Explore The Symphony

Marjolaine Fournier and Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer discuss Prokofiev's stirring score, Alexander Nevsky. It was composed for Sergey Eisenstein's 1938 cinematic thriller and stands as a spectacular masterpiece for chorus and orchestra.

Marjolaine Fournier and Jean-Jacques Van Vlasselaer discuss Dmitri Shostakovich's life, from growing up in Saint Petersburg to political manoeuvrings in Stalin's Russia. Marjolaine and Jean-Jacques focus on his first symphony, which he wrote at the age of nineteen as a graduation piece for the Saint Petersburg Conservatory in 1926.

Marjolaine and Jeans-Jacques explore Carl Orff; his life in early 20th century Germany and his seminal work, Carmina Burana.

In this episode, Marjolaine and Jean-Jacques talk about Robert Schumann's life leading up to the creation of his second symphony.

In this Explore the Symphony, Marjolaine Fournier and Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer talk about a truly singular Symphonic composer -- Edward Elgar -- THE shining star of British music, who's life spanned the era of romantic and post-romantic music while keeping his style completely his own.

The first of the 2011-12 season's "Explore the Symphony" podcasts examines the 4th Symphony of Tchaikovsky. From the quiet plucking of the strings to the bombastic brass in the finale, Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony, declared “semi-barbaric” by the New York Post in 1890, will leave you breathless.

The third of the 2010-11 season's "Explore the Symphony" podcasts examines the 3rd and 4th Symphonies of Johannes Brahms. In this podcast, the NAC Orchestra's assistant principal double bass Marjolaine Fournier and one of Canada's foremost music journalists, Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer, discuss Symphony No. 3, which was written in 1883, polished after each performance, and published the following year. Music critic Eduard Hanslick said “ … the Third [Symphony] strikes me as being artistically the most nearly perfect.” The NAC Orchestra (under conductor Andrew Grams) performed Symphony No. 3 by Brahms in late October of this year. Still to come – on January 26 and 27 – is Brahms’s Symphony No. 4, with Pinchas Zukerman conducting the Orchestra. Brahms composed this deeply emotional symphony – his final symphony -- right after the Third, in 1885. Dramatic and passionate, mournful and joyful, the Fourth Symphony was conducted by Brahms himself at its premiere. It was very well received and has remained popular ev

The second of the 2010-11 season's "Explore the Symphony" podcasts examines the short life and remarkable career of German composer Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847), one of the most popular composers of the Romantic era. In this podcast, the NAC Orchestra's assistant principal double bass Marjolaine Fournier and one of Canada's foremost music journalists, Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer, discuss the composer and his life and works. He was a child prodigy, a pianist, organist and conductor as well as a composer, and he composed symphonies, concerti, oratorios, piano and chamber music. Music by Mendelssohn will be featured in two NACO concerts in January (Hymn of Praise on January 5-6 and Dvořák’s “New World” on January 20-21).

The first of the 2010-11 season's "Explore the Symphony" podcasts is in honour of the 7-concert Mozart-Haydn Festival taking place September 22-30. In this podcast, the NAC Orchestra's assistant principal double bass Marjolaine Fournier and one of Canada's foremost music journalists Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer discuss the friendship between these two master composers, and how Mozart and Haydn influenced each other musically.

In the sixth of the 2009-10 season's "Explore the Symphony" podcasts, the NAC Orchestra's assistant principal double bass Marjolaine Fournier and one of Canada's foremost music journalists Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer discuss Mozart's Concerto 23 for Piano and Orchestra.

In the fifth of the 2009-10 season's "Explore the Symphony" podcasts, the NAC Orchestra's assistant principal double bass Marjolaine Fournier and one of Canada's foremost music journalists Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer discuss Debussy's formidable, "La Mer".

In the fourth of the 2009-10 season's "Explore the Symphony" podcasts, the NAC Orchestra's assistant principal double bass Marjolaine Fournier and one of Canada's foremost music journalists Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer discuss Bach and how Bach's oeuvre changed music forever.

In the third of the 2009-10 season's "Explore the Symphony" podcasts, the NAC Orchestra's assistant principal double bass Marjolaine Fournier and one of Canada's foremost music journalists Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer discuss Beethoven's Symphony No. 8

In the second of the 2009-10 season's "Explore the Symphony" podcasts, the NAC Orchestra's assistant principal double bass Marjolaine Fournier and one of Canada's foremost music journalists Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer discuss Berlioz's Romeo and Juliet

In the first of the 2009-10 season's "Explore the Symphony" podcasts, the NAC Orchestra's assistant principal double bass Marjolaine Fournier and one of Canada's foremost music journalists Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer discuss Mahler's Symphony No. 1 "Titan".

This episode of the NAC Orchestra's podcast series exploring the Romantic Concerto looks at Ravel's 'modern' Piano Concerto in G performed. The podcast is hosted by the NAC Orchestra's assistant principal double bass Marjolaine Fournier and features one of Canada's foremost music journalists, Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer.

This episode of the NAC Orchestra’s podcast series exploring the Romantic Concerto looks at Beethoven’s spellbinding Piano Concerto No. 4 performed by Angela Hewitt and the National Arts Centre Orchestra on May 20 and 21, 2009. The podcast is hosted by the NAC Orchestra’s assistant principal double bass Marjolaine Fournier and features one of Canada’s foremost music journalists, Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer.

In this ongoing exploration of the Romantic Concerto in podcasts throughout the NAC Orchestra's 08-09 season, the Orchestra's assistant principal double bass Marjolaine Fournier and one of Canada's foremost music journalists Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer discuss Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 3.

In this ongoing exploration of the Romantic Concerto in podcasts throughout the NAC Orchestra's 08-09 season, the Orchestra's assistant principal double bass Marjolaine Fournier and one of Canada's foremost music journalists Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer discuss Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3.

In this ongoing exploration of the Romantic Concerto in podcasts throughout the NAC Orchestra's 08-09 season, the Orchestra's assistant principal double bass Marjolaine Fournier and one of Canada's foremost music journalists Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer discuss Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor.