Mighty oaks from little acorns grow, and even giants started small.
Young composers who went on to great things tackle that most daunting of musical forms, the symphony, this week on “The Lost Chord,” now in syndication on KWAX, the radio station of the University of Oregon.
What’s that? Wagner wrote symphonies? That’s right. He took a crack at writing two of them, in Beethovenian style, before finding his niche as a revolutionary opera composer. We’ll hear his Symphony in E.
We’ll also enjoy an early symphony by Gustav Holst, composer of “The Planets,” and one by an 18-year-old Claude Debussy.
Judging from their mature works, these three would be among the least likely to attempt sonata form.
Impetuous youth! I hope you’ll join me for “Bold Heads on Young Shoulders.” Composers at the start of their careers find the courage to strive for symphonic mastery, on KWAX!
See below for streaming information.
Keep in mind, KWAX is on the West Coast, so there’s a three-hour difference for the Trenton-Princeton area. Here are the respective air-times of my recorded shows (with East Coast conversions in parentheses):
PICTURE PERFECT, the movie music show – Friday on KWAX at 5:00 PACIFIC TIME (8:00 PM EDT)
THE LOST CHORD, unusual and neglected rep – Saturday on KWAX at 4:00 PACIFIC TIME (7:00 PM EDT)
Stream them here!
LEFT TO RIGHT: Young Debussy, Wagner, and Holst, feeling their oats
