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Introductory Talk

Jeremy Siepmann (Speaker)
℗ 2002
410 Tracks, 8:01:40

  • Instruments of the Orchestra by Jeremy Siepmann

    • Wagner: Tannhauser: Overture
      02:06
    • Anonymous: Domna, pos vos ay chausida
      00:28
    • We don't merely use instruments, we play on them. And they play on us.
      01:20
    • Brahms: Hungarian Dance No. 7
      01:40
    • The violin is one of the most tender and beautiful instruments ever invented.
      00:45
    • Brahms: Violin Concerto in D Major: II. Adagio
      01:08
    • But for a long time it was seen as the instrument of the devil.
      00:17
    • Stravinsky: The Soldier's Tale: Triumphal March of the Devil
      00:46
    • The manipulative seductiveness of the gypsy violin
      00:43
    • Anonymous: Csardas Music
      03:33
    • The violin and the imitation of nature
      00:24
    • Vivaldi: The Four Seasons: Spring: I. Allegro
      00:36
    • Birds are again evoked in the second concerto, especially music's natural favourite.
      00:10
    • Vivaldi: The Four Seasons: Summer: I. Allegro non molto
      00:42
    • Like the devil, the violin is a master of disguise.
      00:19
    • Kreisler: Schon Rosmarin
      01:55
    • The menacing sensuality of Ravel's Tzigane; a very different side of the violin:
      00:15
    • Ravel: Tzigane
      00:51
    • Do we now have the true measure of this instrument? Not just yet.
      00:16
    • Paganini: Caprice No. 24
      00:48
    • Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 4: III. Presto / Schubert: Quartettsatz in C Minor
      01:58
    • Britten: Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge: VIII. Moto Perpetuo
      01:07
    • Prokofiev's tremolo in Romeo and Juliet should not be heard just before bedtime
      00:22
    • Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet: Act IV
      00:47
    • Vivaldi uses it to illustrate the shivering of travellers crossing the ice.
      00:14
    • Vivaldi: The Four Seasons: Winter: I. Allegro non molto
      00:58
    • The violin muted
      00:31
    • Debussy: Clair de lune
      01:41
    • The gentleness of muted strings persists even when a whole orchestra plays.
      00:30
    • Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major, K. 467: II. Andante
      01:26
    • The pizzicato violin
      00:38
    • Strauss: Pizzicato Polka
      02:30
    • In Prokofiev's Second Violin Concerto, the accompaniment is pizzicato.
      00:27
    • Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 2 in G Minor: II. Andante assai
      02:02
    • Kabalevsky: Colas Breugnon / Warlock: Capriol Suite: III. Tordion / Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet: Act I
      03:10
    • Holst: The Planets: I. Mars: The Bringer of War
      01:28
    • Bach: Sonata No. 3 in C Major for unaccompanied violin: II. Fugue
      02:10
    • Brahms: Hungarian Dance No. 4
      03:52
    • Double-stopping is a standard feature of a lot of folk music.
      00:15
    • Vivaldi: The Four Seasons: Autumn: I. Allegro
      00:38
    • Now the same technique, but the sound might have come from another world.
      00:30
    • Ravel: Bolero
      00:50
    • Double-stopping can only approximate the sound of a real violin duet.
      00:20
    • Joachim: Cadenza to the Violin Concerto by Brahms
      00:45
    • Now compare that with a real violin duet.
      00:12
    • Bartok: 44 Duos: I. Teasing Song
      00:52
    • Another duo by Bartok, demonstrating the violin's rich lower register
      00:11
    • Bartok: 44 Duos: II. Maypole Dance
      00:40
    • And now what may be the most beautiful accompanied violin duet in history
      00:17
    • Bach: Concerto in D Minor for two violins: II. Largo ma non tanto
      06:43
    • The soul of the violin is in song; but what about this weird passage?
      00:43
    • Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major: II. Scherzo
      00:34
    • The use of harmonics in the orchestra can be both magical and unsettling.
      00:29
    • Mahler: Symphony No. 1, "Titan": I. Langsam, schleppend (opening)
      01:33
    • Tchaikovsky's use of harmonics in The Sleeping Beauty is both strange and daring.
      00:12
    • Tchaikovsky: The Sleeping Beauty: Act II, No. 15: Entr'acte
      00:33
    • Ravel's harmonics in Mother Goose effect a magical transformation.
