Kairoff at the Keyboard

We often hear the musical term "Theme and Variations", but what exactly does it mean?

In this episode, Peter reveals the best of the Baroque, including ornamentation, polyphony, and the father of the mighty piano: the harpsichord.

Peter goes "Big Picture" with an exploration of just about every composer's most important building block: musical form.

It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that ... dynamic variation. In this episode, Peter explains the importance of loud, soft--and everything in between--in Classical music.

Peter Kairoff reveals the expressive tenderness of late 19th century American composer Edward MacDowell.

Franz Schubert composed music in nearly every genre imaginable--symphonies, chamber music, operas, piano pieces--and yet each piece was infused with his favorite: lieder--songs.

Robert Schumann was a compulsive, Romantic composer in love with love, and he embodied the spirit of the early 19th century.

Polish composer Frédéric Chopin was a musical experimenter who continually pushed the envelope pianistically.

Peter explores the life and music of Domenico Scarlatti. He was born in 1685, the same year as Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel.