Sticky Notes: The Classical Music Podcast

There are composers whose influence outstrips their popularity. The Baroque composer Heinrich Schutz falls into this group, due to his total focus on writing sacred vocal music. But for those who know...

Bartok's Music for Strings Percussion and Celeste is a perfect encapsulation of Bartok's musical output. Each movement provides us with a magnifying glass into some of the qualities that made Bartok o...

Arrangements of Bach's music have been happening essentially since his music was "rediscovered" by Mendelssohn in the 19th century. But Mozart and Beethoven arranged Bach's music too, and Bach himself...

Mendelssohn was only 20 years old when he wrote to his friend Karl Klingemann: "...I am going to Scotland, with a rake for folk songs, an ear for the lovely, fragrant countryside, and a heart for the ...

Rachmaninoff's music is often described as many different kinds of chocolate cake, but this piece, if it's chocolatey at all, would be that 85% dark chocolate - more bitter than sweet. It might be Rac...

In 1956, Dmitri Shostakovich wrote: "I am now writing my 11th symphony, dedicated to the First Russian Revolution...I would like in this work to reflect the soul of the people who first paved the way ...

Wagner is probably the most admired AND the most reviled composer in Western Classical Music history. I've always been uncomfortable with Wagner's music, so I decided to sit down with the wonderful co...

Elgar told us all about how the inspiration for his first great success: "I began to play, and suddenly my wife interrupted by saying: "Edward, that's a good tune!... 'What is that?' I answered, 'Noth...

Almost everyone classical music fan has a memory of the first time they saw Fantasia. The brilliant combination of music and visuals made lifelong classical music fans out of millions of people. There...

It's 1905 and you've just come to the premiere of Debussy's La Mer. The orchestra begins playing, and a magical and completely unique journey begins. Gone are the peaceful and placid portrayals of wat...