      00:29
    • Ravel: Ma Mere l'oye (Mother Goose): IV. Beauty and the Beast
      00:37
    • Stravinsky: The Firebird: Introduction
      00:47
    • The natural upper notes of the violins have a unique emotional "grab"
      00:33
    • Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra: Of the Afterworldsmen
      00:56
    • Still in their upper register, the violins unleash the energy of a young colt.
      00:15
    • Britten: Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge: V. Aria Italiana
      01:10
    • Elsewhere, Britten uses the same high register to create a very different mood.
      00:12
    • Britten: Peter Grimes: 4 Sea Interludes, Op. 33a: I. Dawn
      01:09
    • To end this outing with the violins, a charming little elfin dance
      00:13
    • Hellmesberger: Elfenreigen
      01:30
    • Introduction to the viola
      00:43
    • Telemann: Viola Concerto: I. Largo
      02:46
    • Khachaturian gets a very different sound from it: fuller, fruitier, more exotic.
      00:15
    • Khachaturian: Gayane Suite No. 1: III. Armen's Solo
      01:16
    • Very nearly the whole of the violin's upper register is also available to the viola.
      00:40
    • Britten: Peter Grimes: Passacaglia, Op. 33b
      01:01
    • Strauss: Don Quixote
      01:04
    • Berlioz: Harold in Italy: IV. Orgy of Brigands
      02:00
    • The muted viola: intimate, gentle, poignant in Dvorak
      00:34
    • Dvorak: Cypresses: IX. Thou Only Dear One
      03:00
    • The massed violas of the modern symphony orchestra in Mahler
      00:40
    • Mahler: Symphony No. 4: III. Ruhevoll, poco adagio
      01:14
    • The "period" viola in Bach
      01:05
    • Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 6: III. Allegro
      05:19
    • The cello: a voice of unique nobility
      00:29
    • Bach: Suite No. 1 for unaccompanied cello: I. Prelude
      02:31
    • Brahms and the "soul" of the cello
      00:19
    • Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-Flat Major: III. Andante
      01:05
    • Most orchestral composers tend to emphasise the cello's lower register.
      00:28
    • Bach: Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, BWV 147: Aria: Bereite dir, Jesu
      03:04
    • In the time of Beethoven the cello remained as fundamental as ever.
      00:14
    • Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 "Eroica": IV. Finale
      00:47
    • But the cello is not condemned to spend its life in the basement.
      00:33
    • Popper: Elfentanz, Op. 39
      02:55
    • Not only in recital showpieces like that is the cello used in its highest register.
      00:11
    • Tavener: The Protecting Veil: opening
      02:54
    • A cello with an identity-crisis: the pizzicato Flamencan
      00:16
    • Tagell: Flamenco
      02:49
    • Double-stopping in the lower reaches of the cello's range
      00:31
    • Cassado: Solo Suite for Cello and Piano: Sardana
      01:08
    • It's in its middle register that the cello really comes into its own.
      00:21
    • Rachmaninov: Oriental Dance, Op. 2, No. 2
      01:33
    • Beethoven: Symphony No. 5: II. Andante con moto
      00:54
    • Beethoven: Symphony No. 9: IV. Finale
      00:55
    • Introduction to the double-bass
      00:43
    • Saint-Saens: The Carnival of the Animals: The Elephant
      01:33
    • But the double-bass can be intensely expressive and graceful.
      00:11
    • Bottesini: Elegy No. 1 in D Major
      02:37
    • Bottesini: Allegro di concerto, "Alla Mendelssohn"
      00:47
    • Bottesini: Capriccio di bravura
      04:42
    • Mahler: Symphony No. 1, "Titan": III. Feierlich und gemessen, ohne zu schleppen / Mahler: Symphony No. 3: I. Kraftig
      01:34
    • Prokofiev: Lieutenant Kije Suite: III. Kije's Wedding / Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet: Act III
      02:26
    • Beethoven: Symphony No. 5: III. Allegro
      01:20
    • The antiquity and magic of the flute
      00:21
    • Debussy: Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune
      03:19
    • The versatility and agility of the flute
      00:22
    • Bach: Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B Minor: VII. Badinerie
      01:18
    • The flute in fifteenth-century Spain
      00:25
    • Anonymous: Sa'dawi
      00:56
    • Other flutes: the bass and alto
      00:29
    • Sallinen: Chamber Music II
      01:13
    • The Piccolo - aptly named
      00:20
    • Rameau: La Naissance d'Osiris: VI. Premier et deuxieme tambourin
      00:48
    • From a piccolo of the eighteenth century to one of its descendants in the twentieth
      00:09
    • Stravinsky: Suite No. 2 for Small Orchestra: II. Valse
      00:55
    • A variety of techniques
      00:19
    • Sallinen: Chamber Music II
      00:32
    • Flutter-tonguing. But Tchaikovsky got there eighty years before.
