The Music Listening Project

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In these podcasts I talk to musicians and listeners about what they are hearing in the music that touches and moves them.

The Music Listening Project


    • Sep 28, 2022 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 20m AVG DURATION
    • 36 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from The Music Listening Project

    Brahms Violin Concerto

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 28, 2022 21:25


    Mark and Matthew listen to the first movement of Brahms' violin concerto and discover that, at heart, its depth and richness lies in the organic development of simple, musical ideas.

    The Italian Symphony – Mendelssohn

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 5, 2022 22:26


    The opening pizzicato – the cork pops on a bottle of Prosecco – the brilliant Italian sunshine reveals the exquisite detail of Mendelssohn's mastery.

    Beethoven's Symphony No. 7, 1st Movement

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 11, 2022 21:20


    Mark listens to the first movement of Beethoven 7th Symphony with the conductor, Matthew Jones. What does it mean to hear a work for the first time?

    What's going on at the beginning of the last movement of Beethoven's Ninth?

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 29, 2021 19:22


    In this podcast, I unpack the narrative that forms the opening of the Ninth Symphony's Finale, as Beethoven searches for "joyful sounds," a tune we can all sing – the Ode to Joy.

    A sublime slow movement: Beethoven A minor Quartet, No. 15

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 22, 2020 15:56


    The slow movement of the A minor quartet is profound–but somehow difficult to discover without careful listening.

    Schubert and broken hearted lovers, a "Winter's Journey"

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 11, 2020 10:43


    In this podcast, I explore ways in which Schubert uses music in the first song of his cycle, "Winter's Journey," to give the lyrics an angle, rather like a film score gives a scene an angle. The singer is Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau with Gerald Moore on the Piano.

    Dylan Goes Electric

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 5, 2020 11:34


    This is a podcast produced for a music class at Humber College. It speaks to Bob Dylan's switch, in Bringing It All Back Home, from purely acoustic instruments to the introduction of the electric guitar: from folk to folk rock.

    Liszt's "Les Preludes"

    Play Episode Listen Later May 1, 2020 15:16


    First impressions of Liszt's symphonic poem, "Les Preludes:" the story of development.

    Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 24, 2020 15:52


    Mark talks about the paradoxical relationship between the piano and orchestra in the opening movement of Brahms' 2nd piano concerto.

    Please Please Me: what makes the Beatles different

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 5, 2020 11:33


    This is a podcast I created for a course I teach in music. In it I explore what sets the Beatles apart from their contemporaries in their first no. 1 hit.

    Elvis's Mystery Train: Cover or New Song?

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 3, 2020 11:23


    I made this podcast for my "musical pioneers" class at Humber College. In it I compare Herman Junior Parker's original song, Mystery Train, released in 1953 with Presley's version released in 1955.

    Shostakovich's 10th Symphony

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 29, 2020 21:29


    Mark is joined by Matthew, conductor of the EPO, to discuss musical development in the 1st movement of Shostakovich's 10th symphony: the composer's treatment of "dance," the conversation between simultaneous musical lines and the way the composer transforms melodies.

    Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 22, 2020 15:17


    In his 1812 overture, Tchaikovsky tells the story of Napoleon's advance to, and retreat from Moscow, and the final victory of the Russians. He uses hymns, national anthems and folk songs to represent the main events. Mark asks whether it is the story that makes this music so compelling or the development of the musical materials themselves.

    Bach, the baroque and the bass line

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 16, 2020 9:41


    This podcast was recorded for a music appreciation class for non musicians at Humber college. In line with the Etobicoke Philharmonic Orchestra's upcoming "discovery" concert, it locates the baroque period in the broad history of western art music and focuses on Bach's "Erbarme Dich" from the St. Matthew Passion to illustrate the tension between the bass and soprano lines in baroque music.

    Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 4

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 10, 2019 13:49


    Some thoughts on the driving rhythm and interweaving motives of Bach's 4th Brandenburg Concerto.

    White Christmas Time (the good and the . . . well, not so good)

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 8, 2019 14:29


    In a departure from the western art music genre, Mark contemplates the depth (or not) of Paul McCartney's "Wonderful Christmas Time" and Otis Redding's "White Christmas."

    Elgar's Enigma Variations

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 13, 2019 19:09


    Mark Listens to Edward Elgar's Enigma Variations, tracing its connection to Hans Zimmer's soundtrack to Dunkirk

    Stravinsky Firebird Suite (1919)

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 16, 2019 22:24


    Mark listens with Matthew to Stravinsky's Firebird suite and discovers how Stravinsky creates a musical image of the story presented in dance

    Brahms Sextet in Bb major

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 18, 2019 27:12


    Mark listens with violist Lea Kerstein, member of the folk-pop duo, Citizen Jane, to the first movement of Brahms' wonderful Bb major sextet op. 18, played here by the Stuttgart Soloists.

