Music Appreciation

Instructor: Rick Phillips
One of our most popular offerings, back by popular demand – again. This 4-part survey features another set of great composers. You'll learn about their lives and loves, the influences on them, some of the social history of the time and how it affected them. You'll discover some of the basic forms and structures of music, and of course, you’ll hear lots of great music, uncovering new insights into what to listen for and why this music has been loved by millions. One-a-week, featured composers will be Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1734), Antonin Dvořák (1841-1904), Edvard Grieg (1843-1907), and Maurice Ravel (1875-1937).

Instructor: Rick Phillips
Often said to be the instrument closest to the human voice, the musical properties and characteristics of the violin have attracted composers through the centuries. Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Sibelius and many others composed concertos for violin and orchestra that are now popular repertoire in concerts around the globe. With the ability to “sing” melodies, as well as handle fast, agile sequences, the violin’s versatility combines tender lyricism with pyrotechnical brilliance, making it one of the most communicative and expressive of all instruments. As one of today’s top violinists, Joshua Bell, has said, “ When you play a violin piece, you are a storyteller, and you’re telling a story.”  This series will trace the development of the violin concerto from the Baroque to the present day, using classic recordings featuring legendary violinists from the past and present.