …at the Women's Football World Cup! A glorious celebration of music from around the world, all written by women, and chosen specially for Cacophony by leading female musicians. This epsiode we hear top young composer, Sage Shurman, getting super excited - in a pretty chilled Californian kind of way - for both the World Cup football and her choices of pieces by living women American composers for the Women's World Cup of Classical Music. Can the USA win both? - That will be down to you to decide! Listening time: podcast 19mins, music playlist 16 mins The complete music is available in the YouTube playlist.   You can discover more about Sage Shurman on her website: http://sageshurman.com What do you think? Leave a comment or easy voice-message at Cacophonyonline.com   If you can, please consider making a donation to support Cacophony at Ko-fi.com. If you'd like particularly to support female composers, or sponsor the USA - leave an appropriate message! Please share the podcast with everyone you think would enjoy this - and come back for more next time.   Thanks for listening!   Cacophony/ Women's World Cup of Classical Music logo created by Vanessa and Emmie Thomas.  

It's Cacophony …at the Women's Football World Cup! A glorious celebration of music from around the world, all written by women, and chosen specially for Cacophony by leading female musicians. In this episode we hear from Katharina Nohl, founder of the Swiss Female Composers Festival, with her choices of music from Switzerland and how giving female composers greater exposure helps plant their music in the collective memory of society. The complete music is available in the YouTube playlist.   You can discover more about Katharina Nohl on her website: https://www.katharina-nohl.ch What do you think? Leave a comment or easy voice-message at Cacophonyonline.com     If you can, please consider making a donation to support Cacophony at Ko-fi.com. If you'd like particularly to support female composers, or sponsor Switzerland - leave an appropriate message! Please share the podcast with everyone you think would enjoy this - and come back for more next time.   Thanks for listening!   Cacophony/ Women's World Cup of Classical Music logo created by Vanessa and Emmie Thomas.  

By turns grand and genial with moments of great inventiveness and wit, Louise Farrenc's Nonet for wind and strings is a bit of magic! Listening time 37 mins (podcast 7', music 30') Music here on Youtube, Spotify, Amazon and Apple Musics (tracks 7-10) played by the Intercontinental Ensemble with tons of style and (unlike some of the other recordings) totally in tune! You can buy the recording as a download from Presto music: https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/9312834--arc   Thanks to Emmie for timely-making of a giant daisy chain! What do you think? Tell me with a comment at www.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!

Meeting his boss's insatiable desire for new content 'forced' [his word] Joseph Haydn to write original, inventive music that sounds as fresh and full of life today as when it was written. And he wrote so much great music that I only heard this piano trio for the first time this week - and it's wonderful stuff. Listening time 19 mins (podcast 6', music 13')   The music is here, played by the incomparable Beaux Arts Trio on Youtube and Spotify. If you're listening on Apple or Amazon you need a link for each movement/ track: Amazon mvt 1 / Amazon mvt 2 Apple mvt 1/ Apple mvt 2   You can buy a recording of the piece as a high-quality download for a couple of quid here at Presto Music. Be sure to get the right one - the full title of the piece is: Haydn: Piano Trio No. 19 in F, Hob.XV:6   What do you think? Tell me with a comment at www.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!

110 years ago in Paris, Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring caused a furore and changed music forever. Did the police have to be called? It's still a piece that shocks and stuns and is filled with something amazing every second. Listening time c45 mins (podcast, 12', Music 33')   Music here on Spotify, Amazon and Apple Music played by the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie with conductor, Peter Eötvös. You can buy the recording or stream it too at Presto Music   There are plenty of video performances on Youtube. I like this one, played by the Orchestre philharmonique de Radio France with Mikko Franck. The TV director really captures the personalities in the orchestra and gets in nice and close. What do you think? Tell me with a comment at www.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!

A rarity from Wales (a Welsh rare-bit?), Grace Williams's orchestral piece Penillion surprises, delights and has an epic grandeur. It's terrific stuff and I think you'll love it! Listening time 25 mins (podcast, 7', Music 18')   Music here on Youtube played by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales conducted by Owain Arwel Hughes What do you think? Tell me with a comment at www.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!

