The “Moonlight” Sonata. The “Jupiter” Symphony. The “Air on the G String”
All have one thing in common: their composers did not give them the names we know them by.
So . . . who did? And why?
In this hour, we’ll explore the often surprising stories behind these and other musical nicknames.
FEATURED RECORDINGS
Title | Group/Artist | Catalog # | UPC |
Beethoven: The Piano Sonatas, Vol. 4 [for the “Moonlight” Sonata] | Andras Schiff | ECM 1944 | 028947658757 |
Bach Orchestral Suites [for Air on the G string”] | Freiburg Baroque Orchestra | Harmonia Mundi HMC 902113.14 |
3149020211328 |
Handel: Organ Concertos [for “The Cuckoo & the Nightengale”] | Simon Preston; English Concert, Trevor Pinnock | Archiv Produktion D 150066 | 034571120522 |
Haydn String Quartets [for “The Joke”] | Angeles String Tro | Philips 464 650-2 | 028946465028 |
Haydn Symphonies [for the “Surprise” Symphony | Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra, Adam Fischer | Brilliant Classics 99925 | 842977099256 |
Mozart Symphony No. 40 & 41 [for the “Jupiter” Symphony] | Prague Chamber Orchestra, Charles Mackerras | Telarc CD-80139 | 089408013928 |
Mendelssohn Symphonies 3 & 4 [for “Scottish” Symphony] | Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, Pablo Heras-Casado | Harmonia Mundi HMC 902228 | 3149020222829 |
Chopin - Complete Works [for the “Military” Polonaise] | Garrick Ohlsson | Hyperion CDS44351/66 | 034571143514 |
Tchaikovsky Symphonies 1, 2 and 5 [for “Little Russian” Symphony] | Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Vasily Petrenko | Onyx ONYX4150 | 880040415022 |
Mozart: The Piano Concertos [for “Elvira Madigan” Concerto] | Geza Anda, Camerata Academica of the Salzburg Mozarteum | Deutsche Grammophon 469 510-2 | 028946951026 |