Jörg Widmann is also recognized as an internationally acclaimed clarinet soloist, so we begin the Bonus Room by talking about that aspect of his career. We also discuss further how he balances his schedule between composing, clarinet, and conducting (spoiler alert... he really doesn't!), and then we talking about a number of different subjects, such as different national styles of composing, poetry and literature, and performing on period instruments. We conclude our discussion by going back to the beginning of it... combining curiosity with doubt, as they both can point to the future.

Dorico
Professional music notation and composition software from Steinberg. Download a free 30-trial today!

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Would you like more inspirational stories, suggestions, insights, and a place to continue the conversations with other listeners? Visit anthonyplog-on-music.supercast.com to learn more!

As a Contributing Listener of "Anthony Plog on Music," you'll have access to extra premium content and benefits including:

• Extra Audio Content: Only available to Contributing Listeners.
• Podcast Reflections: Tony's written recaps and thoughts on past interviews, including valuable tips and suggestions for students.
• Ask Me Anything: Both as written messages and occasional member-only Zoom sessions.
• The Show's Discord Server: Where conversations about interviews, show suggestions, and questions happen. It's a great place to meet other listeners and chat about all things music!
• Can I just donate instead of subscribing? Absolutely!
• Cancel at anytime and easily resubscribe when you want all that extra content again.

Learn more about becoming a Contributing Listener @ anthonyplog-on-music.supercast.com!

In Part 2, we continue our discussion about composition, including aspects such as revision, notation, writing in bursts rather than with a regular schedule (and why composing for very long hours is a joy), separating composing from clarinet and conducting, dealing with being writer's block, and working with Pierre Boulez. We end Part 2 by talking about his conducting career... how he got started, and his work with the Irish Chamber Orchestra.

Dorico
Professional music notation and composition software from Steinberg. Download a free 30-trial today!

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Would you like more inspirational stories, suggestions, insights, and a place to continue the conversations with other listeners? Visit anthonyplog-on-music.supercast.com to learn more!

As a Contributing Listener of "Anthony Plog on Music," you'll have access to extra premium content and benefits including:

• Extra Audio Content: Only available to Contributing Listeners.
• Podcast Reflections: Tony's written recaps and thoughts on past interviews, including valuable tips and suggestions for students.
• Ask Me Anything: Both as written messages and occasional member-only Zoom sessions.
• The Show's Discord Server: Where conversations about interviews, show suggestions, and questions happen. It's a great place to meet other listeners and chat about all things music!
• Can I just donate instead of subscribing? Absolutely!
• Cancel at anytime and easily resubscribe when you want all that extra content again.

Learn more about becoming a Contributing Listener @ anthonyplog-on-music.supercast.com!

Jörg Widmann is one of the most versatile and fascinating classical artists in the world today. He is one of the world's most recognized modern composers, with premiers by major orchestras around the world. He has also appeared as a clarinet soloist with many of the world's top ensembles. As a conductor, he was the Music Director of the Irish Chamber Orchestra for ten years. His body of work is amazing, so I wanted to find out... how has he been able to accomplish so much in such a short time? He was gracious enough to take time out of his very busy schedule to speak with me.

A defining quality for Jörg is his curiosity. He talks about how this curiosity began in his childhood. While discussing his curiosity and studies at Juilliard, we fall into the subject of German vs. French clarinet systems. We then use three pieces to discuss in depth how he approaches composition: His massive oratorio ARCHE, his Ad Absurdum, written for trumpeter Sergei Nakariakov, and finally, the Trumpet Concerto he wrote for Håkan Hardenberger. Jörg also talks about the similarities in his mind between Miles Davis... and Pierre Boulez.

Dorico
Professional music notation and composition software from Steinberg. Download a free 30-trial today!

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Would you like more inspirational stories, suggestions, insights, and a place to continue the conversations with other listeners? Visit anthonyplog-on-music.supercast.com to learn more!

As a Contributing Listener of "Anthony Plog on Music," you'll have access to extra premium content and benefits including:

• Extra Audio Content: Only available to Contributing Listeners.
• Podcast Reflections: Tony's written recaps and thoughts on past interviews, including valuable tips and suggestions for students.
• Ask Me Anything: Both as written messages and occasional member-only Zoom sessions.
• The Show's Discord Server: Where conversations about interviews, show suggestions, and questions happen. It's a great place to meet other listeners and chat about all things music!
• Can I just donate instead of subscribing? Absolutely!
• Cancel at anytime and easily resubscribe when you want all that extra content again.

