Classical Breakdown

John Banther takes classical music fans behind the scenes with interviews, deep dives, and analysis. Episodes released bi-weekly on Tuesdays. Produced by WETA Classical in Washington, D.C.

Episodes

  • Recommended summer listening

    Recommended summer listening

    Episode 24 June 30, 2020

    Expand your musical palate with music found in an attic in 2009, new interpretations of Beethoven and Franck, and an instrument you've probably never heard before.
  • Haydn's lost cello concerto and its rediscovery

    Haydn's lost cello concerto and its rediscovery

    Episode 22 June 2, 2020

    Haydn's 1st cello concerto was lost for 200 years and is now considered one of the greatest cello concertos of the 18th century. Dr. Greenwald tells us how music can go missing, we examine musical examples that set this concerto apart, and we enjoy a full performance!
  • Debussy's La Mer - Part 3

    Debussy's La Mer - Part 3

    Episode 20 May 5, 2020

    Debussy's La Mer is as imaginative and playful as it was in 1905, and while the original audience wasn't as receptive, it's become an orchestra staple over the last century. The final movement is called "Dialogue du vent et de la mer" (Dialogue of the Wind and the Sea) and features a theme originating in the oboe. We'll hear from Nicholas Stovall, Principal Oboe of the National Symphony Orchestra, on what this passage means to him and why he had to play it during Principal Flute auditions.
  • Debussy's La Mer - Part 2

    Debussy's La Mer - Part 2

    Episode 19 April 21, 2020

    The trumpet shines through in Jeux de Vagues, (Play of the Waves), the second movement of Debussy's La mer. This is part 2 of our 3 part series on Debussy's enchanting orchestral work, La Mer.
  • Debussy's La Mer - Part 1

    Debussy's La Mer - Part 1

    Episode 18 April 7, 2020

    An orchestral staple today, this work about "the sea" wasn't well received at it's premiere. Audiences may have expected a Strauss-esque symphonic poem to bring the sea to life, but Debussy was more interested in the abstract. This is part 1 of our 3 part series on Debussy's enchanting orchestral work, La Mer.
  • The Life and Music of Amy Beach, an American pioneer

    The Life and Music of Amy Beach, an American pioneer

    Episode 16 March 10, 2020

    She was America's first woman composer to have a symphony performed by a major orchestra and the first American composer fully educated in the United States. She was praised and recognized but her journey to success was an uphill battle with obstacles and challenges.
  • Haydn's final London Symphony

    Haydn's final London Symphony

    Episode 15 February 25, 2020

    Let's go on a musical deep dive of Haydn's final symphony. With musical examples we can breakdown Sonata Form, hear influences of other composers, and folk song!
  • What is a Symphony? Part 2

    What is a Symphony? Part 2

    Episode 14 February 11, 2020

    Beethoven changed all ideas and expectations about the Symphony. Bill Bukowski joins me as we figure out what happened to the symphony after Beethoven through the 21st century.
  • The life of Mozart

    The life of Mozart

    Episode 13 January 28, 2020

    Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's life was kind of complicated. His childhood as a musical prodigy was filled with practicing, writing music, and performing for royalty throughout Europe. He later struggled at times finding suitable employment and wanted to find his own path. It was a life lived under the watchful eye of his father, Leopold Mozart, and cut short at the age of 35.