Classical Classroom

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! For our next few shows, we'll be interviewing festival leaders, musicians, and whoever else will talk to us.

In this, the first episode of our miniseries, we spoke with Alan Fletcher, President and CEO of the Aspen Music Festival and School. He tells us what these music festivals are all about in general, and what makes Aspen unique.

Music in this episode:

• "Mr. Sandman". Aspen Bassoon Band (2011).
• Overture to Aida. New York Philharmonic, conducted by James Levine.
• Alan Fletcher, President and CEO of the Aspen Music Festival and School. Image courtesy of the Aspen Music Festival website.

Audio production by Todd "Tricky" Hulslander with plate spinning by Dacia Clay and editing by Mark DiClaudio.

For more about Alan Fletcher AND the Aspen Music Festival: www.aspenmusicfestival.com

Many thanks to the good people at the Aspen Music Festival for making this happen!

What's in a piano? Jim Kozak has tuned a few, and he can tell you. He tunes pianos for the Houston Symphony, Da Camera of Houston, and for our own Houston Public Media. What does he do, and how does he do it? How does one become a piano tuner? Kozak tells all, including how a piano works, and why tuning for Alfred Brendel took two days.

Music in this episode:

• "Montage" from the South Park episode, "Asspen"*. Written by Trey Parker.
• Ludwig van Beethoven, Bagatelle in A minor WoO 59 "Für Elise." From Beethoven Piano Bagatelles. Alfred Brendel.
• JS Bach, Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue in D Minor. From Bach-Solo Piano Pieces by Alfred Brendel.

Tools of the trade: Jim's tuning lever and tuning fork. Photo by Dacia Clay.

Audio production by Todd "Tuned In" Hulslander with dropouts by Dacia Clay and editing by Mark DiClaudio and/or Nick Dulworth. Thanks to George Heathco for the MusicWorks theme music.

For more Classroom: www.houstonpublicmedia.org

*Team CC contends that this is one of the most hilarious South Parkepisodes of all time. Right up there with "Mecha-Streisand."

What came before twerking, Harlem Shake-ing, and popping and locking? The Krakowiak, the Polonaise, and the Tarantelle (which have really cool names, now that we're looking at it). Pianist Joel Fan teaches us all about classical dance music, the composers who made it, and the circumstances from which the dances emerged.

Pianist Joel Fan. Courtesy of the artist's website.

Audio production by Todd "Pod God" Hulslander with moonwalking from Dacia Clay, and help from editor Mark DiClaudio and intern Nick Dulworth.

Music in this episode:

• Bill Evans Trio: "Waltz for Debby"

All other music from Joel Fan's latest CD, Dances for Piano and Orchestra:

• Camille Saint-Saëns: Valse-Caprice in A-flat Major ("Wedding Cake"), Op. 76
• Fryderyk Chopin: Krakowiak in F Major, Op. 14
• Carl Maria von Weber / Liszt: Polonaise Brillante, Op. 72 (S.367)

For more about Joel Fan: www.joelfanmusic.com

Since the U.S. has been celebrating its beginnings this week, we thought we'd go back to ours. We hope you enjoy this throwback. And! Because we were in the holiday spirit, we added a little present for you at the end of the show. We hope you enjoy it. And that Tchaikovsky doesn't turn over too hard in his grave when you play it.

P.S., When we recorded this episode, Angela was indeed a "Schmidt." Now, she is a "Mitchell." As in, married to Brett Mitchell. As in, Assistant Conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra. (And Episode 4 of our show.) And in addition to being a professional opera singer, Angela is Assistant Producer at WCLV. They are a classical music power couple, people. And some of our favorite humans. So, when you hear "Schmidt" in this episode, think "Mitchell." Kthx! ——————————————— In this episode, opera singer and classical music announcer Angela Mitchell talks about bel canto aria and sleepwalking, wrongly-accused hussies.

Audio production by Todd Hulslander and Angela Mitchell.

Music in this episode: – "La Sonnambula" ("The Sleepwalker") by Vincenzo Bellini.

For more about Angela Mitchell: www.angelamitchellsoprano.com

Every good Beethoven deserves a fanboy, and Robert Schumann was that guy. Who was Schumann, and how was his work shaped by the influence of Beethoven? Pianist, Curtis Institute professor, and writer Jonathan Biss explains all – including his own (extremely cool) fanboy-esque immersion in the works of Schumann and Beethoven. Jonathan Biss. Photo by Benjamin Ealovega. Courtesy of the artist's website. Audio production by Todd "Teletubby" Hulslander with frolicking by Dacia Clay and editing by Mark DiClaudio. All music in this episode played by Jonathan Biss: From his CD "Beethoven Piano Sonatas, Vol. 4"

• Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 2 No. 1 (Allegro and Adagio)
• Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 "Appassionata" (Allegro assai and Allegro ma non troppo – Presto)

From his CD "Schumann: Fantasie, Kreisleriana & Arabeske"

• Fantasie in C, Op. 17

From his CD "Beethoven, Schumann: Piano Works"

• Davidsbündlerltänze Op.6

For more about Jonathan Biss: www.jonathanbiss.com For information about Curits Institute Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs): www.curtis.edu/about-curtis/coursera

Wu Man, world-renowned pipa player, stopped by the Classroom while she was in Houston to teach all about the French horn. JK! She taught all about the pipa, of course! In this episode, she talks about the pipa's origins, its repertoire, about how she began playing it, and she plays some sweet tunes to illustrate the instrument's range.

