Skip to content
Support local news and music. Support your community.
Support CapRadio. We wouldn't be here without you.
Support your community's local source for news and music. Support CapRadio. 
Donate Now

View thank you gift options

Capital Public Radio

Capital Public Radio

signal status listen live donate
listen live donate signal status
listen live donate signal status
  • News
    • beats
    • State Government
    • Environment
    • Health Care
    • Business
    • Arts and Lifestyle
    • Food and Sustainability
    • PolitiFact California
    • California Dream
    • Videos
    • Photos
  • Music
    • genres
    • Classical
    • Jazz
    • Roots
    • Eclectic
    • Videos
    • Daily Playlist
  • Programs + Podcasts
    • news
    • Morning Edition
    • All Things Considered
    • Marketplace
    • Insight with Beth Ruyak
    • The View From Here
    • music
    • Acid Jazz
    • At the Opera
    • Classical Music
    • Connections
    • Excellence in Jazz
    • Hey, Listen!
    • Insight Music
    • K-ZAP on CapRadio
    • Mick Martin's Blues Party
    • Programs A-Z
    • Podcast Directory
  • Schedules
    • News
    • Music
    • ClassicalStream
    • JazzStream
    • Weekly Schedule
    • Daily Playlist
  • Community
    • Events Calendar
    • CapRadio Garden
    • CapRadio Reads
    • CapRadio Travels
    • Ticket Giveaways
  • Support
    • Evergreen Gift
    • One-Time Gift
    • Corporate Support / Underwriting
    • Vehicle Donation
    • Stock Gift
    • Legacy Gift
    • Endowment Gift
    • Volunteering
    • Benefits
    • Member FAQ
    • e‑Newsletter
    • Drawing Winners
    • Thank You Gifts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Close Menu

Classical Communiqué Classical blog

Discussing the way classical music touches the mind and the heart.

subscribe

 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 

Symphonic Sidebars: A Guide To Symphonies That Are Anything But Ordinary

  •  Kent Teeters 
Monday, February 23, 2015 | Permalink
  

He was just barely a teenager when he saw his first opera, and the experience was overwhelming. Speaking about the event later in life, he said: “I felt as if I were in some temple, as if a heavenly vision might shortly rise upon my sight…oh that night, what rapture…I was literally beside myself.”

The 13-year-old Charles Gounod was so moved by his first encounter with opera he immediately told his mother he wanted to become a musician. And, as you might expect, his specialty as a composer turned out to be the art form of opera. Gounod wrote twelve complete operas, and his opera “Faust” continues to be performed to this day.

Any opera composer must be able to create beautiful, lyrical melodies, and Gounod was certainly gifted in that regard. That ability to craft delightful tunes was put to good use in the two symphonies Gounod composed. We are unlucky he didn’t write more, and the two we have should be heard more often!

PURCHASE THE RECORDING

    Related Stories

  • Symphonic Sidebars: A Third Symphony From A “Rodney Dangerfield” Composer

    Thursday, March 26, 2015
    Next up in our series on extraordinary symphonies, Franz Berwald's Symphony Number Three.

 Symphonic Sidebars

Kent Teeters

Former Classical Music Coordinator and Host

Kent was Capital Public Radio's Classical Music Coordinator and morning host through the fall of 2015.   Read Full Bio 

Comments

Sign up for ReCap

and never miss the top stories

Delivered to your inbox every Wednesday.

Check out a sample ReCap newsletter.

More Classical Posts

Julien Hekimian/Getty Images

Kanye West Announces An Opera (Which Isn't As Crazy As It Sounds)

November 18, 2019

Uli Weber/Decca

Powerful Lungs And Long-Spun Lines: Cecilia Bartoli Conjures Farinelli

November 28, 2019

Courtesy Ensemble Mik Nawooj

Ensemble Mik Nawooj Joins American River College Orchestra To 'Bring Hip-Hop Into The Concert Hall'

December 3, 2019

More From CapRadio Music

Sasha Samsanova/Courtesy of the artist

Harry Connick Jr. Celebrates The Music Of Cole Porter On 'True Love'

November 14, 2019
Steve Mundinger/Courtesy of the Hancock Institute

Evgeny Pobozhiy, Russian Prodigy, Wins International Jazz Guitar Competition

December 04, 2019

Ear To Ear: CapRadio Jazz Hosts’ Favorite Music Of The Decade

December 03, 2019
We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter

More From CapRadio Music

Sasha Samsanova/Courtesy of the artist

Harry Connick Jr. Celebrates The Music Of Cole Porter On 'True Love'

November 14, 2019
Steve Mundinger/Courtesy of the Hancock Institute

Evgeny Pobozhiy, Russian Prodigy, Wins International Jazz Guitar Competition

December 04, 2019

Ear To Ear: CapRadio Jazz Hosts’ Favorite Music Of The Decade

December 03, 2019

Back to Top

  • 7055 Folsom Boulevard
    Sacramento, CA 95826-2625

    • (916) 278-8900
    • Toll-free (877) 480-5900
    • Email Us
    • Submit a News Tip
  • Contact Us

  • About Us

    • Contact Us / Feedback
    • Coverage
    • Directions
    • Jobs & Internships
    • Mission / Vision / Core Values
    • Press
    • Staff Directory
    • Board of Directors
  • Listening Options

    • Mobile App
    • On Air Schedules
    • Playlist
    • Podcasts
    • RSS
  • Connect With Us

    •  Facebook
    •  Twitter
    •  Instagram
    •  YouTube
  • Donate

  • Listen

  • Recap Newsletter

Capital Public Radio stations are licensed to California State University, Sacramento. © 2019, Capital Public Radio. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Website Feedback FCC Public Files: KXJZ KKTO KUOP KQNC KXPR KXSR KXJS. For assistance accessing our public files, please call 916-278-8900 or email us.