On today's show, hear Stephen Prutsman play Franz Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2. Near the end of the performance, he does something that Liszt did as well...Prutsman works three other works into an improvised finale based on requests from the audience.
Composer Terry Riley was profoundly moved by something author Alice Walker said shortly after 9/11. She said, "We must learn to be kind to one another now." That statement is still true...and it always will be. On today's show, hear pianist Sarah Cahill perform Be Kind to One Another, by Terry Riley, from a concert in Interlochen, Michigan.
Thursday
Joel Revzen is one of our heroes. He was Artistic Director and Conductor of Classical Tahoe until his death in May of 2020, due to complications of COVID-19. Revzen's wife, Cindy Rhys, recalls, "He had the heart of an adventurer...with boundless generosity, ready to take anyone on that adventure with him. He made music from the heart, and he led from the heart." On today's show, hear Joel Revzen lead from the heart, conducting the Classical Tahoe Orchestra in the last two movements Brahm's Symphony No. 1.
Great music has no borders. On today's show, let's travel to Taiwan to hear Japanese euphonium player Misa Mead plays an Appalachian "Hootenanny" by Matthew Jackfert.
The Shanghai Chinese Orchestra are not like a standard Western orchestra - they play traditional Chinese instruments. They are dedicated to traditional Chinese music AND music by young composers. On today's show, hear the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra play "Homeland" by Yunfei Wang, from a recent concert in Shanghai.
A concerto usually features one soloist on one instrument, but composer Jennifer Higdon has a concerto that features a single soloist on about THIRTY instruments. On today's show, hear Jennifer Higdon's Percussion Concerto, with Cameron Leach dashing from instrument to instrument, on stage with the Dallas Winds.
Violinist Ray Chen is often up for new challenges. He has has hundreds of thousands of followers on social media and is a pioneer in how musicians are interacting these days. On today's show, hear selections from Ray Chen's new album Solace, recorded at his home in Taiwan.
Mike Begay is an Indigenous American composer from the Dine nation. He has a new podcast profiling teenage Indigenous composers as they develop their works from page to stage. On today's show, hear music and stories from the Native American Composers Apprenticeship Project.
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