Deano Maduramuthu Classical Music Decoded

Scheherazade Symphonic Suite

--:--
Scheherazade was composed by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov. It was inspired by One Thousand and One Nights (The Arabian Nights) and like many good stories, is full of colour, adventure and a bit of romance!

Miro Chakaryan is the concert master of the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra. He takes us through each movement, explaining how Rimsky-Korsakov used the orchestra to depict different characters and create different effects. Miro also gives us an insight into the difficulty that the end of the work poses for violinists.
28 May 2022 English South Africa Music Commentary · Performing Arts

Other recent episodes

Concerts: May / June 2023

There has been a welcome increase in concert activity in Johannesburg over the past few months. This episode is about a new chamber music forum in the city, as well as what you can expect from the JPO's upcoming Winter Season 2023.
8 May 7 min

Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D major

Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto was criticised by its dedicatee, poorly performed at its premier and savaged by a leading critic. But still, this child of the composer's imagination became hugely popular and is one of the foremost violin concertos in classical music.
8 Mar 15 min

Fauré: Pélleas et Mélisande

Fauré's Pélleas and Mélisande concert suite was extracted from music he wrote for a performance of Maurice Maeterlinck's play. It showcases Fauré's ear for beautiful melodies and his knack for expressing deeply felt emotions in music that's powerful and yet at the same time, restrained.
11 Jan 11 min

Grieg: Piano Concerto in A minor

Edvard Grieg's Piano Concerto has been popular ever since it's premier in 1868. Its combination of arresting melodies, warmth and dazzling piano parts has charmed audiences around the world. In this episode Deano Maduramuthu gives background to Grieg's journey into Norwegian nationalism, the encouragement he received from Franz Liszt and…
11 Nov 2022 12 min

Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue

A public performance of Rhapsody in Blue was advertised before Gershwin had even thought of composing it! This episode explains how the Rhapsody came into being and how Gershwin infused 'jazz vocabulary' into a piece of classical music.
11 Sep 2022 10 min
All episodes