LibGuides: Classical Music: Romantic: Videos

DVD

Beethoven's Piano Sonatas by Robert Greenberg Professor Greenberg combines perceptive analysis of extensive musical excerpts with historical anecdotes, metaphors, and humor to show what goes on inside a musical composition: how it came to be written, how it works, and how--as is often the case with Beethoven--it may break all former rules to achieve a completely new and powerful effect. This course is somewhat technical and although musical knowledge is helpful, it is not a necessity.
Call Number: DVD MT145.B42G74 2005 (3 discs)
ISBN: 9781598030150
Publication Date: 2005
The Piano Music of Franz Liszt: Piano Concert and Lecture by Dr. Del Parkinson
Call Number: DVD M20 .P375 2011
Publication Date: 2011

Streaming Video

Eras of Music History: Romantic The Romantic period, which lasted from 1820 to 1910, is the focus of this program. This era of rapid evolution in music saw composers composing from the heart. No longer employees, they could follow their own direction much more freely. This period is the beginning of the commercialization of music, where composers had to promote their own music through concerts, make deals with publishing houses, and compose music that had commercial value. Many composers were themselves skilled conductors and performers, who would tour their new works. Now celebrities, compositions begame longer and more elaborate, played by huge orchestras and choirs. The period is also characterized by the emergence of different 'schools' of music, from folk to impressionist. Composers of this period include Beethoven and Schubert, as well as Chopin, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Dvorak, Schumann, Bizet, Verdi, Wagner, Liszt, Tchaikovsky, Bruckner, Mahler, Satie, Debussy, Mussorgsky, and Rachmaninoff.
Forever Beethoven
Franz Schubert “The Lieder of the Pack” Franz Schubert's God-given gift was composing wonderful melodies. More or less unknown when he was alive, he is regarded as the greatest classical songwriter of all time. In all, he wrote more than 600 songs. His best-known works are Ave Maria and Erlkonig. We define what makes a song memorable through several selections from this young genius' body of work.
Frédéric Chopin “The Piano Man” Frédéric Chopin was a virtuoso pianist who revolutionized the world of piano music forever. He wrote no symphonies, no masses, no operas and no string quartets. He was the master of the small form. Born in Poland, he lived and died in Paris as an exile. We look at how Chopin changed the world's perception of how the piano should, and could, be played through some the most beautiful and poetic music ever written.
Giuseppe Verdi Considered the greatest of all opera composers, Verdi was a zealous nationalist who wrote his music not to please critics or the aristocracy but to entertain the masses. Known for his soaring arias and unforgettable melodies, his goal was to infuse dramatic power into opera. With paintings, photos, and extensive musical excerpts, this program looks at the life and enduring works of Verdi. Opera and stage directors Gérard Mortier and Lucchino Visconti discuss his contributions to the art. Featured recordings include Luciano Pavarotti performing in Rigoletto; Sir George Solti conducting Falstaff; Herbert von Karajan conducting Messa da Requiem and Otello; and selections from Don Carlo, La Traviata, Aida, Nabucco, and Macbeth. (27 minutes)
Gustav Mahler Moved as a boy by the charming simplicity of an organ-grinder’s song, Mahler brought "street sounds" into his symphonies. As conductor, he demanded dynamic stage design and lighting and insisted on darkness in the hall, changing the nature of the conductor’s role and introducing modern stagecraft. Even his appointment as director of the Vienna Court Opera at the precocious age of 37 was revolutionary. This program charts Mahler’s life and professional career with commentary from musicologist Philippe Chambouard and selections of historic recordings from Mahler’s oeuvre, such as Brigitte Fassbaender singing from Kindertotenlieder and Leonard Bernstein conducting Symphony No. 2 (Resurrection) with mezzo-soprano Dame Janet Baker. Bernstein also conducts Symphonies No. 5 and No. 8, as well as the Adagio from No. 9. (27 minutes)
Johannes Brahms “Keeper of the Classical Flame” German-born Johannes Brahms was an uncompromising perfectionist of the Romantic era whose music was filled with integrity and nobility reminiscent of earlier classical composers. Often mentioned in the same breath as Bach and Beethoven, we examine why he is one of the most important composers of the 19th Century as he struck a fine balance between the classical and romantic eras.
Liszt and the Devil Bernstein examines the Faust Symphony and suggests that Liszt himself was a kind of Faust. Three movements—Faust, Gretchen, and Mephistopheles—are analyzed and performed.
Ludwig Van Beethoven - “Triumph Over Adversity” Genius or madman? Beethoven lived by his own rules in life and in composition. He left behind a legacy of music that has often been described as the mightiest body of work ever to be created by one composer. We explore the impact Beethoven's deafness had in shaping his music and career. We feature his most popular masterpieces, the 5th and 9th symphonies-demonstrating how his writing evolved as his condition deteriorated. And we attempt to answer the most often debated hypothetical question asked about this tormented genius - would Beethoven have been as great had he not gone deaf?
Mendelssohn Combined with stunning period images, paintings, and feature film inserts, this program explores the life and times of Mendelssohn against a background of orchestral performance that highlights some of his most popular works. Played by The Moscow Symphony Orchestra and conducted by Constantine Krimets, a graduate of both the Kiev State Conservatory and also the Moscow Conservatory, featuring Ilya Konovalov (violin). Works examined include the Hebrides Overture, Violin Concerto, Scottish Symphony No3, Overture to a Midsummer Nights Dream, and Wedding March.