      00:28
    • Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker: Act II, No. 2: Scene
      00:44
    • From the transverse to the vertical: the Baroque recorder
      00:41
    • Telemann: Recorder Suite in A Minor: Menuet II
      02:12
    • An unfamiliar, early vision of the instrument
      00:23
    • Baston: Naelden, Naelden
      01:09
    • The Bachian oboe
      00:35
    • Bach: Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott, BWV 80: Duetto: Wie selig sind doch die
      03:34
    • Introduction to the cor anglais or 'English horn'
      00:41
    • Dvorak: Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": II. Largo
      01:24
    • The loneliness of the cor anglais
      00:12
    • Sibelius: The Swan of Tuonela
      01:50
    • The cor anglais joins the French horn in Haydn.
      00:17
    • Haydn: Symphony No. 22, "The Philosopher": I. Adagio
      01:43
    • Introduction to the oboe d'amore, beloved of Bach - but also of Ravel
      00:23
    • Ravel: Bolero
      00:51
    • Herrmann: The Egyptian: Violence / Janacek: Taras Bulba: The Death of Ostap
      00:38
    • Stravinsky: Petrushka: Peasant with Bear / Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique: V. Songe d'une nuit / Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet: Act II
      01:39
    • As the high clarinets tend to be loud, so the bass tends to be soft
      00:18
    • Khachaturian: Gayane Suite No. 1: V. Gayane's Solo
      00:55
    • Stravinsky: Petrushka: The Blackamoor / Albeniz: Iberia: Almeria
      01:44
    • The range of the normal clarinet parts goes quite high...
      00:15
    • Tchaikovsky: The Snow Maiden: Scene 5: Melodrama
      01:18
    • ....and quite low.
      00:05
    • Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf: The Cat
      00:46
    • The clarinet as concerto soloist
      00:19
    • Mozart: Clarinet Concerto in A Major: III. Rondo
      02:49
    • But that's not the instrument Mozart wrote it for; this is:
      00:16
    • Mozart: Clarinet Concerto in A Major: III. Rondo
      02:48
    • Introduction to the saxophone
      01:07
    • Kodaly: Hary Janos Suite: IV. The Battle and Defeat of Napoleon
      01:04
    • The soprano saxophone has quite a different feel to it
      00:10
    • Bizet: L'Arlesienne Suite No. 1: II. Minuet
      01:17
    • The little sopranino sax goes even higher
      00:12
    • Ravel: Bolero
      00:53
    • The most famous use of the saxophone is in an orchestration by Ravel
      00:16
    • Mussorgsky: Pictures at an exhibition: The Old Castle
      00:55
    • The saxophone can be quite contagiously good-humoured.
      00:12
    • Wiedoeft: Sax-o-phun
      00:23
    • The puffa-puffa image of the bassoon
      00:26
    • Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf: Grandfather
      00:47
    • The Bachian bassoon, in accompanimental mode
      00:20
    • Bach: Weichet nur, betrubte Schatten, BWV 202, "Wedding Cantata": Aria No. 1
      01:20
    • Bizet: Carmen Suite No. 1: V. Les Dragons d'Alcala
      00:57
    • And Ravel, also in Spanish mode, does likewise
      00:16
    • Ravel: Bolero
      01:00
    • The bassoon as a voice of high seriousness, indeed desolate loneliness
      00:15
    • Bax: Symphony No. 3: I. Lento moderato
      01:03
    • The eerie bassoon in its highest register
      00:16
    • Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring: opening
      00:59
    • Stravinsky now draws on its lowest register, lonely and melancholy.
