The Art of Fugue

Celina Anna Kintscher grew up in Germany, attended high school in South Africa, and is now studying composition at UCLA. This mix of cultures informs her work. Today, we'll hear a piece Kintscher wrote last year during ECI, the Emerging Composers Intensive in Carmel Valley, California.

The German word "gemütlich" conveys a particular musical feeling. If you're feeling gemütlich, you're relaxed and at ease, with maybe a touch of happy nostalgia. On today's show, we'll explore ‘gemütlich’ feelings in Fritz Kreisler's music from a concert presented by the Society for Chamber Music in Rochester, New York.

Deborah Borda has helped orchestras and the classical ecosphere grow into the 21st century. She has served as the CEO of the New York Philharmonic, the LA Philharmonic, and several other orchestras. Borda approaches her work with an unwavering love of music, clear vision, and determination. On today’s show, our 2024 Classical Woman of the Year, Deborah Borda, joins Fred Child as co-host for a special hour.

Pianist Jonathan Biss is our special guest this hour. For years, Biss suffered from debilitating performance anxiety and chose to hide it. But he's had a change of heart. He says that honesty is an absolute priority as an artist. His goal is to pull back the curtain on living as a musician with anxiety. Join us today for music and conversation with Jonathan Biss.

Maria Duenas is a 22-year-old violinist and composer. She grew up in Spain and went to school in Germany and Austria. Although she's still a student, she already has a couple of major label albums, and she gave her Carnegie Hall debut in October to rave reviews. Duenas plays Jean Sibelius's Violin Concerto in D minor on today's show, with Santtu-Matias Rouvali conducting the Philharmonia symphony orchestra.

In the last decade of his life, Johann Sebastian Bach worked on a vast exploration of the fugue, but he never finished the final section of the piece. Tune in today to hear the Danish String Quartet play J.S. Bach's extraordinary and unfinished “The Art of Fugue.”

When composer and pianist Franz Liszt was a young man, he was fascinated with death. He went to hospitals to observe people who were sick or dying. He went to prisons to meet people who had been condemned to die. On today’s show, we’ll hear Franz Liszt’s Totentanz, The Dance of Death, a piece based on the Dies Irae, a chant from the Catholic Mass for the Dead.

Pianist Jonathan Biss is our special guest this hour. For years, Biss suffered from debilitating performance anxiety and chose to hide it. But he's had a change of heart. He says that honesty is an absolute priority as an artist. His goal is to pull back the curtain on living as a musician with anxiety. Join us today for music and conversation with Jonathan Biss.

After Beethoven played some concerts in his 20s, reviews wondered who this unknown pianist and composer might be ...and they even misspelled his name as "Beethover." Yeah, even Beethoven had to climb the career ladder. We'll hear music by the up-and-coming Beethoven on today's show.

When Samuel Coleridge-Taylor premiered his Piano Quintet in 1893, he thought that would be the end and that it wouldn't be played again. And for more than a century, he was right. However, the handwritten manuscript was found in 2001. This quintet is now published and played around the world.  Join us today to hear Coleridge-Taylor’s Piano Quintet played by an all-star ensemble at the ChamberFest Cleveland music festival.