Fast, Furious, Fortissimo

Fast, Furious, Fortissimo

Author: Joshua Weilerstein April 12, 2024 Duration: 46:31

Very often, when I tell people that I'm a classical musician, I am told, "wow, I love classical music! It's so relaxing!" I think almost all classical musicians have heard that before, and you know what? Sometimes, it's true! Classical music can be relaxing! But sometimes, and actually pretty often, classical music is NOT relaxing. It is exciting, emotional, passionate, and can make your heart race!  Don't believe me? Today's show is all about proving that to you. I'm going to share with you some of the most thrilling, powerful,  and well, some of hte loudest music in the history of classical music. I should say SOME OF, because what we are going to play for you today is absolutely not an exhautive list. If you like what you hear today, there is so much more where that came from. What we're going to do today is to take you through a kind of musical time machine of fast and furious symphonic music, trying to cover as many different styles and eras of classical music as possible.

NOTE: What will appear on the podcast feed is a shortened version of a full live concert I did with the Aalborg Symphony a few weeks ago. I highly recommend listening to that version as well, which features full length performances of many of the pieces I'm talking about on the show. You can find that here:

https://www.dr.dk/lyd/p2/p2-koncerten/p2-koncerten-2024/p2-koncerten-fuld-pedal-det-er-vildt-det-er-hoejt-det-er-weilersteins-stoerste-hits-12422443145

Enjoy!


There’s a particular kind of curiosity that draws people to classical music, but the sheer scale of the repertoire can feel overwhelming. Sticky Notes: The Classical Music Podcast, hosted by conductor Joshua Weilerstein, meets that curiosity right where it is. Think of it as a series of open conversations about the music itself, designed to be equally engaging for someone hearing a symphony for the first time and for a lifelong devotee. Episodes might feature a thoughtful interview with a performing artist, offering a glimpse behind the curtain, or they could focus entirely on a single piece, peeling back its layers to explore why it resonates. Weilerstein guides these explorations with clarity and enthusiasm, moving seamlessly from foundational concepts to more nuanced details about different musical eras. The entire premise of this podcast is built on a genuine belief that this music belongs to all of us. It’s about replacing any sense of intimidation with connection and understanding. While past seasons are gradually being re-released, each episode stands as its own invitation to listen more deeply.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 284

Sticky Notes: The Classical Music Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Sibelius Violin Concerto [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:02
There's a joke among classical musicians that the only parts of a piece that matter are the beginning, the end, and one place in the middle. I don't think its something that anyone really believes in, but the value of th…
Ravel, Bolero + La Valse [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:28
Maurice Ravel the Magician, the Swiss Watchmaker, the aloof, the elegant, the precise, the soulful, the childlike, the naive, the warm, the radical, the progressive. These are all words that were used to describe a man o…
Mussorgsky, Pictures at an Exhibition [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:50
Have you ever been to an art museum and wished that you had music to accompany your experience? Music that made the art you were looking at more vivid, more immediate, and more emotionally intense? Well, Modest Mussorgsk…
Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:35
Welcome to episode number 200 of Sticky Notes!! On December 22nd, 1808, a day that would live in classical music lore forever, Ludwig Van Beethoven sat down for his very last appearance as a solo pianist to play this new…
Shostakovich String Quartet No. 8 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:44
What did Dmitri Shostakovich intend to portray in his music? There is probably no more debated a question in all of 20th century Western Classica lMusic than this one. On the surface, it seems to have an easy answer. Sho…
What Does a Conductor Really Do? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:04
Have you ever wondered what it is that us conductors are really doing up there? Are we just waving our arms in time to the music? What role does the conductor actually play in a concert? How about a rehearsal? Do we also…
All things Piano with Marc-André Hamelin [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:38
Marc-André Hamelin is one of the world's greatest living pianists. He is known as a virtuoso of the highest order and has made nearly 100 recordings spanning the gamut of the piano repertoire. In this conversation we tal…
Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:30
"This is Fate, the force of destiny, which ever prevents our pursuit of happiness from reaching its goal, which jealously stands watch lest our peace and well-being be full and cloudless, which hangs like the sword of Da…
My 25 Favorite Moments in Classical Music (Part 2) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:12
Last week we covered moments 1-15 in my top 25 favorite moments in classical music, going all the way up towards the end of the 19th century. This week we're going to explore 9 of my favorite moments from the wide world…
My Top 25 Favorite Moments in Classical Music (Part 1) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:28
What MAKES a moment in a piece of classical music? Sometimes it's the result of careful pacing from a composer, the slow build to a powerful release. Sometimes it's about surprise, a sudden explosion, or even a sudden ex…