Today's program features a fascinating pairing — Schubert and Debussy. Listen in as Daniel takes a deep dive into the emotionally-charged background to the famous Symphony No. 8 of Schubert. It's only two movements long, as opposed to the usual four for a symphony, but does that really mean it merits the nickname "unfinished?" As the tortured Schubert toiled away, this piece sat for years as a manuscript in a drawer.
Perhaps Eduard Hanslick put it best: "Sounds of lament or anger rarely enter this song full of intimate, quiet happiness, clouds of a musical thunderstorm reflecting musical effect rather than dangerous passion..."
We also hear, as a follow-up to last week's French-themed broadcast, Debussy's orchestral masterpiece, his homage to the sea, to his father, and ultimately... to art itself.
————
Franz Schubert Symphony No. 8 in B minor Unfinished D. 759
Claude Debussy La Mer
Carlos Miguel Prieto, conducting