Sticky Notes: The Classical Music Podcast

Debussy String Quartet

Feb 23, 2023

Just one year before Debussy wrote his legendary Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, he completed another groundbreaking work. It was a string quartet, which he expected to be the first of many. But in the end, it would be the only one he would ever write. If you aren’t familiar with Debussy’s music, this quartet...

A Conversation with Martin Fröst: "The Highest Feeling You Can Get is that Someone Got Better"

Feb 16, 2023

Martin Fröst very well may be the greatest living clarinetist. His brilliant sound, feats of virtuosity, eclectic taste, and amazing performing ability has made him a superstar in the classical music world. I recently worked with Martin in Spain and a month later we had time to sit down and record a conversation at his...

Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring, Part 2

Feb 9, 2023

By as early as 1909, composers like Mahler knew that tonality was reaching its breaking point, and composers like Debussy were experimenting with colors and ideas a composer like Brahms wouldn’t have dreamed were possible. Strauss was shocking the world in his own right with his erotic and disturbing opera...

Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring, Part 1

Feb 2, 2023

The most famous thing about Igor Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring is the riot that took place at its premiere. Perhaps its overcompensating for classical music's reputation for being a bit stuffy, but musicians and musicologists LOVE talking about the riot at the Rite of Spring, and I’m no exception. But you might...