Episode Five of Up Close and Classical focuses on two American composers born in the last decades of the 19th century. These pioneering musician-composers opened the door for future generations forging their own voices within the world of classical music. Paralleling the reconstruction, new waves of immigration, and the suffrage movement in the U.S., these mavericks tied the old with the new, representing the ever-developing American culture at the turn of the 20th century.

From Bizet to Ravel explores the music of a group of prize-winning French composers who frame the development of orchestral writing in the Romantic period. Excerpts of works both familiar and intriguingly obscure are coupled with stories about the musical journeys of an exceptionally gifted group of adventurous composers. Learn about the lives and music of some of the most beloved and influential French composers in the latter half of the 19th century. Dive deeper into some of the orchestral music recently performed by Symphony of the Redwoods and Ukiah Symphony Orchestra.

The second of a two-part episode, continues the journey from the middle of the 19th century to the early 20th century. From the belle epoque through the first world war, this was a period of rapidly changing social, industrial, political, philosophical, and artistic waves and revolutions. This episode explores some of the stunning pieces written by French giants of orchestral repertoire.