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Free Download: Antonio Vivaldi's Concerto for Two Mandolins, RV 532

Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741) wrote over 500 concertos and his compositional conventions, such as the ritornello form and the three-movement structure, became the standard for concerto writing. Vivaldi wrote forty double concertos, but this is the only concerto scored for two solo mandolins. It is difficult to determine whether this work was an exploration in new instrumentation or if it was meant to satisfy the requests of patrons.

This performance is presented by the Ensemble Instrumental de Grenoble under the direction of Kurt Redel, featuring soloists Christian Schneider and Danielle Meyer.

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Free Download: Johannes Brahms's Double Concerto for Violin and Violoncello, Op. 102

Completed in 1887, this concerto is German composer Johannes Brahms’s (1833–1897) last orchestral work. Brahms wrote this work, referred to as a “double concerto” as it features two soloists rather than one, for violinist Joseph Joachim and Joachim’s quartet-mate, cellist Robert Hausmann.

This recording is performed by Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine under the direction of Alain Lombard.

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Free Download: Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 1, "Titan"

Austrian composer Gustav Mahler (1860–1911) completed most of his first symphony in 1888, having begun to sketch as early as the 1870s. The last edition published in Mahler’s lifetime is dated 1906.

“The introduction to the first movement sounds of nature, not music!” Mahler once instructed conductor Franz Schalk. Indeed, the opening measures, consisting of pianississimo A’s across seven octaves, aptly evoke “nature’s awakening from its long winter sleep,” as Mahler first described it.

This recording is performed by Orchestre National de Lille under the direction of Jean-Claude Casadesus.

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Free Download: “Who Fed the Chickens?" by Ella Jenkins

Ella Jenkins wears the title given her by many of her fans, “The First Lady of Children’s Music,” with tremendous energy. Now in her ninth decade, she continues to encourage young children to hop, skip, jump, clap, dance, and be active through song.

Get Moving with Ella Jenkins showcases the absolute finest recordings incorporating movement and play by a true pioneer of children’s music. Drawn from many recordings created during her legendary career, these songs demonstrate Ella’s genius as both a music educator and children's entertainer.

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Free Download: Maurice Ravel's "Miroirs (Mirrors)"

Maurice Ravel (1875–1937) was a French composer.

Dating from 1904–1905, each piece in Ravel's Miroirs (Mirrors) for piano is dedicated to a different member of his artistic group, known as "Les Apaches". The first piece, "Noctuelles (Night Moths)," is dedicated to French poet and essayist Léon-Paul Fargue, "Oiseaux tristes (Sad Birds)" to pianist Ricardo Viñes (who also premiered the work), "Une barque sur l'océan (A boat on the Ocean)" to painter Paul Sordes, "Alborada del gracioso (The Gracioso's Aubade)" to music writer and critic Michel-Dimitri Calvocoressi, and "La vallée des cloches (The Valley of Bells)" to composer and pianist Maurice Delage

Ravel remarked that ‘these pieces marked such a change in my harmonic evolution that nonplussed even those most accustomed to my musical style'. He later arranged two of the set for orchestra, "Une barque sur l'ocean" and "Alborada del gracioso".

This recording is performed by pianist Abdel Rahman El Bacha.

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Free Download: "Lo que me trajo el Niño Dios (What the Christ Child brought me)"

The marimba is a vivid legacy of African presence in Latin America, but only on the Pacific coast of southern Colombia and northern Ecuador does it keep its close connections to a strongly African culture.

Hailing from small towns along the river-ridden Colombian coast, the seasoned women singers of Grupo Naidy raise their voices to the accompaniment of marimba and drums, performing their unique styles of music known collectively as currulao.

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Free Download: Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky's "Shchelkunchik [The Nutcracker Suite], Op. 71"

Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) was a Russian composer.

Tchaikovsky's final ballet, The Nutcracker, was completed in 1892, a year before the composer's suicide. Based on a Christmas story by E.T.A Hoffmann, The Nutcracker was first produced in St. Petersburg on 18 December 1892 with choreography by Marius Petipa.

Tchaikovsky did not think much of the music he produced, though he did the best job possible with the material available. The result is, understandably, light and frivolous to match the tinsel fairy world of the story. Yet the music retains great charm and has a surface sheen that is endlessly fascinating.

Particularly attractive are the miniature overture and the national dances that culminate with the lively Russian Trepak. The Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy sparkles prettily and the Waltz of the Flowers has tremendous verve. The whole work remains a traditional Christmas favourite for the whole family.

This recording is performed by the Orchestre d'Etat du Palatinat Rhénan.

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Free Download: Jean Sibelius's "Symphony No. 2, Op. 43"

Pyotr Il′yich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) was a Russian composer.

Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) was a Finnish composer.

The Second Symphony was sketched in 1901 while Sibelius was staying admid the beautiful mountain scenery of Rapallo, Italy. The composer had been on an extended trip abroad from his native Finland, visiting Berlin and meeting Dvorak in Prague. Still, however, Sibelius yearned for his homeland and the Second Symphony bears witness to this homesickness.

The ostinato passages and atmospheric string sounds used by Sibelius are often said to represent the Finnish wind. And the stirring finale, though far from sophisticated, must have raised the spirits of his countrymen laboring under the yoke of Russian oppression.

This recording is performed by the Orquesta Filarmónica De La Ciudad de México.

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Free Download: Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky's "Symphony No. 5, Op. 64"

Pyotr Il′yich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) was a Russian composer.

 

Begun in May 1888, Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony is one of the composer's most personal compositions. His wonderful gifts for melody, and his depressive tendencies, are much in evidence. Ultimately, the gloom of the E minor opening with its all-pervasive fate motif is lifted in a unashamedly triumphant finale.

This recording is performed by the Orquesta Filarmónica De La Ciudad de México.

 

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Free Download: "John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United States," by John F. Kenned

In the face of historically unparalleled violence during the 20th century, voices of reason unceasingly advocated for peace by disarmament. Alfred Nobel created the Nobel Peace Prize in 1901 to honor such advocacy. In this collection of archival and new spoken word recordings, Nobel laureates and other proponents of peace remind us of their profound efforts on behalf of world peace.

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