Another great, short piece, here's the first of Joan Tower's Fanfares celebrating risk-taking and adventurous women. This is both celebratory and substantial, plus a workout for brass and percussion. Listening time 8 mins (podcast 5.5', music 2.5') Listen to the music, Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman No.1, here on Youtube, Spotify, Apple Music or Amazon music played by the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra conducted by Leonard Slatkin. You can buy a recording of the piece here at Prestomusic.com (but you have to scroll all the way to the end of a long track listing)   On Youtube you can watch the work's dedicatee, Marin Alsop conduct this alongside Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man. And here there's a nice interview with Joan Tower - she seems like a fun person! Copland's Fanfare was featured last time on Cacophony. Stravinsky's Petrushka was episode 138.   What do you think? Tell me with a comment at www.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!  

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!    

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!

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!

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!

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!    

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!

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!  

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, 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!    

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!  

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!          

Music that seems to conjure all the tastes, smells and senses of Spain - or my expectations of them (as someone who's hardly been there): Spanish dances for piano by Enrique Granados. Perfect music if you just want to feel warmer, but it's also an opportunity to bask (Basque? [sorry]) in some gloriously wistful melancholy that seems to underpin all six of these pieces. Somehow it's not a melancholy that makes one feel sad - it seems as uplifting and nourishing as the warm sun on a cold winter's day. Listening time 12 mins plus music 25'. The music is here in full, played by Alicia de Larrocha on Youtube, Spotify, and links to the album on Apple Music and Amazon. Alicia de Larrocha was one of the great interpreters of Spanish music. These pieces haven't been recorded by many pianists, but de Larrocha did more than once. The recordings linked above are available to buy as high-quality downloads from Presto Music. You can also get her earlier recording (pretty much as good, maybe with slightly less good sound) and it's cheaper if you buy the whole album not individual tracks (a bit of care is required with your basket!).   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!      

Not the World Cup was a "glorious celebration of classical and world music" that ran alongside a small men's football competition in late 2022. Each team in each game of the football was represented by a short piece of (largely classical) music - 110 pieces in all from 107 composers (including 41 pieces by women): loads of great music and loads of new discoveries. I got together with my friend the conductor and writer Lev Parikian to pick some highlights and talk about a few of the things we learnt - about music, about how we listen and how it makes us feel. Listening time 41 mins. Here's a Youtube playlist of our favourite things of all from Not the World Cup and a playlist of everything that was clipped in the episode.   What do you think? Let me know with a comment at cacophonyonline.com. I'd love to hear from you!   You can learn more about Lev Parikian, his books, gigs, writing, nature projects, etc., at: https://levparikian.com and also on Substack & Twitter.   It's a fluid conversation but things break down a bit like this: 01:56 Wistful piano pieces and surprise winners [Music by Dolores Castegnaro, Enrique Granados, Julio Fonseca] 04:30 Giving things a chance/ deciding quickly this isn't for you/ music that transports you/ powerful openings [Iris Szeghy, Karl Jenkins, John Williams] 08:16 Curation - contrasts and similarities [Hector Villa Lobos, Arthur Honegger, Reena Esmail, Kamancheh music played by Narges Dehghani, Sufi music from the group Hadarrattes Souiriyattes] 11:45 Universal music in a world of nationalism, colonialism, borders and nationality 16:10 Strange new worlds: non-western music to western ears and sensibilities -  Korea Republic and Africa [M. Birvaa, Unsuk Chin, Anne-Marie Nzie] 21:27 Moods and complexity: Joy, sadness and sheer energy [John Adams, ND Jobins balafon music] 24:49 Authenticity and craft [Astor Piazzolla, Dana al Fardan] 26:28 Biases, choosing pieces from classical music's ‘big players' & pre-conceptions [Orlande de Lassus, Hector Berlioz, Johann Sebastian Bach] 32:55 Music that's not by white guys and a Mayer detour 34:48 The final matches and final thoughts [Felix Mendelssohn, Eddie Mora, José Pablo Moncayo, Gabriela Ortiz]   The Cacophony episode on Emilie Mayer's 7th symphony, which excited Lev so much, can be found here.   ALL the music from the epic NWC adventure can be found by exploring the Cacophony website. ...and some of the pieces discussed have their own 'normal' Cacophony podcast episodes where they're discussed in a bit more depth: Felix Mendelssohn: Symphony No.3, "Scottish" (the 'winner' for Germany)  Maurice Ravel: Mother Goose suite ('should' have been the winner...) Reena Esmail: Darshan John Adams: Short ride in a fast machine John Williams: Olympic fanfare and theme   Cacophony podcast episodes are normally released on the 10th, 20th and 30th of each month. It's a podcast bringing you great music that you may or may not know, but I think you'll love, all aimed at helping us Hear more, feel more and 'be' more! All at www.cacophonyonline.com or direct to your podcast player at bit.ly/cacolink   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!      

