Classical Performance Podcast

Pianist Benjamin Grosvenor and conductor François-Xavier Roth preview a Boston Symphony Orchestra program that includes Méhul's Overture toThe Amazons, Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21, and Beethoven's Symphony No. 5.

Violinist Leonidas Kavakos previews his Boston Symphony Orchestra performance of Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 2 and describes the "Willemotte" Stradivarius violin he plays, and Andris Nelsons talks about Strauss's An Alpine Symphony. Also, Alan McLellan talks with members of A Far Cry, and violinist Isabelle Faust and pianist Alexander Melnikov talk with Cathy Fuller about Beethoven's violin sonatas.

Deborah Boldin, flutist and founding Artistic Director of the Chameleon Arts Ensemble, describes the elements of an All-American program of works by Copland, Beach, and Berger, and pianist Rudolf Buchbinder and conductor Andris Nelsons preview a BSO concert of music by Beethoven and Bruckner.

Pianist Martin Helmchen describes the revolutionary qualities of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3, and BSO Artistic Administrator and Director of Tanglewood Tony Fogg previews the 2018 Tanglewood season, the "Bernstein Centennial Summer."

Alessandro Quarta, the founder and director of Concerto Romano, talks with Alan McLellan about the group's Boston Early Music Festival performance of Pasquini's Il San Vito, and Gil Rose, the founder and director of Odyssey Opera, talks with Chris Voss about Donizetti's L'Assedio di Calais.

Boston Symphony Orchestra Associate Conductor Ken-David Masur describes the characteristics of two sets of incidental music for the theater: Beethoven'sEgmontand Grieg'sPeer Gynt. Also, two members of the Berlin Philharmonic talk about the chamber groups in which they play, including horn player Fergus McWilliam of the Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet and Christian Stadelmann of Philharmonia Quartett Berlin.

Violinist Hilary Hahn describes the unique qualities of Dvorák's Violin Concerto, which she performs with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, as well as the huge range of collaborative projects she's undertaken, and conductor David Stern talks about a new Boston Lyric Opera production of Puccini'sTosca.

Violinist Gil Shaham talks with host Brian McCreath about the Violin Concerto by Tchaikovsky, as well as the next chapter in his series of recordings of concertos from the 1930's, and pianist Garrick Ohlsson describes his deep relationship with music by Frederic Chopin.

Pianist Paul Lewis talks with host Brian McCreath about Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4, and Andris Nelsons reveals two sides of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 11, "The Year 1905." Also, Alan McLellan and pianist David Deveau look back on Deveau's 22 years as Artistic Director of the Rockport Chamber Music Festival, and Chris Voss look ahead with Deveau's successor, violist Barry Shiffman.

As the Boston Symphony Orchestra opens its 2017-2018 season, three members of the orchestra recall working with Leonard Bernstein, both as students and as professionals, and Music Director Andris Nelsons describes his discovery of Bernstein following the fall of the Iron Curtain.

Pianist Marc-Andre Hamelin talks with WCRB's Cathy Fuller about his May 2017 Celebrity Series of Boston concert, with music by Haydn, Feinberg, Beethoven, Scriabin, and much more.

WCRB's Cathy Fuller talks with Richard Stoltzman about his father's definition of success, playing with Woody Herman's Thundering Herd, and how vibrato has been a mixed blessing, and Andrea Avery, the author of *Sonata: A Memoir of Pain and Piano, *talks with WCRB's Chris Voss about the intersection her life as a musician and rheumatoid arthritis.

Richard Stoltzman continues a conversation with WCRB's Cathy Fuller with a look at what's now known as "crossover" recordings, the beginnings of Stoltzman's career, and the importance of jazz to his artistic identity.

Clarinetist Richard Stoltzman talks with WCRB's Cathy Fuller about the 40-CD retrospective box set released by Sony, his beginnings as a musician, and why performing Brahms with the Cleveland Quartet was a life-changing experience. Also, Donald Greig of the Orlando Consort describes the challenges and rewards of performing and recording the complete chansons of Machaut.

Violinist Bernhard Forck and oboist Xenia Loeffler of the Academy for Ancient Music Berlin preview their Boston Early Music Festival program, called "Of Frogs and Men," and Andris Nelsons describes the evolution of his relationship to the four symphonies by Brahms.

Chameleon Arts Ensemble Artistic Director Deborah Boldin talks about the founding of the group in 1998 and a program of works by Bach and his sons at the Rockport Chamber Music Festival, and pianist Hélène Grimaud describes her changing relationship with the two piano concertos by Brahms, which she performed with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Andris Nelsons.

Boston Pops conductor Keith Lockhart describes the importance of John Williams as a composer of film music, as well as highlights of the 2017 Pops season, and Charles Dutoit talks with WCRB's Brian McCreath about his October 2016 Boston Symphony Orchestra All-British program.

WCRB's Chris Voss talks with Odyssey Opera Artistic and General Manager Gil Rose about the company's 2016 performance of Dvorák's rarely heard operaDimitrij, and Boston Symphony Music Director Andris Nelsons describes the distinctive sound of the BSO string section in works by Mozart and Bruckner.

Mezzo-soprano Susan Graham describes the background of "Frauenliebe und -leben Variations," and pianist Javier Perianes talks about performing Falla's "Nights in the Gardens of Spain" with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Pianist Leif Ove Andsnes describes the unique qualities of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 4, Andris Nelsons talks about Shostakovich's music for King Lear and Mahler's Symphony No. 4, and Marcus Thompson, Peggy Pearson, and Dimitri Murrath of the Boston Chamber Music Society talk with WCRB's Cathy Fuller about works by Bax and Bliss.