Capital Public Radio: Conpod

In 1820, a little known composer and violinist named Nicolo Paganini published a collection of virtuoso solo pieces. One of them, the 24th Caprice, had an astonishing impact on the classical music world.

Whether King Arthurs is an historical figure or merely a legend, his story along with that of Guinevere, and the Knights of the Round Table has had a powerful impact on music.

It’s been called the City of Light and the City of Love. Given the number of composers who found inspiration there, it could just as easily be called the City of Music.

As important as they are, airplanes and automobiles have never loomed as large in classical music as have trains and railways. And what a variety of works they’ve inspired!

It’s usually lively, but can also be slow and tender. In fact the Gavotte has varied widely from place to place over the past 400 years.

The organ has been called the “king of instruments,” and when it’s used in an orchestral work, the challenge is to keep it from overpowering everything else—unless, of course, that’s the point.

"The Wedding March" by Wagner (AKA "Here Comes the Bride") may be the most famous tune connected with the marriage ceremony, but it’s only one of many classical works that celebrate the union of two people in holy (and sometimes unholy) matrimony.

A tour through the musical landscape of the American West, with music by Copland, Falwell, Grofé, Puccini and more.

Cervantes’ great comic novel, Don Quixote, has inspired works of instrumental and vocal music for more than 400 years, composed by the likes of Purcell, Telemann, Mendelssohn, de Falla, Strauss, Rodrigo and others.

Music mistakenly attributed to the wrong composer...and why.

The impact of Beethoven’s Ninth on Brahms, Bruckner, Dvorak, Mahler, Shostakovich, Vaughan Williams, and Glass.

Beginning in 1938, six prominent composers including Vaughan Williams, Prokofiev and Copland moved from the confines of the concert hall to write for the screen producing a Golden Age of film music.

A listen to how Beethoven recycled material as he worked to develop his signature style, using the "Eroica Variations" as examples.

You might call them “Wizards of Ahhhs”—composers who use wordless vocals along with instruments of the orchestra for an effect that can be soothing, sensual or unsettling—and sometimes all three.

Rivers in classical music, from the Rhine to the Amazon, from the Mississippi to the Danube.

Rhapsody In Blue, the various Hungarian Rhapsodies, Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini... they are plentiful in classical music, but what exactly is a rhapsody? Stephen Peithman sheds some light on the subject with The Rhapsody Connection.

How a forgotten 19th century work would revolutionize Russian music--and a half century later, launch Igor Stravinsky’s amazing career.

Music celebrating the Emerald Isle -- from Purcell to Beethoven, and from John Field to Victor Herbert.

It is an amazingly versatile instrument. It can be loud or soft, militaristic or peaceful, exuberant or contemplative—and always able to stand out from the crowd when called upon to do so. Works by Purcell, Haydn, Copland, Hovhaness, and more.

Shakespeare knew the power of the mask. So did some of the great classical composers. In this show it's masquerade music by Strauss, Schumann, Berlioz and more.