      00:22
    • Stravinsky: The Firebird Suite (1919): Berceuse
      01:02
    • The bassoon as concerto soloist, avoiding all exaggeration
      00:15
    • Molter: Bassoon Concerto in G Minor: III. —
      02:02
    • The deep-voiced contra-bassoon, as a fairy-tale beast
      00:28
    • Ravel: Ma Mere l'oye (Mother Goose): IV. Beauty and the Beast
      01:30
    • The French Horn under its woodwind hat
      00:26
    • Nielsen: Wind Quintet, Op. 43: III. Praeludium - Tema con variazioni
      01:43
    • Now a more prominent role, in a woodwind quintet from an earlier era
      00:12
    • Reicha: Wind Quintet in A Minor, Op. 100, No. 5: II. Andante con variazioni
      01:32
    • The horn in harmonious blend with strings in another quintet
      00:17
    • Mozart: Horn Quintet in E-Flat Major, K. 407: III. Rondeau
      03:55
    • The Trumpet as virtuoso soloist
      01:02
    • Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 2: III. Allegro assai
      02:38
    • The special brilliance of paired trumpets
      00:19
    • Vivaldi: Concerto in C for two trumpets, RV 537: I. Allegro
      02:55
    • The ceremonial trumpet
      00:36
    • Copland: Fanfare for the Common Man
      01:25
    • Trumpets and drums - an incomparable alliance
      00:35
    • Handel: Messiah: The Trumpet Shall Sound
      04:11
    • The versatility of the trumpet, from the most public to the most lonely
      00:38
    • Gershwin: Piano Concerto in F: II. Andante con moto - Adagio
      01:14
    • Gershwin: An American in Paris / Stravinsky: The Soldier's Tale: The March
      02:06
    • Bizet: Carmen Suite No. 2: II. Habanera
      00:56
    • The trumpet as the voice of strength and courage
      00:13
    • Bizet: Carmen Suite No. 2: IV. Toreador's Song
      02:21
    • Stravinsky: Petrushka: The Blackamoor / Prokofiev: Lieutenant Kije Suite: I. The Birth of Kije
      01:42
    • Copland: Billy the Kid
      01:16
    • The trumpet as character actor
      00:31
    • Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition: Samuel Goldenberg and Schmuyle
      02:25
    • The trumpet as the voice of God
      00:15
    • Bach: Mass in B minor: Et expecto
      04:36
    • The birth of the trombone
      00:39
    • Anonymous: Aenmerckt nu hier
      01:36
    • The birth of the brass as a family
      01:25
    • Gabrieli: Canzon a 12 in Double Echo
      03:18
    • The trombone in the eighteenth century
      00:36
    • Albrechtsberger: Trombone Concerto in B-Flat Major: III. Finale
      03:07
    • Hoser: Romance for trombone and organ / Berlioz: Requiem: Dies Irae
      02:19
    • Liszt: Hosannah, S677/R409
      01:20
    • The trombones become part of the orchestra
      00:48
    • Beethoven: Symphony No. 5: IV. Allegro
      02:46
    • Wagner: Tannhauser: Overture
      01:05
    • The Trombone as caricaturist
      00:14
    • Stravinsky: Pulcinella: No. 19: Vivo
      01:38
    • Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra: IV. Intermezzo interrotto
      01:47
    • The horn and the hunt
      00:40
    • Mozart: Horn Concerto No. 4 in E flat, K. 495: III. Rondo
      03:39
    • The challenging horn of the Baroque
      00:43
    • Rameau: Abaris ou les Boreades: II. Menuet
      01:20
    • The scarcity of first-rate players in Handel's time
      00:24
    • Handel: Water Music: Suite No. 1 in F Major, HWV 348: Menuet
      01:57
    • Stravinsky: The Firebird Suite (1919): Finale
      01:00
    • Horns and the sound of nobility
      00:12
    • Wagner: Tannhauser: Overture (opening)
      00:56
    • The special sound of the horn in its higher register
      00:12
    • Bach: Mass in B Minor: Quoniam tu solus sanctus
      04:16
    • The trumpet-like sound of massed horns
      00:21
    • Mahler: Symphony No. 3: I. Kraftig (opening)
      00:38
    • The tuba - unfairly maligned?
      00:49
    • Prokofiev: Symphony No. 6: III. Vivace
      01:08
    • The tuba perfectly cast by Ravel
      00:27
    • Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition: Bydlo
      03:00
    • Introduction. And we begin with a bang.
