Interview with David Larkin, How Music Can Powerfully Evoke Nature And The Sublime

Musicologist Dr David Larkin explores Richard Strauss's epic tone poem, An Alpine Symphony (1915) and shows how music can represent and evoke nature and the sublime. With musical excerpts, David shares how Strauss depicts a waterfall, a flowery meadow with cows, a sunrise, a thunderstorm, a hiker reaching an alpine summit, an experience of the sublime, and much more. He explains the historical, philosophical and musical context Strauss wrote and premiered it in and its critical reception across the years. He also gives us some insight into the ideas Strauss had about the meaning of certain sections. The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra are to perform An Alpine Symphony on March 2 and 3 in Melbourne. Broadcast on 21 February 2023. David Larkin is a Senior Lecturer at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and is a specialist in German music of the nineteenth century. To listen to the full interview as it aired with the music included, listen to the feature segment here: https://www.rrr.org.au/on-demand/segments/uncommon-sense-david-larkin-shares-how-music-can-powerfully-evoke-nature-and-the-sublime To listen to the music at home alongside the podcast, here is the track list of music aired (in order): Eine Alpensinfonie, Op. 64 - 1. Nacht (Night), Sir Georg Solti https://youtu.be/uLAck30Wxzc Eine Alpensinfonie, Op. 64 - 2. Sonnenaufgang (Sunrise), Sir Georg Solti https://youtu.be/1-toTyu7bxk Eine Alpensinfonie, Op. 64 - 3. Der Anstieg (The Ascent), MSO live [2016] https://open.spotify.com/track/4ijWiZHmFFGiqJVr9sknz0?si=6801907735e84f86 Eine Alpensinfonie, Op. 64 - 6. Am Wasserfall (At the waterfall), Sir Georg Solti https://youtu.be/rddKGQCSf34 Eine Alpensinfonie, Op. 64 - 7. Erscheinung (Apparition), Sir Georg Solti https://youtu.be/gqSsNiYY-4U Eine Alpensinfonie, Op. 64 - 9. Auf der Alm (On the mountain pasture), MSO live [2016] https://open.spotify.com/track/4EXiLyML1RTpfZdybnibVx?si=4c96ae6d3dea40e2 Eine Alpensinfonie, Op. 64 - 13. Auf dem Gipfel (On the summit), MSO live [2016] https://open.spotify.com/track/7tuqOWQutpaTJKZAoePnTF?si=b666707f8cf045df Eine Alpensinfonie, Op. 64 - 19. Gewitter und Sturm, Abstieg (Thunder and Storm, Descent), MSO live [2016] https://open.spotify.com/track/1aDGTELkAipV9Syb3gLLh5?si=355d3d96e9244584