Classical Classroom

Eva-Maria Zimmerman and Keisuke Nakagoshi make beautiful music together as the musical duo ZOFO. On the same piano. At the same time. Why do they do this? What is this strange art form? And what does it all have to do with Terry Riley?! Learn all about piano four hands in this episode.

Music in this episode is all from the CD ZOFO Plays Terry Riley:

• Etude from the Old Country
• Half-Wolf Dances Mad in Moonlight
• G Song
• Praying Mantis Rag
• Cinco de Mayo

Audio production by Todd "Terry Riley" Hulslander with half-wolf dances by Dacia Clay and editing by Mark DiClaudio.

For more ZOFO: www.zofoduet.com

Roughly 27,000 people across Texas work for subsidiaries of German-based companies, ranging from industrial giants like Siemens to grocery store chains like Trader Joe’s. This week, News 88.7 has been taking an extended look at Houston’s trading relationship with Germany in our series, “A Tale of Two Ports.” We wrap up our coverage with a conversation with Hans-Jürgen Zachrau. He serves on the board of the German-American Chamber of Commerce South and is a vice... Read More

When it comes to trade, much of America’s attention this year has focused on a pact with Pacific Rim nations. But there’s another big treaty under negotiation with Europe – the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, or TTIP. It’s proving just as divisive in Germany as the Asia-Pacific trade deal is here. Just a short walk from Hamburg’s historic town square stands a neo-classical building that, for more than a century, housed the city’s stock... Read More

Imagine that the Port of Houston was located not to the east of the city but at Allen’s Landing, where it stood before the construction of the Houston Ship Channel. That’s what Hamburg is dealing with right now. “We have the challenge in Hamburg actually to get all the ships in and out,” says Axel Mattern, CEO of the Port of Hamburg Marketing Association. “Because we have this river navigation of 100 kilometers, of about... Read More

Walking alongside the River Elbe, it’s easy to get the sense of Hamburg’s long history as a port. Brick warehouses date back to the mid-nineteenth century — most of those have been converted to offices or museums.“The first people were starting to trade a little bit at this crossing of these two rivers,” says Axel Mattern, CEO of the Port of Hamburg Marketing Association.  He’s pointing to a spot all but buried amongst the brickwork, where... Read More

Time to celebrate our 100th show. It's been quite a "Journey." We toot some horns (mostly our own)and reminisce with some previous show flashbacks. We also meet some of the most famous classical music composers as they join in the festivities. 'Cause there ain't no party like a Beethoven doing Jagerbombs party. Party on Ludwig!

Flash back to the original podcast logo

Party music from the best DJs in the biz:

• Italo House Pavarotti/Bocelli/Jovanotti REMIX #6 2015 by dj SRONYX el toro loco
• Bach Remix by R.S.D.‬‬
• Classical Techno – Vivaldi 2000 (club mix)
• Mozart – Lacrimosa (DnB Remix)
• Journey – Open Arms
• Journey – Don't Stop Believin' (MYNGA Remix) Sensual Musique

Audio production by Todd "Me" Hulslander with strange absences from Dacia Clay and editing by Mark "We're number one" DiClaudio.

Revisit Classical Classroom's very first show! Classical music announcer Chris Johnson compares two very different recordings of the same piece. Gut strings, basso continuo, and the Baroque period are discussed.

Audio production by Todd "Teacup" Hulslander and Chris Johnson.

Music used in this episode includes:

Vivaldi's Four Seasons Concerto, "Autumn" by:

• Itzak Perlman violin solo, London Philharmonic
• Fabio Biondi solo violin, Europa Galante

It's summertime, and the classical musicians have all disappeared. No, it's not a classical music-specific alien body snatching situation. It's just that they're all at music festivals! Because we miss them, we've decided to follow the musicians to a different fest each summer. This year, we head to the Aspen Music Festival! In our four-show series, we'll be interviewing festival leaders, musicians, and whoever else will talk to us.

In this, the fourth and final episode of our miniseries, we speak with cellist Alisa Weilerstein about music (and the composers who write it) for solo cello. You'll learn about the All-Stars of the cello world, unexplained gaps in cello music history will be explained, and – perhaps most importantly – you'll learn how to pronounce the name "Kodaly".

Music in this episode:

• Music for Children, Op. 65 Arr. Piatigorsky – March
• Bach Suite No. 1 Prelude and Minuet (from Classic FM YouTube video)
• Sonata for Solo Cello, Op.8 – 3. Allegro molto vivace
• Omaramor For Solo Cello
• Suite For Solo Cello – 3. Intermezzo e Danza Finale

Audio production by Todd "Team Edward" Hulslander with sparkling by Dacia Clay and editing by Mark DiClaudio and possibly Nick Dulworth.

For more about Alisa Weilerstein: www.alisaweilerstein.com For more about the Aspen Music Festival: www.aspenmusicfestival.com

It's summertime, and the classical musicians have all disappeared. No, it's not a classical music-specific alien body snatching situation. It's just that they're all at music festivals! Because we miss them, we've decided to follow the musicians to a different fest each summer. This year, we head to the Aspen Music Festival! In our four-show series, we'll be interviewing festival leaders, musicians, and whoever else will talk to us.

In this, the third episode of our miniseries, we speak with violinist Robert McDuffie about sustaining a career in classical music in the 21st century. Learn ALL THE SECRETS to building a career in the brave new technological landscape and to forging your own path as an artist.

Robert McDuffie (L) with Mike Mills (R) of R.E.M. on piano, and students from the McDuffie Center for Strings. Courtesy of the artist's website.

Music in this episode: – Philip Glass, "American Four Seasons" with Robert McDuffie. – Robert McDuffie and Mike Mills, excerpts from "Concerto for Violin & Rock Band" – Vitamin String Quartet, "Its the End of The World" by R.E.M.

Audio production by Todd "El Lobo Rojo" with blank stares by Dacia Clay and editing by Mark DiClaudio and Nick Dulworth.

For more about the Aspen Music Festival: www.aspenmusicfestival.com For more about Robert McDuffie: www.robertmcduffie.com

Robert McDuffie (L) with Mike Mills (R) of R.E.M. on piano, and students from the McDuffie Center for Strings. Courtesy of the artist's website.

It's summertime, and the classical musicians have all disappeared. No, it's not a classical music-specific alien body snatching situation. It's just that they're all at music festivals! Because we miss them, we've decided to follow the musicians to a different fest each summer. This year, we head to the Aspen Music Festival! In our four-show miniseries, we'll be interviewing festival leaders and musicians.

In this, the second episode of our miniseries, we spoke with pianist and awesome person, Orli Shaham. We find out what she's up to in Aspen, and she teaches us about music by living composers that is inspired by Brahms.

Music in this episode (all from Orli Shaham's CD, "Brahms Inspired"): – Johannes Brahms – Op. 118 (Intermezzo in A major) – Bruce Adolphe – My Inner Brahms (an intermezzo) – Avner Dorman – After Brahms (Allegro con molto appassionato) – Arnold Schoenberg – Six little piano pieces, Op. 19 – Brett Dean – Hommage a Brahms (Engelsflugel 1) – Johannes Brahms – Op. 119 (Intermezzo in B minor – Adagio)

Orli Shaham. Photo by Christian Steiner. Courtesy of the artist's website.

Audio production by Todd "The Great Toddsby" Hulslander with green lights from Dacia Clay and editing by Mark DiClaudio.

For more about Orli Shaham: www.orlishaham.com For more about the Aspen Music Festival: www.aspenmusicfestival.com