The Symphony

By: Robert Greenberg, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Robert Greenberg

Length: 18 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

From its humble beginnings in the 17th-century Italian opera overture and the Baroque ripieno concerto, the symphony has evolved into one of the longest lived, and perhaps the most expressively inclusive, genres of instrumental music. Along the way, it has embraced nearly every trend to be found in Western concert music.

In this series of twenty-four 45-minute lectures, Professor Greenberg guides you on a survey of the symphony. You'll listen to selections from the greatest symphonies by many of the greatest composers of the past 300 years. You'll also hear selections from some overlooked works that, undeservedly, have been forgotten by contemporary audiences.

Your tour of the symphony includes

• an examination of how the simultaneous development of the orchestra and the opera were crucial to the birth of the symphony as a genre;
• a look at the earliest true symphonies that were exponents of the galant style that emerged in the period between the High Baroque and Viennese Classicism;
• an exploration of Haydn and Mozart, the titans of the Classical age;
• the sublime and iconoclastic Beethoven and his Fifth Symphony;
• a study of Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique, which combined the extreme emotions and drama of the opera house with an explicit, intimately autobiographical narrative; and
• national developments in France, Russia, Vienna, Bohemia, Scandinavia, America, and Great Britain.

The course concludes with an investigation of Dmitri Shostakovich's Tenth Symphony, which became, in Professor Greenberg's words, "a model for what the new, post-Stalin Soviet music might aspire to be-a more personally expressive, less explicitly programmatic work, one that both engaged and challenged its listeners."

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2004 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2004 The Great Courses

Excellent!

Excellent and very interesting information! Fun, enthusiastic lecturer! Now to listen again and try to memorize it all!

Great Course

Another great course by Greenberg, second only to the 3rd Edition of How to Listen to and Understand Great Music!

Super Survey of Symphonies

Greenberg is a superb lecturer who presents the symphony across the centuries in an electrifying and edifying manner. He brings each composer and his work to life. There are composers of whom I had never heard and I am better off now. But for even the familiar ones I have a deeper appreciation.

Excellent overview course

Professor Greenberg doesn't excellent job of surveying the symphony over a three century arc. At times, he is a bit over-the-top, but this also keeps it interesting.

love it.

simply an amazing take on the history of the symphony. just wish there was time to cover more!!!

another brilliant performance

this course focuses basically on symphonies so a lot of other relevant authors are not covered however Dr Greenberg is able to make every lecture interesting and enjoyable very much worth any music lovers time

I love Professor Greenberg's teaching style

this is my third music appreciation course with Professor Greenberg, and I always learn a ton. I highly recommend this course and I feel like I've really learned how to deepen my appreciation of the symphony.

fantastic survey of classical composers

Narrator was engaging and lively. Discovered some new composers through the presentation. Great surface analysis of the players in classical composition, as well as the component parts of compositions and the evolution of classical music.

Listening vs interpretation

I've always enjoyed listening to classical music. I honestly never knew the underlying meaning or intent on the composer. Although I still don't know much about the composer nor the world in which he lived in I certainly will listen differently. Thank you for the insights!

Wonderful, as always.

Professor Greenberg teaches us wonderfully about the best symphonies and symphonists of the history of music.