An extraordinary, ambitious, blend of art and science, Johanes Kepler's Harmony of the World is a 17th century attempt to understand what the then known universe sounded like - on a planetary level! In the 1970s, using the latest technology Professors Willie Ruff and John Rodgers were able to make Kepler's Harmony into music - an extended piece of electronica, hypnotic and thought provoking. Launched to great acclaim, Harmony of the World was then included on the famous Voyager spacecraft Gold Records, an explainer-for-aliens of earth and its people, currently somewhere in interstellar space! Prof Ruff tells the story with Dr Simon Clark alongside me to explain the science and what it all means. There's more from the great Willie Ruff on his website Listening time: 25mins+ (podcast 23', Harmony of the World up to 45') Harmony of the World is here on Youtube.   There's a comprehensive website on the Voyager missions which includes loads of interesting information on the Gold Record: https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov Simon Clark's podcast The Wikicast is available on all major podcast hosts and his science videos are on his Youtube channel   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!     Photo credit: NASA/ JPL      

This is a brief announcement to tell you about Not the World Cup of (largely) classical music, which is running during the football world cup as a complement or alternative. It's lots of fun and you can find it on the Cacophony Youtube   or at cacophonyonline.com  https://www.youtube.com/@cacophonypodcast Please listen, please vote, please share!  

Urbane sophistication mixes with poetry and drama in Clara Schumann's Piano Trio, her biggest piece from a small catalogue of great music. Better known in recent times as the wife of Robert Schumann, it was Clara who was an international star as the leading pianist of their day. It was composing, though, that brought her the greatest joy and her music is full of deep inspiration and honesty. Listening time 38 mins (podcast 13', music 25')   Music here on Youtube, Spotify and (links to track 1 only:) Apple Music & Amazon Music played by the Beaux Arts Trio. You can buy this classic recording as a download here. There are plenty of other recordings but notably in the last few weeks one from tip-top violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter and friends. If you like the piece, check it out too. She emphasises the drama over the classy ease and sophistication.   What do you think? Let me know with an easy voicemail or comment at Cacophonyonline.com, Facebook or Twitter, if it still exists!   If you'd like to support Cacophony there are easy, great, ways: - share this episode with someone you know - share the 100 second trailer - send us a little something or make a regular payment at ko-fi.com - subscribe/ review and keep listening!   Thanks for listening!      

Brand new old music in this episode: a great forgotten symphony by a composer forgotten for around 150 years, Emilie Mayer. It's memorable, tuneful and inventive - a real discovery! Listening time 48' total (podcast 13', Music 35') Music here on Youtube, Spotify and Amazon Music played on a brand new recording by the NDR Radiophilharmonie Orchestra conducted by Jan Willem de Vriend. You can buy this brand new recording as a download here.   What do you think? Let me know with an easy voicemail or comment at Cacophonyonline.com, Facebook or Twitter.   If you'd like to support Cacophony there are easy, great, ways: - share this episode with someone you know - share the 100 second trailer - send us a little something or make a regular payment at ko-fi.com - subscribe/ review and keep listening!   Thanks for listening!  

Terror, excitement and delight - all there in handfuls as Carl Maria von Weber takes us into the depths of the forest for a folk tale of magic, sorcery,  love, good and evil. One of my long time favourites and a brave new world for German opera in Der Fresichütz ("The Free-shooter"). Are you brave enough to go down to the woods today? Listening time, c20mins (podcast 9', music 10') Performances here on Youtube, Spotify, Amazon and Apple Music with the Dresden Staatskapelle conducted by Carlos Kleiber. If you like it, you can buy it as a high quality download here.    I don't generally like hacking big chunks from an opera, but the Wolf's Glen scene is quite something and worth a listen on its own. It's 15 or so minutes: Caspar goes down to the glen, summons Samiel (some sort of satanic spirit) and makes the deal for the bullets. Max comes to join him - he's fearful and plagued by a vision of Agathe, Caspar somehow convinces him to stay and the seven bullets are forged in the magic fire amid increasing terror and desperation. It's all in German, but the only words you need to know are the numbers 1-7 (eins, zwei, drei, vier, fünf, sechs, sieben) and help - hilf! Spotify or Youtube links here. There's a hyper-real movie version which is quite gruesome and almost manages to do Weber's requested special effects justice.   What do you think? Let me know with an easy voicemail or comment at Cacophonyonline.com, Facebook or Twitter.   If you'd like to support Cacophony there are easy, great, ways: - share this episode with someone you know - share the 100 second trailer - send us a little something or make a regular payment at ko-fi.com - subscribe/ review and keep listening!   Thanks for listening!  

