Nov 7, 2019
Imagine writing a concerto that prompted Beethoven to remark to a friend: “we’ll never be able to write anything like that." That's what you get with Mozart's C Minor concerto, a piece that could be said without hyperbole to be one of the greatest ever written. This week we'll go through all of the revolutionary...
Oct 31, 2019
Often Haydn is thought of as a “warm-up” composer, and someone who is not taken as seriously as Mozart or Beethoven. But I continue to think this is a mistake. Next time you listen to a Haydn symphony, don’t take it as a chance to relax. Instead, take it as an opportunity to listen with total engagement,...
Oct 24, 2019
Garrett McQueen hosts the nationally syndicated radio show Music Through the Night, is a bassoonist, and also hosts his own podcast, called Trilloquy. If you’ve ever wondered how radio playlists are created, this is the episode for you. In this conversation we also discuss Garrett’s tireless advocacy on behalf of...
Oct 22, 2019
This week, I'm interviewing 3 people who are making real change in the classical music business. Today, I talk with Aubrey Bergauer, the former Executive Director of the California Symphony, and Lorenzo Brewer, the founder of Nkoda, the Spotify of sheet music. We'll talk about the simple yet radical changes...
Oct 17, 2019
There is perhaps no more iconic musical than West Side Story. The team of Bernstein, Sondheim, Laurents, and Robbins collaborated on a show that combined humor and menace and love and violence in a way that revolutionized the stage. The film adaptation of the musical won 11 Academy Awards. But, in my opinion, what...