Six Romantic Masterpieces

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. 

Week 1: Schumman: Symphony no 2

Week 2: Brahms: Symphony no 1

Week 3: Wagner: Tristan and Isolde

Week 4: Bruckner: Symphony no 7

Week 5: Mahler: Symphony no 1

Week 6: Shostakovich - Symphony no 5