Dacia Clay, Wu Man's pipa, and Wu Man in the Geary Performance Studio. Photo by Todd Hulslander.

Music in this episode played live in the Geary Performance Studio by Wu Man.

Audio production by Todd "Totaled Todd" Hulslander with bobblehead bobbling by Dacia Clay and editing by Mark DiClaudio.

For more about Wu Man: www.wumanpipa.org

What is a concertmaster? We wanted to know, too, so we schlepped over to the Texas Music Festival (now happening at the UH Moores School of Music), found ourselves some concertmasters, and asked them all about what they do. Glenn Dicterow is the outgoing concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic where he's ruled for over 34 years (his role will be assumed by the Houston Symphony's Frank Huang), and Moores School doctoral student Ingrid Hunter was the week one concertmaster for the Texas Music Festival. Learn aaaall about the mysterious and powerful role of the concertmaster from them in this episode!

Ingrid Hunter and Glenn Dicterow. Photos courtesy of the Cypress Symphony and Glenn Dicterow's website respectively.

Music in this episode: – Richard Strauss: Ein Heldenleben, Op. 40. Glenn Dicterow, violin. New York Philharmonic, conducted by Zubin Mehta.

Audio production by Todd "Tarzan Yell" Hulslander with tree swinging by Dacia Clay and editing by Mark DiClaudio.

For more about the Texas Music Festival: www.uh.edu/class/music/tmf/ For more about Glenn Dicterow: www.glenndicterow.com For more about Ingrid Hunter: www.cypresssymphony.org/ingrid-hunter/

The pianist gives a lesson on one of the Big Daddies of classical music.

Awadagin Pratt, a man so awesome that his website URL is just his first name, talks Johannes Brahms. Pratt is a recording artist, Professor of Piano, Artist in Residence, Chairman of the Piano Department, and Artistic Director of the Art of the Piano Festival at the College Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati. He talks about who Brahms was, why he is one of the Big Daddies of classical music, what it has to do with Edith Bunker, and how the beard made it all possible.

Awadagin Pratt playing in the East Room of the White House, November 2009 (the First Lady and President Obama in the foreground). Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton.

Audio production by Todd "Are You There Todd? It's Me, Dacia" Hulslander with Tiger Eyes by Dacia Clay and editing by Mark DiClaudio.

All music in this episode from Awadagin Pratt and Zuill Bailey's CD "Brahms Works For Cello And Piano".

For more about Awadagin Pratt: www.awadagin.com

The violinist walks through a piece by a lesser-known composer who was once more famous than Mozart.

Grammy-winning violinist Hilary Hahn, who has played a few concerts in her day – somewhere around 1,437 of them – talks about Henri Vieuxtemps' Violin Concerto No. 4, which she plays on her latest CD. Is music composed by a violinist for violinists easier or more challenging to play? How was it that Vieuxtemps was more popular than Mozart at one point and now…not so much? And most importantly, Hahn discusses her violin case's Twitter account.

Violinist Hilary Hahn. Photo © Michael Patrick O'Leary, courtesy of IMG Artists.

Audio production by Todd "Takei" Hulslander with beaming up by Dacia Clay and editing by Mark DiClaudio.

Music in this episode, from Hilary Hahn's CD Mozart 5 Vieuxtemps 4 Violin Concertos (Deutsche Grammophon): – Henri Vieuxtemps, Violin Concerto No. 4 in D Minor, Op. 31. Hilary Hahn, violin. The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen. Conducted by Paavo Järvi.

For more Hilary Hahn: www.hilaryhahn.com

Violinists Philippe Bernhard and Loïc Rio talk about Dohnányi's String Quartet No. 3.

As you probably know and have been celebrating 'round the Festivus pole, May is National Chamber Music Month! In this episode we talk to real live chamber musicians, violinists Philippe Bernhard and Loïc Rio of the Modigliani Quartet. They talk all about ErnÔ Dohnányi's String Quartet No. 3. This is, hands down, our most French (Frenchest?) show to date.

Modigliani Quartet: (L-R) Philippe Bernhard, Laurent Marfaing, François Kieffer, and Loïc Rio. Courtesy of the artists' website.

Audio production by Todd "T-Dawg" Hulslander with mad parkour skillz from Dacia Clay and editing by Mark DiClaudio.

Music in this episode is from the Modiglianis' Houston concert which happened Thursday, April 9, 2015 at Stude Concert Hall, Shepherd School of Music Rice University. Thanks very much to Chamber Music Houston for the use of this recording!

• Dohnányi, Quartet No. 3 in A Minor, Op. 33
• Shostakovich, Quartet No. 1 in C Major, Op. 49

(Btw, you can also see video of the Modigliani concert at that Chamber Music Houston link!)