NACOcast: A Classical Music Podcast

Latest Episodes:

WW I: A Personal Journey Sep 15, 2014

Show notes

Nick shares his impressions of the First World War through his own family memories, interspersed with some of the popular music of the time.
The Regimental March of the PPCLI is performed by the Central Band of the Canadian Armed Forces.

Musical Excerpts:

Regimental March - Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
Roses of Picardy - Wood-Weatherly
Keep the Home Fires Burning - Novello
Keep Right on to the End of the Road - Harry Lauder
The Parable of the Old Man and the Young - Wilfred Owen

Shakespeare, Stravinsky and Alexander Shelley Jul 07, 2014

Show notes

In this final NACOcast episode of the season, Nick talks to NAC Orchestra Music Director Designate Alexander Shelley about the two programmes he is conducting next season. [Music excerpt: Carlo Maria Giulini - Chicago Symphony Orchestra - Stravinsky - The Firebird (Suite, 1919 version), Finale - Angel SFO-36039] See you in September!

Jon Kimura Parker on Mendelssohn Jul 04, 2014

Show notes

Guest host Frank Dans, Interim Artistic Administrator for the NAC Orchestra, interviews Jon Kimura Parker for the "Parker Plays Mendelssohn" concerts from February 5-6, 2014. Inspired by his sunny sojourn in Italy (and a brief infatuation with a young pianist), Mendelssohn composed an equally unclouded piano concerto, brimming with free-flowing lyrical lines and opportunities for displays of virtuosity by NAC Orchestra favourite Jon Kimura Parker. Schumann presented his Fourth Symphony to his beloved wife on her 22nd birthday, saying it contained her portrait in a melody he called the “Clara” theme. Listen for it, woven like a shimmering thread throughout the work. To begin the concert, re-enter Canadian composer R. Murray Schafer’s evocative musical landscape.

Schumann’s Symphony No. 4 with Eric Friesen Jun 13, 2014

Show notes

Guest host Eric Friesen, writer and broadcaster, presents his pre-concert chat entitled, "Schumann’s Fourth Symphony: From Darkness to Light”.

The NAC Orchestra's Institute for Orchestral Studies May 28, 2014

Show notes

The four apprentices in the NAC Orchestra's Institute for Orchestral Studies — violinist Sunny Shi, violist Kayleigh Miller, cellist Zhou Fang and bassist Nate Martin, plus former apprentice Emily Westell — were the guests for the pre-concert talk of November 14. The young musicians spoke about their experiences in the IOS, NACO's tour of China, and they performed movements from Mozart's “Divertimento" and Vivian Fung’s “Pizzicato".

"Fate Lurks, but Tunes Triumph" with guest host Eric Friesen Apr 28, 2014

Show notes

In this episode, guest host Eric Friesen, writer and broadcaster, presents his pre-concert chat entitled, "Fate Lurks, but Tunes Triumph”.

Brahms Between Yesterday and Tomorrow, with guest host Paul Wells Apr 07, 2014

Show notes

Guest host Paul Wells, political editor of Maclean's magazine, presents a program entitled, "Brahms Between Yesterday and Tomorrow."

Drums along the Rideau Mar 31, 2014

Show notes

Percussion playing is not just a matter of indiscriminate crashing and banging. NAC Orchestra percussionists Jon Wade and Ken Simpson explain the finer points of playing in an orchestral percussion section. It's MUCH more complicated than you think!

Tchaikovsky - 4th Symphony
Rimsky-Korssakoff - Capriccio espagnol Op. 34
Arturo Sandoval - Conga
Leonard Bernstein - Mambo
Tchaikovsky - Marché Slav Op. 31