# Why should I listen to this symphony?



## Rach Man (Aug 2, 2016)

Why should I listen to this symphony?

I was listening to the classical station on XM radio this morning. The announcer started talking about Robert Schumann’s 2nd symphony and explained that the scherzo was a tricky movement for the violins and that, many times, this movement is used to audition prospective violinists for an orchestra. I found this to be quite interesting and, as a non-musician, did not know this. When I arrived at my office this morning, I immediately played Schumann’s 2nd symphony (Christoph Von Dohnanyi: Cleveland Orchestra). This was very helpful to me and I found that I enjoyed the piece much more because of this information.

Do any of you knowledgeable talkclassical people have other stories/information about any symphony that might not be readily known to all listeners and would heighten the listening of the symphony? I would enjoy learning any extra tidbits that might make my listening more enjoyable.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Best source for these kinds of tidbits is Bill McGlaughlin's Exploring Music radio show. It's broadcast by many classical radio stations.
https://exploringmusic.wfmt.com/


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## Dimace (Oct 19, 2018)

starthrower said:


> Best source for these kinds of tidbits is Bill McGlaughlin's Exploring Music radio show. It's broadcast by many classical radio stations.
> https://exploringmusic.wfmt.com/


That was really helpful! Thanks a lot my friend!


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## bharbeke (Mar 4, 2013)

My main sources for fascinating stories about pieces are this forum, KBAQ (my local classical radio station, also available online to stream), and Wikipedia articles.


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