great music explained
pre-recorded courses
+ live discussions
“Thanks for opening our eyes into another world …
I knew the music a bit, but there was so much more to learn/listen to/think about. Thank you!
You were inspirational and the course was full of new and interesting ideas, facts and thoughts, all of which will further facilitate my understanding and enjoyment of this phenomenal work.”
Handel's Messiah plays a central part in every Christmas celebration, and has been a runaway success ever since its premiere in Dublin in 1742. We examine Handel's revolutionary impact on Georgian music making, reflect on his brilliant librettist Charles Jennens, muse on various performances over the years, and celebrate Messiah's many unforgettable moments, not least the Hallelujah Chorus - just how did it become so famous?
The Messiah course consists of 90 minutes of course material and a Q&A session. All of the course material is prerecorded and access to it will not expire: all subscribers are invited to join Sandy on a Zoom meeting at 1800 on Tuesday 17th December 2024 for an informal discussion.
The Listening Club returns with a new six-part series of recorded lectures exploring the wonderful Brandenburg Concertos of Johann Sebastian Bach.
As a court employee in Cöthen in his mid thirties, Bach sent a beautiful handwritten score of these concertos to the aristocratic Margrave of Brandenburg as a thinly-disguised job application, but never received a reply.
The Margrave’s loss is our gain; the Brandenburg Concertos are amongst Bach’s best-loved compositions – tuneful, imaginative, brilliant and fun.
The Listening Club series consists of three hours of recorded material, made up of an introduction and six films, one for each of the Brandenburgs, lasting between 25 and 35 minutes each. Sandy explores the context behind the concertos, helps us to follow the score along with the music, and offers three important points to focus on in each session. The Academy of Ancient Music has kindly made its 2009 recording available for us.
By the end of the course you will have learned about some of the most important techniques Bach used in his instrumental music, become accustomed to following the scores while listening to the music, and will have gained a fresh understanding of this masterpiece of eighteenth-century music.
Click here to watch a sample of the series.
These recorded lectures are available to watch at any time on a dedicated web page, and the films will not expire. Those signing up to the series in July 2024 will be invited to join Sandy for a live Zoom at the end of the month to discuss the music and raise any questions they may have.
What people say:
As someone totally unfamiliar with the Monteverdi Vespers I found your broadcast today thoroughly fascinating and enjoyable …
Thanks for opening eyes this morning into another world …
I knew I would enjoy this morning’s session! I knew the music a bit, but there was so much more to learn/listen to/think about. thank you!
Past Listening Club series (no longer available to view) have covered the following composers and works:
William Byrd and Elizabethan England
Russian Romantics
Beethoven Late String Quartets
The Symphonies of Sibelius
Wagner Tristan and Isolde
Wagner Die Meistersinger
Handel Messiah
Bach St John Passion
Bach St Matthew Passion