    Wagner's Prelude to Tristan and Isolde

    Play Episode Listen Later May 2, 2019 26:20


    Mark and Mark discuss the nature of irresolvable desire and the famous "Tristan Chord" in Wagner's Prelude with the assistance of Wilhlem Fürtwangler and the Philharmonia's 1955 recording.

    Mahler 4 – the final movement

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 29, 2019 21:40


    Mark listens together with the Canadian soprano, Betty Waynne Allison, to Bernstein's 1960 performance of the final movement of Mahler's fourth symphony (soprano Reri Grist) and reflects on the way Mahler paints a pastoral, yet disturbing, picture of a "child's view of heaven."

    Mahler's Fourth Symphony, Movement 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 20, 2019 30:01


    Mark and Matthew listen to The Philharmonia's 1957 recording of the first movement of Mahler's 4th symphony, conducted by Paul Kletzki, discovering the tension between the grace, beauty and simplicity of its dancelike themes and the metronomic insistence of its accompanying motives.

    The fourth movement of Brahms 3rd Symphony

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 21, 2019 26:54


    Mark listens with Professor Brady Polka to Brahms' third symphony and learns about Brahms' ability to evoke both a sense of completeness and continual development.

    Schumann's Piano Concerto

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 12, 2019 28:52


    Mark listens to Rudolf Serkin's performance of Schumann's piano concerto in A minor, together with the renowned Canadian concert pianist, Arthur Ozolins.

    Brahms' 3rd Symphony

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 2, 2019 27:03


    Mark listens to Klemperer's recording of the first movement of Brahms' 3rd Symphony together with Matthew Jones, conductor of the Etobicoke Philharmonic, focussing on the composer's use of rhythmic displacement and resolution

    Mozart's D minor Piano Concerto

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 15, 2019 24:01


    Mark and Mark listen to the opening of Mozart's D minor piano concerto recorded by Jan Lisiecki, Christian Zacharias and the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks

    Prokofiev's Lieutenant Kîjé

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 4, 2019 36:29


    Mark and Matthew discuss Prokofiev's music, written to illustrate the strange tale of the fictional Lieutenant in Tzar Paul 1st's court – one of the first movie soundtracks.

    Vivaldi's Winter

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 1, 2019 27:08


    Mark and Mark listen closely to a recording of the first movement of Vivaldi's concerto, Winter, from "The Four Seasons" with Alan Loveday (violin) and The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, conducted by Neville Marriner. They compare it, briefly, to a recording by a British ensemble, Red Priest.

    Sibelius's Violin Concerto

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 22, 2019 27:28


    EPO concertmaster Mark Whale, listens with fellow Humber Professor, Mark Reczkiewicz, to part of the first movement of the Finnish composer, Jean Sibelius's violin concerto in D minor.

    Dvorak Symphony No. 8 in G major

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 17, 2019 24:03


    Mark listens together with the EPO's new conductor, Matthew Jones, to a recording by the Baltimore Symphony orchestra and Marin Alsop.

    Beethoven's Eroica Symphony

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 10, 2019 32:03


    Was Beethoven a revolutionary? Mark Whale and Matthew Jones, the Etobicoke Philharmonic Orchestra's conductor, listen closely to Beethoven's Eroica symphony to try to discover what the composer's revolution was.

    Tuttifantchen

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 6, 2019 13:52


    Mark and Mark talk about Paul Hindemith's incidental music to the Christmas fairy tale, nutcracker-like, Tuttifantchen.

    Sleigh Bells

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 5, 2019 19:58


    Join Mark and Jeff, the EPO's percussionist, in an intriguing discussion about the use of sleigh bells in the sleigh rides of Mozart, Delius and Anderson.

    Talking about Stevie Wonder's "Sir Duke"

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 28, 2017 18:03


    In this podcast, I talk to my brother, musician and teacher Rob Whale, about what it is that makes Stevie Wonder's song, "Sir Duke" at once "popular" and original. Transcript https://docs.google.com/document/d/13SieJvJg4R3cvJt9Cu7nodx_taPd0cYp36c4xfLFbuk/edit?usp=sharing

    Why is Bach's St. Matthew Passion relevant today?

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 15, 2017 13:50


    In this short podcast I listen to opening music of Bach's St. Matthew Passion, performed by John Eliot Gardiner and the Monteverdi Choir with the English Baroque Soloist, and offer one possible answer to the question of why a piece written in German, 300 years ago, in celebration of Christianity, is 'worth listening to" by non-Christian, non-German speaking people, today.

    Jonathan Crow on Walton and Heifetz

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 21, 2017 26:56


    Jonathan Crow, concertmaster of the TSO, listens with me to Heifetz's recording of Walton's violin concerto and shares his insight into the connection between the composition and Heifetz's distinctive sound.

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