Smithsonian Associates: Fairy Tales in Classical Music, Lecture 3 – Faeries, Trolls, and Mystical Maidens

Ever since early humans began to gather, they attempted to understand the inexplicable universe by telling tales. While composers have frequently enjoyed exploring the macabre and Gothic horror, classical repertory is equally graced with gentler stories, some of which end happily ever after.

In the perfect follow-up to Halloween, speaker and concert pianist Rachel Franklin revisits her seasonal tour through the most mysterious corners of classical music as well as illustrates how fantasy and folklore have inspired some of history’s greatest composers.

British-born Franklin has been a featured speaker for organizations including the Library of Congress and NPR, exploring intersections among classical and jazz music, film scores, and the fine arts.

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The enchanted creatures of myth never cease to fascinate. Purcell, Mendelssohn, Grieg, Debussy, and Sibelius wrote many works that draw from mythological roots, frequently via the great literature of Shakespeare, Ibsen and others. Purcell’s The Fairy-Queen, Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Peer Gynt by Grieg, and Pohjola’s Daughter by Sibelius are all magnificent examples of the genre.