by Kenneth Woods | Jan 4, 2020 | ESO LvB 250, Lists
The 10 Best Beethoven Symphony Finales Yes, I know, he only wrote 9 symphonies, but nobody does ‘top 9’ lists. So: best Beethovenian finale in a non-Beethoven symphony? It could be Brahms 1, in which Brahms masterfully integrates some of the formal complexities...
by Kenneth Woods | Sep 21, 2019 | Lists
Three modern British masterpieces by English Symphony Orchestra Composers-in-Association: If you’re trying to base you decision on which country to live in on the basis of where you are most likely to hear fantastic new symphonies, you could do a lot worse than the...
by Kenneth Woods | Jul 27, 2019 | A view from the podium, Lists
They say “beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” but that just won’t do for music. Surely there must a scientifically sound way of determining once and for all what the most beautiful openings are in the history of symphonic music? Well, here you go....
by Kenneth Woods | Jul 12, 2016 | A view from the podium, Lists
Ever wonder what sort of concertos exist for the violin beyond the marvelous mainstays from Mozart, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Bruch, Brahms and Sibelius? Well- there’s a lot out there. There are a number of tremendous 20th. C concerti that are now pretty well...
by Kenneth Woods | Jul 4, 2015 | A view from the podium, Lists
I gave up a long time ago on trying to find much meaning or substance in music for patriotic occasions. We live an age of such small-minded, parochial jingoism that thinking of any music in terms of nationalist celebrations seems only to cheapen the music. This year I...
by Kenneth Woods | Apr 19, 2015 | A view from the podium, Lists
At long last- the research has been completed, the results have been tallied. We can now say with absolute, factual certainty who the 15 greatest orchestrators of all time are. Check out the results, then let us know which ones you got wrong…. Er, we mean, let...
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