Classical Classroom

Knowing how a piece of classical music came to be is often a bit of a guessing game. What inspired Bach to write the Goldberg Variations, or Beethoven to write his 9th Symphony? Context clues, letters, composers' notes help us put the story together; we fill in the rest with our imaginations and mythology. But no more! In this episode of Classical Classroom, you'll hear the entire story of a piece of modern classical music, Music for... Read More

Richard Scerbo. Image courtesy of his website.How do you tell a story without words? Why, with music of course! Richard Scerbo, founder and artistic director of DC-based Inscape Chamber Orchestra, explains how - and why - composers use music to tell tales. Walk through two very different kinds of musical "stories" in this episode. Watch out for dancing puppets and swamp ghosts.All music in this episode performed by Inscape Chamber Orchestra:- Excerpts from their new... Read More

Violinist Anne Akiko Meyers. Photo by VANESSA BRICEÑO-SCHERZER / CHRISTIE STOCKSTILL.This episode contains pretty much everything: Violinist Anne Akiko Meyers, Leonard Bernstein's 100th birthday, Plato's Symposium, music by living composers, the Great American Songbook, and most importantly, love, baby.All music in this episode from Anne Akiko Meyers' new album, Serenade: The Love Album.Audio production by Todd "Tickle Me Elmo" Hulslander with high-pitched cackles by Dacia Clay and editing by Mark DiClaudio.For more about Anne Akiko... Read More

Lynda McKnight. Courtesy of the UH Moores School website.It's a Menotti two-fer! Lynda McKnight from Houston's Opera in the Heights teaches all about the composer Gian Carlo Menotti and two of his short operas, The Medium (not the Patricia Arquette kind), and The Telephone (not the Lady Gaga kind). Learn about this versatile 20th century composer and these two drastically different operas. Also, zombies.By the way, Opera in the Heights is staging a Medium and... Read More

What?? Two episodes in one week? That's right. We made you a treat: Go with us on a field trip to the Moores School of Music Organ Recital Hall at the University of Houston where we meet up with Keith "Creepy" Weber and the colossal, two-story Beckerath Organ that lurks in the hall. Learn all about Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor and why it's the soundtrack for all things macabre in this episode,... Read More

Cover of cellist (and - we suspect - part-time lumberjack), Matt Haimovitz's new CD. Courtesy of Oxingale/Pentatone.Cellist Matt Haimovitz has grappled with Bach's Cello Suites for decades. He first recorded them in 2000. He's dedicated his new second recording of the Suites to Anna Magdalena, Bach's second wife, who copied Bach's manuscripts. Haimovitz talks about how Anna Magdalena's transcriptions became his spirit guide on a quest to gain a greater understanding of the Gospel of... Read More

The Catalyst Quartet: (clockwise from top) Karla Donehew-Perez, Jessie Montgomery, Paul Laraia, and Karlos Rodriguez.Bachtoberfest continues! Catalyst Quartet members Karla Donehew-Perez and Karlos Rodriguez talk about famously eccentric (eccentrically famous?) performer and composer, Glenn Gould, his recordings of Bach's Goldberg Variations, and Catalyst's Gould-inspired arrangement of the Variations. Discussed: breakfast, order out of chaos, and who this "Goldberg" person was.Music in this episode: "Aria da capo" from Gould's 1955 and 1981 recordings, and from the Catalyst... Read More

 Continuing with our Bachtober celebration, we revisit this oldie but goody with Kurt Stallmann. Bach's Invention No. 1 contains an entire universe of music as we learn in this episode with Kurt Stallmann, Associate Professor of Music at Rice University's Shepherd School of Music. It gets metaphysical up in here, you guys.Audio production by Todd "Birthday Boy" Hulslander, with happy claps of approval by Dacia Clay.Music in this episode includes:Johann Sebastian Bach, Invention No. 1 in... Read More

This Classroom teacher needs only one name: Madonna! JK! But he's also a world-famous musician: Pianist Yundi teaches about Chopin's preludes, all of which he recently recorded on his new album, aptly entitled Frédéric Chopin: Complete Preludes. Where did these preludes come from? Why are they each so different? Yundi teaches all of this and more in this episode. All music in this episode from Yundi's new album. Audio production by Todd "A Confederacy of... Read More

The first woman who ran for the U.S. presidency did so in 1872. Never heard this story? Thankfully, composer and conductor Victoria Bond has written an opera about this woman's life. Hear the incredible, true, titillating tale and learn about opera AT THE SAME TIME! Sex, scandal, alliteration! All in this episode. All music in this episode is from Victoria Bond's opera, Mrs. President. Audio production by Todd "Trusty Sidekick" Hulslander with quick draws by... Read More

Eva-Maria Zimmerman and Keisuke Nakagoshi make beautiful music together as the musical duo ZOFO. On the same piano. At the same time. Why do they do this? What is this strange art form? And what does it all have to do with Terry Riley?! Learn all about piano four hands in this episode. Music in this episode is all from the CD ZOFO Plays Terry Riley: Etude from the Old Country Half-Wolf Dances Mad in... Read More

Time to celebrate our 100th show. It's been quite a "Journey." We toot some horns (mostly our own)and reminisce with some previous show flashbacks. We also meet some of the most famous classical music composers as they join in the festivities. 'Cause there ain't no party like a Beethoven doing Jagerbombs party. Party on Ludwig! Party music from the best DJs in the biz: Italo House Pavarotti/Bocelli/Jovanotti REMIX #6 2015 by dj SRONYX el toro loco... Read More

Revisit Classical Classroom's very first show! Classical music announcer Chris Johnson compares two very different recordings of the same piece. Gut strings, basso continuo, and the Baroque period are discussed. Audio production by Todd "Teacup" Hulslander and Chris Johnson. Music used in this episode includes: Vivaldi's Four Seasons Concerto, "Autumn" by: Itzak Perlman violin solo, London Philharmonic Fabio Biondi solo violin, Europa Galante  

It's summertime, and the classical musicians have all disappeared. No, it's not a classical music-specific alien body snatching situation. It's just that they're all at music festivals! Because we miss them, we've decided to follow the musicians to a different fest each summer. This year, we head to the Aspen Music Festival! In our four-show series, we'll be interviewing festival leaders, musicians, and whoever else will talk to us. In this, the fourth and final... Read More

Robert McDuffie (L) with Mike Mills (R) of R.E.M. on piano, and students from the McDuffie Center for Strings. Courtesy of the artist's website. It's summertime, and the classical musicians have all disappeared. No, it's not a classical music-specific alien body snatching situation. It's just that they're all at music festivals! Because we miss them, we've decided to follow the musicians to a different fest each summer. This year, we head to the Aspen Music... Read More