Born on January 20, 1855, Ernest Chausson is today remembered primarily for a significant contribution to the violin repertoire, and, sadly, for the unusual circumstances of his early death at the age of 44, when he was bicycling and ran into a wall at full speed. He left behind a musical output that, while small (only 39 opus numbers), was impeccably crafted and highly regarded by his fellow composers of the time. We'll hear that Poeme for Violin and Orchestra, as well as music by two of his main teachers—Massenet and Franck—and our birthday tribute will also include some little-known but marvelous incidental music Chausson wrote for Shakespeare's The Tempest, which is also thought to be the first classical music work to make use of the celeste.
You can hear Foley Schuler's musical selections—and stories behind the music—every weekday afternoon from 1 until 4 on Blue Lake Public Radio.
