Like Dr. Frankenstein, Paul Hindemith took a few used parts from a long-dead composer and electrified them into something huge and powerful. The unwitting donor? That would be Carl Maria von Weber. His charming little tunes and marches served as the raw material for today's monster with a heart of gold, Hindemith's "Symphonic Metamorphoses on Themes by Carl Maria von Weber." We'll hear it from a concert in Los Angeles.
Episode Playlist
Hour 1
Carl Maria von Weber: Turandot Overture
The Queensland Philharmonic Orchestra, John Georgiadis, conductor
Ludwig van Beethoven: Twelve Variations for Cello and Piano on See the Conquering Hero Comes, WoO 45
Pieter Wispelwey, cello, Lois Shapiro, piano
Mixon Hall, Cleveland
Paul Hindemith: Symphonic Metamorphoses on Themes by Carl Maria von Weber
The Los Angeles Philharmonic, Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor
Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles
Richard Wagner: O du mein holden Abendstern, from Tannhauser
Bryn Terfel, bass-baritone, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor
Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles
Johannes Brahms: Albumblatt
Andras Schiff, piano
BBC Studios, London, England
Hour 2
Astor Piazzolla: Tango No. 3, from Three Tangos for Bandoneon and Orchestra
Astor Piazzolla, bandoneon, the Orchestra of St. Luke's, Lalo Schifrin, conductor
Antonio Locatelli: Introduzione Teatrale, Op. 4, No. 5
The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Giovanni Antonini, conductor
The Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Johann Sebastian Bach and others: 13 Ways of Looking at the Goldberg, based on Aria, from Goldberg Variations, BWV 988
Lara Downes, piano
Astor Piazzolla: Oblivion
Tine Thing Helseth, trumpet, the Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Andrew Manze, conductor
Norwegian Opera House, Oslo, Norway
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