At a time when everything seemed on the brink and the old ways no longer looked fit for purpose, Anton Webern was part of a musical revolution - giving us new ways of hearing music and seeing the world. His six pieces for large orchestra are whole worlds compressed into a few minutes of bleak beauty, terrifying dissonance and even more disturbing silence. It's compelling. Listening time 22 mins (podcast 9', music 13') Performances here on Youtube, Spotify, (and links to track 1 of 6 on) Amazon and Apple Music with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and Pierre Boulez. If you like it, you can buy it as a high quality download here. It's the Six Pieces for orchestra, op.6 If you like to see your performers then the Berlin Phil played this at the BBC Proms in London a few years back conducted by Simon Rattle and you can watch it here on Youtube. (It's 1:32:00 to 1:44:40) (The whole concert is excellent and takes us on a Wagner-Strauss-Schoenberg-Webern-Berg Journey)   What do you think? Let me know with an easy voicemail or comment at Cacophonyonline.com, Facebook or Twitter.   If you'd like to support Cacophony there are easy, great, ways: - share this episode with someone you know - share the 100 second trailer - send us a little something or make a regular payment at ko-fi.com - subscribe/ review and keep listening!   Thanks for listening!

Mozart's music is brilliant, right? Even people who claim to know nothing about music say that. Well, it's true! In this Divertimento the 16 year-old Mozart really hits the spot with a piece of perfection, delight and joie de vivre. It's one of the pieces where Mozart moves from young prodigy to straight out master. Listening time: 20 mins (podcast 5', music 14') Performances here on Youtube, Spotify, (and links to track 1 of 3 on) Amazon and Apple Music with Manchester Camerata conducted by Gábor Takács-Nagy. If you like it, you can buy it as a high quality download here for about £3.  If you like to see your performers having a great time, at the same time as playing with total commitment and verve, check out the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra with Pekka Kuusisto on YouTube video.   What do you think? Let me know with an easy voicemail or comment at Cacophonyonline.com, Facebook or Twitter.   If you'd like to support Cacophony there are easy, great, ways: - share this episode with someone you know - share the 100 second trailer - send us a little something at ko-fi.com - subscribe/ review and keep listening!   Thanks for listening!

Perhaps the shortest music that will ever feature on Cacophony, Eternal source of light divine is three beautiful and brilliant minutes of Handel, setting us up for the day as effectively as any yoga routine (though you can do that too of course)! It's a quietly awe-filled salute to the sun. Listening time: 10 mins (podcast 6', music 4') Performances here on Youtube, Spotify, Amazon and Apple Music sung by Iestyn Davies, with Crispian Steele-Perkins on trumpet and The King's Consort conducted by Robert King. If you like it, you can buy a recording as a high quality download here. The whole album is terrific.   What do you think? Let me know with an easy voicemail or comment at Cacophonyonline.com, Facebook or Twitter.   If you'd like to support Cacophony there are easy, great, ways: - share this episode with someone you know - share the 100 second trailer - send us a little something at ko-fi.com - subscribe/ review and keep listening!   Thanks for listening!

In his Cello Suites, JS Bach catapulted the instrument into the solo spotlight and discovered new worlds of sound and possibilities, full of riches to explore. Nominally it's dance music but its depth and beauty bring us stillness and solace.  Listening time: 25 mins (podcast 7', music 18') Performances here on Youtube, Spotify and Apple Music (whole album link) played by the wonderful David Watkin. If you like it, you can buy a recording as a high quality download here. The proper title for the piece is: JS Bach: Cello Suite no. 1 in G, BWV1007   What do you think? Let me know with an easy voicemail or comment at Cacophonyonline.com, Facebook or Twitter.   If you'd like to support Cacophony there are easy, great, ways: - share this episode with someone you know - share the 100 second trailer - send us a little something at ko-fi.com - subscribe/ review and keep listening!   Thanks for listening!  

Carrying a fragile flower whilst walking a tightrope. Finding the balance between beauty and chaos. Being pulled along by forces outside of our control. On Cacophony we talk about 'diving into great music': Anna Thorvaldsdottir's Metacosmos might be the biggest dive yet - into a black hole! Universal and yet personal, her music is distinctive, compelling, moving and profound. Listening time: 23 mins (podcast 9', music 14') Performances here on Youtube (with video), Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp played by the Iceland Symphony Orchestra conducted by Daníel Bjarnason.   What do you think? Let me know with an easy voicemail or comment at Cacophonyonline.com, Facebook or Twitter.   If you'd like to support Cacophony there are easy, great, ways: - share this episode with someone you know - share the 100 second trailer - send us a little something at ko-fi.com - subscribe/ review and keep listening!   Thanks for listening!  

With the wonders of our imagination and some great music to help, all things are possible - so let's enjoy the views from the top of a mountain: leaving the house (or even getting out of bed) is entirely optional. Richard Strauss takes us over the top (in every sense) in his epic, excessive, exuberant Alpine Symphony, with great views and plenty of thrills but also moments that inspire deeper contemplation on the glories of nature. It's a trip you don't want to miss. Listening time: 62 mins (Podcast, 11', music 51')   In 1982 Herbert von Karajan conducted An Alpine Symphony with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. It was the first thing to be put on cd, and those who know these things maintain that it's still one of the best: Links here to performances on Youtube, Spotify and Apple Music . If you can, try to listen without adverts, which are particularly interrupting in this piece! If you like to see huge orchestras in action, there are good films performances on youtube. I like the Oslo Philharmonic with Vasily Petrenko and the WDR Symphony and Semyon Bychkov. Picture credit: Thanks to Melanie Stefan for providing the picture, it's the Alps in France, as seen from the Charmant Som in the Chartreuse Mountains.   What do you think? Let me know with an easy voicemail or comment at Cacophonyonline.com, Facebook or Twitter.   If you'd like to support Cacophony there are easy, great, ways: - share this episode with someone you know - share the 100 second trailer - buy us a cuppa at ko-fi.com - subscribe/ review and keep listening!   Thanks for listening!  

Brilliant and meaningful, North by Southwest may have been the initial name for Billy Strayhorn's Suite for The Duo, a brilliant, late work for horn and piano: it's a title that suggests confusion and conflicting ideas about the dying composers direction of travel. It's a great piece: virtuosic but raw and written with a total understanding of both horn and piano and what they can do. It's a longer episode than normal because (amazingly) I was able to speak with Willie Ruff, the horn player for whom it was written. Willie, now in his nineties, joined me from his home in Alabama and he talked about his life and career, the Mitchell-Ruff duo, Strayhorn and how Suite for The Duo came to life. Listening time 37 mins (podcast 25', music 12')   The Suite for The Duo can be found here on Apple Music, Youtube and Spotify.   Other music clips in the episode: Take the A-Train [Strayhorn], All the things you are [Jerome Kern], Serenade for tenor, horn and strings [Benjamin Britten]   Willieruff.com has further info on Willie as well as links to buy this and other recordings on cd and his biography A Call to Assembly. Another episode of Cacophony will feature more from Willie in due course!   Are you a horn player or fab pianist? You can buy the sheet music for the Suite too. Get this in your repertoire! (Be sure to buy parts 1-4, the other edition is incomplete.)   What do you think? Let me know with an easy voicemail or comment at Cacophonyonline.com, Facebook or Twitter.   If you'd like to support Cacophony there are easy, great, ways: - share this episode with someone you know - share the 100 second trailer - buy us a cuppa at ko-fi.com - subscribe/ review and keep listening!   Thanks for listening!   Photo credit: Vincent Oneppo (pic from WillieRuff.com)

Heat, danger, emptiness and space. Plenty of all of this in Peter Sculthorpe's excellent Kakadu - inspired by northern Australia but featuring universal themes of humanity, life, death, and timelessness.  Listening time c22 minutes (podcast 6', music 16') Music here: on Youtube, on Spotify or Apple Music played by the Queensland Orchestra, conducted by Michael Christie with William Barton on didgeridoo.  You can buy this recording as a download here (though you have to buy a whole album, but this recording is the one that I think does best justice to the piece and gives the didgeridoo proper prominence). What do you think? Let me know with an easy voicemail or comment at Cacophonyonline.com, Facebook or Twitter.   If you'd like to support Cacophony there are easy, great, ways: - share this episode - share the 100 second trailer - buy us a cuppa at ko-fi.com - subscribe/ review and keep listening!   Thanks for listening!