      01:02
    • Copland: Fanfare for the Common Man / Beethoven: Wellington's Victory, Op. 91 (opening)
      01:04
    • At the opposite extreme is the triangle.
      00:27
    • Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-Flat Major: Scherzo
      01:22
    • Categories of percussion: tuned and untuned. The side drum
      00:37
    • Rossini: La gazza ladra (The Thieving Magpie): Overture (opening)
      00:53
    • Nielsen: Clarinet Concerto (opening)
      01:09
    • The tambourine. One of the oldest instruments in the world
      00:22
    • Anonymous: Den hoboecken dans
      01:43
    • Even older is the originally oriental gong.
      00:29
    • Ravel: Ma Mere l'oye (Mother Goose): Laideronette
      01:01
    • Britten: Peter Grimes: Passacaglia, Op. 33b
      01:00
    • Satie: Gymnopedie No. 2
      01:02
    • Elgar: The Sanguine fan / Cymbals clashed softly / Cymbals struck singly / Cymbals stroked with wire brushes
      01:28
    • Ravel: Piano Concerto in G Major (opening) / Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker: Act I Scene 5
      01:06
    • Wood blocks
      00:32
    • Copland: Rodeo: IV. Hoe-Down
      00:44
    • Glinka: Jota aragonesa
      01:09
    • Monteverdi: Scherzi musicali: Damigella tutta bella
      01:51
    • A still earlier example from fifteenth-century Spain
      00:31
    • Traditional: Yo m'enamori d'un aire
      01:07
    • The birth of the bongo
      00:34
    • Bernstein: West Side Story (Symphonic Dances)
      01:40
    • Verdi: II Trovatore: Act II: Anvil Chorus
      01:08
    • Grofe: Grand Canyon Suite: III. On the Trail / Varese: Arcana
      01:27
    • Moncayo: Huapango
      01:20
    • Onwards to the tuned percussion. First, the timpani
      00:14
    • Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra: Introduction
      01:49
    • Mahler: Symphony No. 2, "Resurrection'": III. In ruhig fliessender Bewegung
      00:29
    • Grofe: Grand Canyon Suite: I. Sunrise / Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique: V. Songe d'une nuit de Sabbat
      00:38
    • Taking advantage of tunability
      00:23
    • Bartok: Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta: II. Allegro
      02:25
    • Shchedrin: Carmen Suite: IV. Changing of the Guard
      01:02
    • Shchedrin: Carmen Suite: V. Carmen's Entrance and Habanera
      01:16
    • Saint-Saens and the xylophone
      00:17
    • Saint-Saens: The Carnival of the Animals: Fossils
      01:18
    • Ravel and the xylophone
      00:11
    • Ravel: Ma Mere l'oye (Mother Goose): Laideronette
      02:37
    • Shchedrin: Carmen Suite: III. First Intermezzo
      00:39
    • Introducing the vibraphone
      00:20
    • Steiner: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre: Narange dolce
      01:26
    • Shchedrin: Carmen Suite: V. Carmen's Entrance and Habanera
      00:57
    • Introducing the Hungarian cimbalom
      00:24
    • Traditional: Folk Dances
      03:00
    • The cimbalom and the symphony orchestra
      00:10
    • Kodaly: Hary Janos Suite : III. Song
      01:30
    • Introducing the tubular bells
      00:17
    • Kodaly: Hary Janos Suite: II. Viennese Musical Clock
      02:04
    • A more "up-front" approach from Rodion Shchedrin
      00:06
    • Shchedrin: Carmen Suite: I. Introduction
      01:09
    • Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 7, "Sinfonia antartica": I. Prelude
      00:38
    • Introducing the celesta
      00:14
    • Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker: Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy
      02:11
    • Magic, in the use of collective percussion
      00:20
    • Ravels: Miroirs: V. La vallee des cloches
      01:39
    • Shchedrin: Carmen Suite: VI. Scene
      01:25
    • Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker: Act II: Scene / Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody No. 1
      01:16
    • The traditionally subservient role of the harpsichord in the Baroque orchestra
      00:49
    • Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 2: II. Andante
      03:12
    • Saint-Saens: Symphony No. 3, "Organ": II. Allegro moderato
      01:28
    • Stravinsky: Petrushka: Russian Dance
      04:28
    • The anti-Romantic piano as an integral part of the orchestra
      00:24
    • Bartok: Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta: IV. Allegro molto
      05:07
    • Keyboard instruments in the orchestra - the most powerful of them all:
      00:18
    • Saint-Saens: Symphony No. 3, "Organ": II. Presto
      01:50
    • But things in Handel's day were very different.
      00:15
    • Handel: Organ Concerto in B-Flat Major, Op. 4, No. 3: IV. Gavotte
      03:45
    • The organ is difficult to classify.
      00:24
    • An unexpected, organ-related guest
      00:14
    • Boismortier: Concerto pour Zampogna: III. Allegro
      01:59
    • Peasant-fancying… and a touch of the roaming cowboy
      00:41
    • Schoenberg: Les Miserables: Drink with Me
      01:03
    • Mozart: German Dance, K. 603, No. 3
      01:16
    • Mahler: Symphony No. 4: I. Bedachtig, nicht eilen
      00:48
    • Mahler: Symphony No. 6, "Tragic": I. Heftig, aber markig
      00:54
    • Anderson: The Typewriter / Satie: Parade
      02:46
    • Varese: Integrales / Gershwin: An American in Paris / Anderson: Sandpaper Ballet
      02:36
    • Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 7, "Sinfonia antartica": I. Prelude
      01:42
    • Strauss: Don Quixote: Variation VIII
      01:14
    • Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez: III. Allegro gentile
      00:57
    • Seeger / Hays: Washington Breakdown
      00:19
    • Steiner: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre: Packing Up
      00:19
    • Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet: Act II: No. 14
      00:14
    • Steiner: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre: EI Desayuno
      00:18
    • The bongos and the congas and a whole wealth of other drums from Africa and Central America
      00:27
    • Evening Raga: Bhapoli
      00:18
    • Ferre: Paris cancaille
      00:21
    • Karas: The Third Man: Theme
      00:25
    • Traditional: Folk Dances
      00:22
    • Albeniz: Rondena
      01:20
    • Traditional: Svetit Mesiats
      01:02
    • Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 7, "Sinfonia antartica": I. Prelude
      01:28
    • Debussy: Nocturnes: III. Sirenes
      04:15
    • Instruments and the imitation of nature. The clarinet as cuckoo
      00:42
    • Saint-Saens: The Carnival of the Animals: The Cuckoo
      01:46
    • The flute as an all-purpose aviary
      00:15
    • Saint-Saens: The Carnival of the Animals: The Aviary
      01:08
    • The oboe as duck
      00:37
    • Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf: The Duck
      01:55
    • The recording of reality. Does it work as well?
      00:13
    • Respighi: The Pines of Rome: III. The Pines of the Janiculum
      01:17
    • The recording of reality electronically reborn in new guises
      00:33
    • Rautavaara: Cantus Arcticus, "Concerto for Birds and Orchestra": II. Melankolia (Melancholy)
      01:13
    • Beethoven turns avian: cuckoo, nightingale, and quail
      00:26
    • Beethoven: Symphony No. 6, "Pastoral": II. Szene am Bach
      01:13
    • Some importable casting: the violin as braying donkey
      00:33
    • Saint-Saens: The Carnival of the Animals: Persons with Long Ears
      00:47
    • A truly orchestral hee-haw to be reckoned with
      00:09
    • Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream: Overture
      00:29
    • A thunderstorm in a million
      00:18
    • Beethoven: Symphony No. 6, "Pastoral": IV. Gewitter, Sturm
      03:57
    • The instrumental depiction of a silent world
      02:08
    • Saint-Saens: The Carnival of the Animals: The Aquarium
      02:21
    • Saint-Saens' menagerie takes a curtain call
      00:25
    • Saint-Saens: The Carnival of the Animals: Finale
      02:10
    • The grouping of instrumental families. An additive approach. First, two violins.