Modeste Mussorgsky: Towards New Shores This portrait seeks to find the real Mussorgsky, the one lurking beneath Rimsky-Korsakov’s orchestrations, the one who, in the words of one of his foremost interpreters, is "more clear, more good, more human being." In the process, and with stunning musical excerpts that range from songs performed in the house where he grew up to Boris at the Bolshoi, the program traces his development from conventional Romantic to proto-Impressionist; explains the relationship of his improvisational talent and his discovery of new chordal possibilities; discusses his renunciation of operatic tradition; and shows the development and fruition of the sense of Russian-ness in his music. (78 minutes)
Music in Time: Land of Our Fathers Nationalism soon led to a recognition of the classical value of folksong, and an attempt to express in music the language, landscape, and musical traditions of the composer’s own country. Contents include excerpts from: Smetana’s Ma Vlast; Dvorák’s String Quartet in E-Flat, Symphony No. 9 (‘The New World’); Ives’ Three Places in New England; Janacek’s Katya Kabanova; Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite; de Falla’s Homage at the Tomb of Debussy; Vaughan Williams’ London Symphony; Kodály’s Hary János Suite; Sibelius’ Finlandia, Symphony No. 2. (58 minutes)
Music in Time: The Mighty Fistful Until the 19th century, fashionable Russian audiences preferred Western music. Then came Glinka, Balakirev, Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Borodin, Scriabin, and Tchaikovsky. This program covers the distance from folk tradition to the founding of the Russian style of music by Glinka. Performers include James Galway, Osipov’s Balalaika Orchestra, and the Kirov, Bolshoi, and Royal Ballets. Contents include excerpts from: Glinka’s Russlan and Ludmilla Overture; Tcheshnikov’s Let Us Give Prayer; Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov, Coronation Scene; Borodin’s Quartet No. 2 in D Major; Rimsky-Korsakov’s Flight of the Bumblebee, A Bride for the Czar; Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto, Swan Lake, Symphony No. 6 (‘Pathétique’); Scriabin’s Prometheus; Stravinsky’s The Firebird. (58 minutes)
Music in Time: Nationalism and Revolution The French Revolution ushered in a century of nationalism and political change throughout Europe; composers identified with causes and expressed them in music. Performances include Berlioz’ Requiem, conducted by Leonard Bernstein; Wagner’s Meistersinger with the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra; Verdi’s Requiem with the La Scala Opera Company. Contents include excerpts from: Berlioz’ Requiem; Liszt’s Légend, Fantasia on Hungarian Folk Themes; Verdi’s "Va pensiero" from Nabucco, "Celeste Aida" and other Aida excerpts, Requiem; Wagner’s Tannhäuser, Siegfried Idyll, Prelude to Tristan und Isolde, Die Meistersinger. (58 minutes)
Music in Time: The Revolutionary This program covers Beethoven, the man who changed the course of music and aligned himself with the forces that changed the course of history. Movements or extracts from the Third, Sixth, and Ninth Symphonies, Quartets Opus 18 and 135, Fidelio, the Appassionata are performed by the Los Angeles, Berlin, and Vienna Philharmonics under Giulini, von Karajan, and Böhm. Contents include excerpts from: Quartet Opus 18 No. 1, Symphony No. 3, Fidelio, Symphony No. 6, Quartet Opus 135, Symphony No. 9. (58 minutes)
Music in Time: The Romantics The Romantic movement—a reaction against the orderliness of 18th-century classicism and 19th-century industrialization—strove above all for self-expression. The Romantics composed for themselves and the new bourgeois audiences that now frequented concert halls and were acquiring pianos for their living rooms. Chopin’s A-Flat Polonaise is performed in Chopin’s house outside Warsaw, Mendelssohn’s Elijah and Brahms’ Requiem in the halls where they had their premiere performances. Contents include excerpts from: Chopin’s Polonaise in A-Flat, Prelude; Mendelssohn’s “Italian” Symphony (Finale), Octet, “He watching over Israel” from Elijah; Schumann’s “In the heavenly month of May,” Symphony No. 3 (‘Rhenish’); Brahms’ Lullaby, Symphony No. 2, Ein Deutsches Requiem, Clarinet Quintet; Bruckner’s Symphony No. 7. (58 minutes)
Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky - “Hopeless Romantic” Tchaikovsky was a hopeless romantic who lived a tragic and relatively short life. He was a sad man who wrote beautiful and memorable melodies for symphony, ballet, and opera. We expose the tormented personal life of this beloved composer and examine how someone who was so emotionally distraught could compose such beautiful music. His most popular ballet, the Nutcracker, and his symphonies, the 4th and 6th (his last), are featured.
Richard Strauss: A Concise Biography This program from the Famous Composers series introduces the life and work of German composer Richard Strauss, born to a horn player, Franz Strauss, in 1864. The film sheds light on Strauss' childhood in Munich, which revolved around the boy's musical education. His father's conservative tastes played a large role in shaping the composer, but also kept him away from the important influence of Wagner until later in life. By 1883 he left Munich for Berlin, where he began conducting and eventually met the soprano Paline de Ahna. They were married in 1894 and the relationship had a great influence on Strauss' work. The film explores Strauss' complex experience in Nazi Germany, as he opposed the Nazi mission but hoped to benefit from their support of German arts and culture, and his surge of production before his death in 1949. (35 minutes)
Richard Wagner In Lohengrin Wagner links arias with recitatives—unbroken musical continuity is born. In Tristan und Isolde he changes the very role of the orchestra. And in The Ring of the Niebelungen he invents the leitmotif. This program charts the fortunes and innovations of the composer who truly revolutionized opera. Beginning with The Flying Dutchman, the video explores the connections between Wagner’s themes and the events in his life that inspired them. Excerpts from the Wagnerian canon include Bayreuth Festival productions of Lohengrin and Parsifal; Sir George Solti conducting Tannhauser; and Pierre Boulez conducting the Ring cycle. (27 minutes)