January 22, 2020
Within his Hungarian Dances, Johannes Brahms captured the rich and vibrant soul of Hungary’s beloved tradition of dance. Perhaps one of his most well-recognized works, Brahms’ Hungarian Dances is a set of 21 dances inspired by Hungarian folk music, a diverse genre home to the colorful blend of the aural histories of Hungarians and Hungarian-minorities
January 22, 2020
By California Symphony Instantly recognizable, Brahms’ Hungarian Dance No. 5 has provided the soundtrack to some memorable pop culture moments, including a Charlie Chaplin skit, a Looney Tunes cartoon, and a routine performed by two naked Frenchmen with a couple of towels. Would Brahms have approved? 1. A CLOSE SHAVE “Make your work a pleasure.
January 10, 2020
By California Symphony Whether it’s Frank Sinatra crooning it, Carlos Santana picking it, or Robert Mitchum playing it at the piano, the melody in the slow third movement of Brahms’s Symphony No. 3 has inspired many tributes. (Or rip offs, if you prefer, since Brahms is rarely credited as a writer.) Chances are that even
January 10, 2020
Brahms and the Orchestra It has been said that Brahms was an indifferent or unimaginative orchestrator. However, it has also been said that the bathtub was invented in Philadelphia in 1842, so let’s not believe everything we hear. Bathtubs date back thousands of years; Johannes Brahms was a wonderful orchestrator, imaginative, creative, and insightful. That
January 9, 2020
Bay Area natives Alina Kobialka and Oliver Herbert joined us to talk about growing up with parents who were professional musicians, their pre-concert rituals, and to reminisce about their shared history with Donato Cabrera and the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra. You’ll be joining forces to perform Brahms’ Concerto for Violin and Cello. How does
January 7, 2020
By California Symphony Music Director Donato Cabrera. For those of you who are new to classical music, the music of Johannes Brahms is similar to the music of the Beatles — there are few pieces in his entire output that aren’t adored by every musician and appreciated by every audience member. Every time one performs or hears
October 28, 2019
Haydn was the vastly accomplished composer of the era. 24 years younger, Mozart’s reputation was on the rise. Both were prolific, both admired each other’s work, and a close friendship soon ensued in 1780s Vienna. If only I could impress Mozart’s inimitable works on the soul of every friend of music, and the souls of
October 26, 2019
Composer Kevin Puts’ association with California Symphony dates back to 1996, when he became the orchestra’s third ever Young American Composer-in-Residence. It was an experience he has called “life-changing,” and it launched a career that has so far yielded the prestigious Rome Prize (2002) and a Pulitzer Prize win for his debut opera Silent Night (2012), as well
October 20, 2019
At just 23 years old, she’s a national award-winner, Harvard and New England Conservatory graduate, and a YouTube star. Pleasanton-born flute powerhouse Annie Wu joined us to talk about her California connections, Lizzo, and her wardrobe choice regrets for the flute-beatboxing video she made when she was in high school and which ended up going
October 17, 2019
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Symphony No. 1 in E-flat Major, K. 16 (1764) A child prodigy of staggering talent, itty-bitty Wolfgang Mozart was trundled about Western Europe from ages 7 through 10 by his doting—and exploitative—father. The family arrived in London in April 1764, where eight-year-old Wolfgang formed a close bond with Johann Christian Bach,