El Millor dels Temps is the musical program of Catalunya Música. Every Sunday, you will find both national and international news in the world of theatre, cinema and new audiovisual formats, as well as monographic programs dedicated to emblematic works, great composers and hidden pearls of musical history. The aim is to bring this popular yet unknown genre closer to new viewers and offer new material and information to experts.
Óscar Peñarroya is the composer of the tune for the program and participates in the section "El Racó de l'Oscar"
Audios from the section "Oscar's corner"
Oscar's Corner: Sondheim's Complexity
Our music expert discovers some curiosities about the score of "Sweeney Todd".
Jonathan Tunnick's Orchestrations
One of the greatest creators of the musical world. An extraordinary orchestrator who won a Tony Award in 1997. Today we discover this complex method of composition.
Oscar's corner: Is Sondheim difficult to interpret?
Sondheim has a reputation for being a nightmare for singers and accompanying pianists. Our music expert tells us how to play for Sondheim.
Oscar's Corner: "Falling in Love with Love"
It is one of the gems of The Boys from Syracuse and a source of inexhaustible versions in all kinds of genres. With Óscar Peñarroya we talk about how Rodgers and Hart fueled the Real Book of jazz standards.
What is a musical theater reprise?
"Carousel" meant a new way of writing musicals. One of the most innovative features was the dramatic use of reprise.
Oscar's corner: the re-releases of "Sea and Sky"
"Mar i Cel" has been lucky enough to be re-released on several occasions and, with each production, to be rewritten. Oscar enters the bowels of this obra and its evolution.
Oscar's corner: Loewe and Lerner
Do you know the work of Loewe and Lerner? The romantic sound of the American musical is his.
The Oscar Corner: "Merrily We Roll Along" by Stephen Sondheim
Not all musicals are a failure because of their poor musical quality. Óscar Peñarroya analyzes the intelligent use of musical motifs in one of the most famous flops of the 80s: "Merrily We Roll Along", by Stephen Sondheim.
Oscar's Corner: Jason Robert Brown
Jason Robert Brown is one of the voices with the most personality in contemporary music. Óscar Peñarroya analyzes the keys to his sound.
Oscar's Corner: Ragtime
A musical by Flaherty and Ahrens, authors of "Once on this island", shows the cultural clash of America at the beginning of the 20th century. It is "Ragtime" and its opening, one of the best examples of dramatic use of minority music.
Oscar's corner: integrated vs non-integrated songs in dramaturgy
In "Spring Awakening" the songs are not directly integrated into the action. Our music expert explains the difference between a dramaturgically integrated song and a non-integrated one.
Oscar Corner: "Hamilton"
"Hamilton" is based on hip-hop, but its musical palette is much wider. Our expert comments on the other pieces of music.
Oscar's corner: Puccini's shadow is long
Puccini is the great inspirer of the work "Rent"... What remains musically of the composer in the musical?
Oscar's Corner: The Demon of West Side Story
The real demon of West Side Story is not Chino or the hatred between the gangs. It is this infernal note that gives life to the whole work: the augmented fourth.
Oscar's corner: Technical differences
With the collaboration of the singer Mª Carme Mateu, Óscar Peñarroya will analyze the different techniques that differentiate the classical musical, the current one and the opera
The corner of the Oscar: Minchin and Matilda
Musicals performed by children have always had comprehensible and simple rhythms. Until Tim Minchin arrived...
Oscar's corner: Broadway at the movies
Alan Menken brought the structures of the stage musical to the animated film. With our music expert, we talk about the most famous opening number in Disney cinema: "Belle", from the film "Beauty and the beast".
Oscar's corner: Major and minor scales
Major and minor scales. Melodic languages that make us recognize different eras or styles. We see a practical example.
Oscar's corner: Paint melodies
Óscar Peñarroya will talk to us about how to "paint" the melodies in a musical: the orchestrations.
Oscar's corner: Introduction of rock on stage
One of the great revolutions of "Hair" was the change in the sound of Broadway. Óscar Peñarroya will tell us what the introduction of rock on the stage meant.
Oscar's corner: "Come from away" is a community musical, more than a choral musical
Óscar Peñarroya explains the difference between making a choir and a group of soloists singing in time.
The Oscar Corner: How John Kander and Fred Ebb Plagiarized Themselves
Can a composer imitate himself? The writers of "Cabaret" did, in some of their most popular songs. Óscar Peñarroya tells us which ones.
Oscar Corner: Cole Porter's "So In Love"
We inaugurate a section by the pianist, composer and musical director, Òscar Peñarroya, who looks with a magnifying glass at something related to musical theatre. This week he talks about the theme song "So In Love" from the musical "Kiss me Kate", by Cole Porter, the first musical that won the Tony Award for best musical in 1949.