      01:20
    • Bartok: 44 Duos: IV. Midsummer Night Song
      00:47
    • A greater contrast, of both pitch and character, violin and viola
      00:28
    • Mozart: Duo for Violin and Viola in B-Flat Major, K. 424: finale: variations 1 and 2
      02:19
    • Arrival at the standard string trio: violin, viola and cello
      00:13
    • Schubert: String Trio in B-Flat Major: III. Menuetto
      01:09
    • The string quartet: two violins, viola and cello
      00:21
    • Beethoven: String Quartet in F Major, Op. 18, No. 1: III. Scherzo
      01:54
    • The string quintet - when the extra instrument is a second viola
      00:30
    • Mozart: String Quintet No. 5 in D Major, K. 593: II. Adagio
      02:21
    • The string quintet - when the extra instrument is a second cello
      00:20
    • Schubert: String Quintet in C Major: III. Scherzo
      02:13
    • The string sextet: two violins, two violas, and two cellos
      00:16
    • Brahms: String Sextet No. 1 in B-Flat Major: II. Andante ma moderato
      01:28
    • The string octet: the standard string quartet times two
      00:21
    • Mendelssohn: Octet in E-Flat Major, Op. 20: movement 1
      02:16
    • Double the string octet: a fully fledged string orchestra
      00:15
    • Mendelssohn: String Symphony No. 2: III. Allegro vivace
      02:12
    • The massed strings of a symphony orchestra
      00:38
    • Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis
      02:59
    • Contrasts of pitch and instrumental 'colour' in the woodwind section
      00:44
    • Reicha: Wind Quintet in A Minor, Op. 100, No. 5: Theme
      01:10
    • In the First Variation it's the horn that gets the lion's share
      00:06
    • Reicha: Wind Quintet in A Minor, Op. 100, No. 5: Variation 1
      01:29
    • In Variation Two the torch is handed to the bassoon
      00:08
    • Reicha: Wind Quintet in A Minor, Op. 100, No. 5: Variation 2
      01:08
    • In Variation Three the oboe leads
      00:13
    • Reicha: Wind Quintet in A Minor, Op. 100, No. 5: Variation 3
      01:13
    • Variation Four: conversation before returning to a solo-dominated texture
      00:08
    • Reicha: Wind Quintet in A Minor, Op. 100, No. 5: Variation 4
      01:17
    • And Variation Five is dominated by the clarinet
      00:04
    • Reicha: Wind Quintet in A Minor, Op. 100, No. 5: Variation 5
      01:13
    • The next to be featured is the virtuoso flute.
      00:07
    • Reicha: Wind Quintet in A Minor, Op. 100, No. 5: Variation 6
      01:23
    • Individual farewells and a closing chorus
      00:20
    • Reicha: Wind Quintet in A Minor, Op. 100, No. 5: Variation 7
      00:41
    • A mixed group: clarinet, bassoon, horn, string quartet, and double-bass
      00:20
    • Schubert: Octet in F Major, D. 803: III. Trio
      02:01
    • The early classical symphony orchestra of Haydn and Mozart
      00:35
    • Mozart: Symphony No. 29 in A Major, K. 201: IV. Allegro con spirito
      03:33
    • Strings, wind, but no brass. What Haydn and Mozart never knew
      00:34
    • Gabrieli: Canzon 28
      01:40
    • Beethoven's Fifth: two horns, two trumpets, and three trombones join the team
      00:59
    • Beethoven: Symphony No. 5: IV. Allegro
      04:28
    • From Beethoven to the massive orchestras of Berlioz, Wagner, and Mahler
      00:27
    • Beethoven changed the face of the symphony and the orchestra forever.
      00:47
    • Mahler: Symphony No. 6, "Tragic": I. Heftig, aber markig
      01:45
    • The cult of orchestral elephantiasis reaches its peak
      01:05
    • Brian: Symphony No. 1, "Gothic": VI. Te ergo quaesumus
      01:44
    • When large doesn't necessarily mean loud: Debussy
      01:11
    • Debussy: Images: I. Gigues
      01:51
    • A crisis of confidence; the orchestra's survival hangs in the balance, but it still develops. The ondes martenot:
      02:42
    • Messiaen: Turangalila Symphony: II. Chant d'amour I
      01:14
    • The advent of the "early music" movement brings a new vitality and freshness
      00:58
    • Lully: Ballet de Xerxes: Gavotte en rondeau
      00:47
    • Computer and synthesiser: friends or foes?
      01:36
    • Bach: Concerto in D Minor for two violins: II. Largo ma non tanto
      02:13
    • Bach: Mass in B Minor: Dona nobis pacem
      03:24