A six week course covering symphonic masterworks from the Romantic and post - Romantic repertoire. Each session is devoted to a specific work during which we will shine a light on its inner workings, the historical context, its structure and musical makeup.
It was Beethoven who almost single-handedly brought about the birth of the Romantic period at the beginning of the 19th century. His 3rd symphony, the 'Eroica' is widely accepted as being the first truly Romantic work. Schumann and Brahms picked up the baton and so they are the focus for the first two sessions - Wagner and Bruckner,Mahler and Shostakovich are just a few of the many composers who followed and are represented in the 2nd half of the course.
We will cover the structures, orchestration and compositional techniques used by these composers, and you will find that the insight and knowledge gained will deepen your listening experience through understanding the language these composers use.
Choose a Subscription that suits you
An Annual Subscription
Gives you access to all videos, resources live and recorded courses on the site for 12 months from the date of purchase.
Courses: Live courses (on ZOOM) are held 3 times a year - in September, January and June. Each course consists of six, 90 minute sessions held on a Wednesday evening at 7.30pm (UK time). The sessions are recorded and edited into a video which is uploaded to the site, usually within a week. If you miss a session, you will be able to catch up by watching the recorded video in your own time. Some people prefer not to attend the LIVE sessions and just watch the recorded videos.
Videos: The Thinking Arts website has a growing catalogue of videos (currently 50+) which you will be able to access at any time. The videos are usually about 90 minutes long and cover a wide range of subjects - music history, chamber music, vocal music, the concerto, the symphony, contemporary music and many more.
Week 1: Schumman: Symphony no 2
Week 2: Brahms: Symphony no 1
Week 3: Bruckner: Symphony no 7
Week 4: Mahler: Symphony no 1 (Part 1)
Week 5: Mahler: Symphony no 1 (Part 2)
Week 6: Shostakovich - Symphony no 5 (Part 1)
Week 6: Shostakovich - Symphony no 5 (Part 2)
