The Composer Chronicles

March 17, 2021March 12, 2021The Composer Chronicles

Ep. 43: Trevor Kowalski

Trevor Kowalski, an American composer based in Los Angeles, uses his years of training in various styles of music to compose for a wide variety of projects, collaborating with award-winning filmmakers, international game developers, theater directors, and various arrangements of ensembles. Trevor has been a part of The Composer Chronicles since day one; his music uploaded to the library Epidemic Sound has been in the background of many of these episodes. After sharing his unique career, Trevor talks about the beauty of music by American composers and their influence on his own sound.

March 10, 2021March 12, 2021The Composer Chronicles

Ep. 42: When Worlds Collide – Vaughan Williams and Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis

When Ralph Vaughan Williams was rummaging through old hymnals, he discovered a tune by a composer of England’s past Thomas Tallis. This simple tune would inspire Vaughan Williams to write a work for string quartet and double string orchestra, Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis. In creating this piece he melded two worlds together, the modern with the old, clearing the dust from a long forgotten tune and bringing it to new heights.

March 7, 2021The Composer Chronicles

4. A Strange Kind of Love (February 2021)

Ah… February. The month of love… There was a lot of love to go around in February 2021, but was it all worth it? Let’s find out?

March 3, 2021February 14, 2021The Composer Chronicles

Ep. 41: Game Play (Disk 2): Music in The Elder Scrolls with Andrew Shaw

The music of The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, IV: Oblivion, and V: Skyrim turned the tides of video game music composing. Their music sets the tone for the magical worlds that the heroes of Tamriel explore in these vast fantasy games, and musicologist Andrew Shaw has been able to draw narrative connections between the three games with just the music alone.

February 24, 2021February 25, 2021The Composer Chronicles

Ep. 40: To the Beloved God – Bruckner and His Symphony No. 9

Every piece of music Anton Bruckner ever wrote was dedicated to God, and his Symphony No. 9 was no exception. What is strange though is that it almost seems as if Bruckner knew that he would be leaving this symphony unfinished.

February 17, 2021February 13, 2021The Composer Chronicles

Ep. 39: Barnaby Martin

Sometimes one road leads us down another that we never expected to find ourselves wandering on. British composer Barnaby Martin has been active in the music world since a young age, but it wasn’t until later in life that his career as a composer led him to becoming a prominent video essayist on his YouTube channel Listening In.

February 14, 2021February 13, 2021The Composer Chronicles

Ep. 38: Star-Crossed – The Musical Reincarnations of Romeo and Juliet

William Shakespeare’s beloved tragedy of two star-crossed lovers has been one of the most frequently adapted stories for musical purposes. Composers, such Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, Gounod, Berlioz, and even Duke Ellington, have been touched by its heart-wrenching tale since its creation, and this episode gives you a look into the many musical reincarnations of Shakespeare’s young lovers, Romeo and Juliet.

February 10, 2021February 10, 2021The Composer Chronicles

Ep. 37: A Sad Shrovetide – Stravinsky and Petrushka

Petrushka, Igor Stavinksy’s second ballet, is a tragic tale of a living puppet who is treated like a mere toy and brought to the point of madness. Ironically, such a sad tale brought Stravinsky a great deal of success, especially after the triumph that was his previous ballet The Firebird. However, there’s a more you do not know, hidden behind the curtain.

February 5, 2021January 24, 2021The Composer Chronicles

3. Make Way for the Music (January 2021)

The Composer Chronicles is starting off strong in 2021! With music being featured as often as possible and with a ton of wonderful guests, 2021 is sure to be a wonderful year for the podcast.

February 3, 2021January 25, 2021The Composer Chronicles

Ep. 36: The Figure and the Frame – Mussorgsky and Pictures at an Exhibition with Notes & Strokes

The day architect and artist Viktor Hartmann died was a sad one. It was especially hard for composer Modest Mussorgsky, who’s opera Boris Godunov was one of Hartmann’s favorite works. After an exhibition of Hartmann’s art, Mussorgsky was moved to write a piano suite based on his experience there. This episode features Izaac and KC from the podcast Notes & Strokes. Together, we explore this piano masterpiece and the art that one may have seen at the exhibition.