Musorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition

How can a work so full of vivacity arise from an occasion of such sadness? This will be our first question when our next Milestones of Music takes us into the world of Musorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. Responding to the early death of admired friend and gifted architect Viktor Hartmann, Musorgsky designed a musical tour through Hartmann’s whimsical, historically informed watercolors. 

Originally composed for solo piano, Ravel’s masterful 1922 orchestration of the work has become the more popular version. Join Professor Carol as she walks you through this iconic work in both its piano and orchestral versions.

Beethoven's Symphony No. 3

The Eroica Symphony (1804) often serves as a marker for the beginning of the Romantic era in music. Learn in this webinar how Beethoven stretched the classical forms, the size of the orchestra, and many aspects of style to create this truly monumental work.

Ravel: Boléro

Only a master orchestrator like Ravel could conceive such a simple, yet glorious canvas of instrumental color that rises from this rhythm, starting quietly and steadily building to spin the piece from a whisper to a tidal-wave. It is instantly recognizable, performed by ensembles around the world and is woven in everything from TV commercials to pop songs.