Learn more about becoming a Contributing Listener @ anthonyplog-on-music.supercast.com!

In the Bonus Room we discuss the idea of using social media to build a career in music, and from there we move on to the subject of the interpretation of Baroque music... authentic instruments and phrasing vs. modern instruments and phrasing. And we end with Anne's optimistic take on the future of classical music... "The music is just fine."

Would you like more inspirational stories, suggestions, insights, and a place to continue the conversations with other listeners? Visit anthonyplog-on-music.supercast.com to learn more!

As a Contributing Listener of "Anthony Plog on Music," you'll have access to extra premium content and benefits including:

• Extra Audio Content: Only available to Contributing Listeners.
• Podcast Reflections: Tony's written recaps and thoughts on past interviews, including valuable tips and suggestions for students.
• Ask Me Anything: Both as written messages and occasional member-only Zoom sessions.
• The Show's Discord Server: Where conversations about interviews, show suggestions, and questions happen. It's a great place to meet other listeners and chat about all things music!
• Can I just donate instead of subscribing? Absolutely!
• Cancel at anytime and easily resubscribe when you want all that extra content again.

Learn more about becoming a Contributing Listener @ anthonyplog-on-music.supercast.com!

Part 2 of our discussion deals with the books "The King and I", and "My Nine Lives". We talk about what it was like to work with Herbert Breslin and Leon Fleisher, both towering but very different figures in the music business. This leads to a short discussion about interpretation, and we end with Anne talking about her current project, a book of historical fiction about the person who built pianos for Beethoven, Nanette Streicher.

Would you like more inspirational stories, suggestions, insights, and a place to continue the conversations with other listeners? Visit anthonyplog-on-music.supercast.com to learn more!

As a Contributing Listener of "Anthony Plog on Music," you'll have access to extra premium content and benefits including:

• Extra Audio Content: Only available to Contributing Listeners.
• Podcast Reflections: Tony's written recaps and thoughts on past interviews, including valuable tips and suggestions for students.
• Ask Me Anything: Both as written messages and occasional member-only Zoom sessions.
• The Show's Discord Server: Where conversations about interviews, show suggestions, and questions happen. It's a great place to meet other listeners and chat about all things music!
• Can I just donate instead of subscribing? Absolutely!
• Cancel at anytime and easily resubscribe when you want all that extra content again.

Learn more about becoming a Contributing Listener @ anthonyplog-on-music.supercast.com!

Anne Midgette was the music critic for the Washington Post for eleven years, and for seven years before that was a regular contributor to the New York Times. She is the author of two books on music, The King and I, about the relationship between Luciano Pavarotti and his manager, Herbert Breslin, and My Nine Lives, with the pianist Leon Fleisher. She is currently working on a historical novel about Nanette Streicher, the woman who built pianos for Beethoven. Oh, and she has also written some travel books! So who better to ask about what it is like to be a music critic and her life in the arts?

We begin with my asking Anne Midgette about her (at least to me) unique view on the purpose of a music critic. We then talk about what a normal day might look like and about the pressure of writing music reviews with incredibly quick publishing deadlines. Ms. Midgette is well known for her articles having to do with the #MeToo problem in classical music, which we discuss in depth toward the end of this episode.

Would you like more inspirational stories, suggestions, insights, and a place to continue the conversations with other listeners? Visit anthonyplog-on-music.supercast.com to learn more!

As a Contributing Listener of "Anthony Plog on Music," you'll have access to extra premium content and benefits including:

• Extra Audio Content: Only available to Contributing Listeners.
• Podcast Reflections: Tony's written recaps and thoughts on past interviews, including valuable tips and suggestions for students.
• Ask Me Anything: Both as written messages and occasional member-only Zoom sessions.
• The Show's Discord Server: Where conversations about interviews, show suggestions, and questions happen. It's a great place to meet other listeners and chat about all things music!
• Can I just donate instead of subscribing? Absolutely!
• Cancel at anytime and easily resubscribe when you want all that extra content again.

Learn more about becoming a Contributing Listener @ anthonyplog-on-music.supercast.com!

In the Bonus Room, I ask Jock about perhaps the most unusual aspect of his career ... doing voice overs for commercials, cartoons, and the like. And Jock was happy to give me some examples of what different cartoon characters might sound like. So this Bonus Room is quite different from Bonus Rooms of the past! Enjoy!

Would you like more inspirational stories, suggestions, insights, and a place to continue the conversations with other listeners? Visit anthonyplog-on-music.supercast.com to learn more!

