It is hard to believe we’ve reached 100 episodes of our podcast, Classical Breakdown. When we began in 2019 this milestone seemed so far away, but now that it’s here, it’s time to look back at how far we’ve come and see where we’re headed!
Alongside you, I’ve learned something new and different from each and every episode. What I particularly love to learn when talking about composers is their day-to-day lives. Not so much what they were composing, but what they were doing, and what was going on around them? I try to find the similarities, the difficulties, the mundane things, the things that have been overlooked, and these details are often tucked away in the letters they wrote, how they maintained relationships, and the music they chose (or chose not) to compose. The more I learn about them, the more I see their qualities in the people around us.
It’s also been great to get an uncommon up-close look at some of the instruments of the orchestra and the musicians who play them. Everyone has a different story as to how they came to their instrument, but we also find the similarities, not just between them, but with musicians from centuries past we’ve talked and learned about in the past 99 episodes. Part of the reason that explains this is that musicians are taught with passed-down knowledge and experience from centuries of teachers and practices (it isn’t that hard to trace a musician back to a great teacher or composer). It makes me wonder what things, even mundane, we are doing that musicians and listeners centuries into the future will be influenced by.
All of this comes together in episodes where we look at and break down works like symphonies, concertos, and others. Music from the past is a distinct product of its time and place, sometimes served a different purpose, and quite often is from an entirely different culture altogether. How we hear this music today isn’t necessarily how it was heard and interpreted in the past. My hope is to present these works in a way that helps you hear things new or differently than before and to help build your own listening skills so that you recognize more of these details in the future. But most importantly, I hope it encourages you to listen and connect to more music, and I hope you are motivated to search for more in this big world of music.
Looking ahead, we have more instruments to learn about (is National Recorder Day coming up??), and an endless supply of composers and works to discuss.
WETA Passport
Stream tens of thousands of hours of your PBS and local favorites with WETA Passport whenever and wherever you want. Catch up on a single episode or binge-watch full seasons before they air on TV.