Classical New York

For the last decade, Alex Ross, music critic for The New Yorker, has been researching and writing about the outsize influence of German composer Richard Wagner on non-musicians — from literature, to film, to politics. The result of that work is his new book, Wagnerism: Art and Politics in the Shadow of Music, which was published on September 15. He spoke with producer Max Fine about Wagner's broad influence, how we deal with great art by problematic artists, and what it means to publish this book today.

When the stay-at-home orders in New York began in March, pianist Simone Dinnerstein found herself unable to sit down at the piano. So, she took to reading and going on walks in Brooklyn's Greenwood Cemetery with her family. In June, her producer, Adam Abeshouse, convinced her to return to the piano through recording in her home. The results of those sessions, the album A Character of Quiet, featuring works by Schubert and Glass, is out now. Zev Kane talks with her about coping with lockdown, recording the album in her house, and what Glass and Schubert have in common (besides a birthday). 

WQXR’s Terrance McKnight hosts a conversation about the Black experience in the concert hall and the unique challenges people of color face in the classical music world with violinist Sanford Allen, vocalist & conductor Bobby McFerrin, vocalist Julia Bullock, tenor Lawrence Brownlee, and cellist Alvin McCall.Producer: Rosa GollanTechnical Producer: Ed Haber

While In Conversations is on summer break, James Bennett sat down with Davóne Tines for a special episode as part of the Mostly Mozart on WQXR Festival to talk about his chamber Opera "The Black Clown", the relationship between Bach's music and R&B, and how sometimes just being in the room (or on stage) is already a form of protest. 

Lauren Michelle is very good at singing. Seriously — over her career, she's stacked up awards that include First Place in the 2015 Lotte Lenya Competition and Marcello Giordani International Vocal Competition, and claimed prize winner status as BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition prize winner, and The Francisco Viñas International Singing Competition. But, in classical music of all places, the myth of meritocracy looms ever-large. In this episode of IN CONVERSATION, writer/editor James Bennett links up with the accomplished Soprano to discuss racism in the opera house, the cost of speaking up, and how she tumbled headfirst into the dazzling world of opera and the human voice.   James Bennett, HostRosa Gollan, ProducerLukas Krohn-Grimberghe, Executive Producer

The latest episode of In Conversation features baritone Lucas Meachem in conversation with Merrin Lazyan. Meachem talks about life at home, his new foundation A Perfect Day, and the importance of diversity in classical music. 

It was last summer that Orli Shaham began recording the complete Mozart piano sonatas. The new album is still in the works, but ever since April, she’s been offering special sneak previews. Every Wednesday, you can hear a selection from the album - available for one week only. It’s called MidWeek Mozart, and Shaham’s hoping it brings just a little more beauty into the world. Usually she shares a single movement, but all throughout July, Shaham’s making an entire sonata available for free online listening. This week’s selection is Sonata No 3 in B-flat major, a piece that Mozart wrote when he was 19, traveling a lot and encountering all sorts of new musical styles and instruments. Orli Shaham’s recording of Mozart’s piano sonata no 3 is available for one week only. You can find a link at wqxr.org/Concerwatch.

This week you can join James Bennett in his conversation with Icelandic composer Anna Thorvaldsdottir about her chamber opera UR_ (which was due to have its US premiere at this year's Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center which has since been cancelled), the role technology played in this collaboration with International Contemporary Ensemble and Nokia Bell Labs in enhancing the musical experience, what it means to be a composer during a pandemic and of course taking inspiration from nature.    James Bennett, HostLuka Vasić, Assistant ProducerRosa Gollan, ProducerLukas Krohn-Grimberghe, Executive Producer    

WQXR and WRTI, Philadelphia’s classical music and jazz station, have come together to launch “This Week with Yannick,” an eight-week radio series hosted by acclaimed conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Nézet-Séguin – Music Director of the Metropolitan Opera, The Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Orchestre Métropolitain of Montreal – has spent his career building connections between orchestras, singers, and audiences. Yannick now brings his passion for building connections through music outside of the concert hall and onto the airwaves. This Week With Yannick will air on WQXR and WRTI in Philadelphia every Sunday at 12pm, launching July 12th. 

Pianist and composer Stewart Goodyear joins Zev Kane this week In Conversation. They talk about his love of Beethoven and his "Sonatahons," in which he performs the complete Beethoven Piano Sonatas in a single concert, his own compositions, and his experiences as a Black classical musician. His new recording of the complete Beethoven Piano Concertos is out now on Orchid Classics.