As a Contributing Listener of "Anthony Plog on Music," you'll have access to extra premium content and benefits including:

• Extra Audio Content: Only available to Contributing Listeners.
• Podcast Reflections: Tony's written recaps and thoughts on past interviews, including valuable tips and suggestions for students.
• Ask Me Anything: Both as written messages and occasional member-only Zoom sessions.
• The Show's Discord Server: Where conversations about interviews, show suggestions, and questions happen. It's a great place to meet other listeners and chat about all things music!
• Can I just donate instead of subscribing? Absolutely!
• Cancel at anytime and easily resubscribe when you want all that extra content again.

Learn more about becoming a Contributing Listener @ anthonyplog-on-music.supercast.com!

Jock transitioned to jazz and rock and moved to San Francisco during the height of the hippie movement. We talk about improvisation and the difference between "playing licks" and "riding the crest of the wave." Part 2 ends with Jock talking about two of the iconic band leaders he played with ... Don Ellis and Frank Zappa.

Would you like more inspirational stories, suggestions, insights, and a place to continue the conversations with other listeners? Visit anthonyplog-on-music.supercast.com to learn more!

As a Contributing Listener of "Anthony Plog on Music," you'll have access to extra premium content and benefits including:

• Extra Audio Content: Only available to Contributing Listeners.
• Podcast Reflections: Tony's written recaps and thoughts on past interviews, including valuable tips and suggestions for students.
• Ask Me Anything: Both as written messages and occasional member-only Zoom sessions.
• The Show's Discord Server: Where conversations about interviews, show suggestions, and questions happen. It's a great place to meet other listeners and chat about all things music!
• Can I just donate instead of subscribing? Absolutely!
• Cancel at anytime and easily resubscribe when you want all that extra content again.

Learn more about becoming a Contributing Listener @ anthonyplog-on-music.supercast.com!

Jock Ellis has had a remarkably diversified musical (and non-musical) life. I first met Jock while we were in our teens playing in the American Youth Symphony and we have been friends to this day. But we have gone in different  musical directions, with me staying in classical and Jock going in the direction of jazz, rock, and ... voice overs!

In Part 1 of our conversation, Jock talks about growing up in the 1950’s with parents who were famous Hollywood radio actors, and what it was like to go to a number of their live sessions. Starting to play the trombone at a relatively young age, Jock was mentored in high school and then joined the American Youth Orchestra, which had a profound effect on him. We end Part 1 with Jock talking about his experiences playing with the National Guard Band and how crazy those times were!

Would you like more inspirational stories, suggestions, insights, and a place to continue the conversations with other listeners? Visit anthonyplog-on-music.supercast.com to learn more!

As a Contributing Listener of "Anthony Plog on Music," you'll have access to extra premium content and benefits including:

• Extra Audio Content: Only available to Contributing Listeners.
• Podcast Reflections: Tony's written recaps and thoughts on past interviews, including valuable tips and suggestions for students.
• Ask Me Anything: Both as written messages and occasional member-only Zoom sessions.
• The Show's Discord Server: Where conversations about interviews, show suggestions, and questions happen. It's a great place to meet other listeners and chat about all things music!
• Can I just donate instead of subscribing? Absolutely!
• Cancel at anytime and easily resubscribe when you want all that extra content again.

Learn more about becoming a Contributing Listener @ anthonyplog-on-music.supercast.com!

In addition to being an orchestral musician and soloist, Carol also teaches at Yale University, so I ask about her thoughts on teaching and practicing. In addition to everything else, she is an entrepreneur, having founded an organization called Tubas for Good, which supplies tubas and euphoniums to underfunded school arts programs.

Would you like more inspirational stories, suggestions, insights, and a place to continue the conversations with other listeners? Visit anthonyplog-on-music.supercast.com to learn more!

As a Contributing Listener of "Anthony Plog on Music," you'll have access to extra premium content and benefits including:

• Extra Audio Content: Only available to Contributing Listeners.
• Podcast Reflections: Tony's written recaps and thoughts on past interviews, including valuable tips and suggestions for students.
• Ask Me Anything: Both as written messages and occasional member-only Zoom sessions.
• The Show's Discord Server: Where conversations about interviews, show suggestions, and questions happen. It's a great place to meet other listeners and chat about all things music!
• Can I just donate instead of subscribing? Absolutely!
• Cancel at anytime and easily resubscribe when you want all that extra content again.

Learn more about becoming a Contributing Listener @ anthonyplog-on-music.supercast.com!