Classical Classroom

How did classical guitar – and therefore, all guitar as we know it – almost become extinct? Who was the hero who saved it from the brink of doom? Why aren't guitars an orchestral instrument? And why are guitarists nails so shiny? Classical guitarist Valerie Hartzell – member of the Presti Trio and director of the Classical Minds Guitar Institute – answers all of these burning questions and more in the big 5-0 episode of Classical Classroom.

Audio production by Todd "Terrific" Hulslander with "helpful" input from Dacia Clay.

Music in this episode: – Oud music by Said Chraibi – Spanish guitar in the Renaissance and Baroque by José Miguel Moreno – "Be M'An Perdut, chanson de troubadour" by Bernart De Ventadorn (c.1140-c.1200) – Recuerdos de la Alhambra by Francisco Tarrega, from Ex Tenebris…Lux, performed by Valerie Hartzell – Danzas Gitanas, Op. 55: I. Zambra by Joaquin Turina from the self-titled CD by Presti Trio

For more about Valerie Hartzell: www.valeriehartzell.com

For information about the Classical Minds Guitar Institute: www.uh.edu

To see video of Valerie performing in our studio, go here. To hear St. John Flynn's interview with her about the Classical Minds Guitar Institute and Competition, go here.

Photo from the Anchorage Daily News.

How are the Black Keys and Beethoven alike? They both had the low-down dirty blues. JK! They both compose(d) music for two instruments! You've heard his symphonies. Now hear cellist Norman Fischer – of the Fischer Duo, the Concord String Quartet, and Rice University's Shepherd School of Music – talk about Beethoven's chamber works for cello and piano. Why did Beethoven create music for a new, tiny arrangement of instruments? Did he do it for the dolla dolla billz? Did he do it to impress a king? Find out in this episode of Classical Classroom!

Audio production for this episode by Todd "Tiddlywinks" Hulslander with no production help whatsoever from that lazy nogoodnik Dacia Clay.

All music in this episode performed by the Fischer Duo, and most of this comes from the Fischer Duo's new CD, "Beethoven: Cello and Piano Complete".

Since it's the end of National Chamber Music Month, we thought it would be fitting to give you a taste of our upcoming episode, featuring Norman Fischer. Norman plays cello in the Fischer Duo, and is on the Board of Directors at Chamber Music America, the group who invented National Chamber Music Month. The full episode will be coming your way Monday, June 2nd!

Audio production by Todd "Totaled Todd" Hulslander with catering by Dacia Clay.

Music in this preview: – Sonata in A Major, Op. 69 by Ludwig van Beethoven, from The Fischer Duo's CD "Beethoven: Cello and Piano Complete"

For more about the Fischer Duo: www.music.rice.edu/facultybios/fischerduo.shtml

PS, We're on Stitcher Radio now!

Take in tenor types with two of the Texas Tenors.

How, exactly, does one know that he is a "light lyric tenor," or a "Spinto tenor," or a "dramatic tenor"? Is there like, a Tenor Task Team? Two members of the Texas Tenors – JC Fisher and John Hagen – teach the types of tenor to us. We also learn about "classical crossover" music and why it is a gateway drug, turning innocent classical music newbies into addicts by the thousands.

By the way, if you like this episode, check out the Texas Tenors on Houston Public Media TV 8 Monday August 7, 2017 (local PBS show times here).

Music in this episode:

• "La donna è mobile", by The Three Tenors, from the Three Tenors in Concert, Los Angeles (1994)
• "Celeste Aida", by Giuseppe Verdi, performed by Giuseppe Giacomini
• Tosca, by Giacomo Puccini, performed by Luciano Pavarotti (James Levine on piano)
• Otello, by Giuseppe Verdi, performed by Placido Domingo
• "Principe più non se" from La Cenerentola by Gioachino Rossini, performed by Juan Diego Florez with Los Angeles Philharmonic
• "Vesti la Giubba" from Pagliacci by Ruggero Leoncavallo, performed by Luciano Pavarotti
• La Boheme by Giacomo Puccini, performed Andrea Bocelli
• "Nessun Dorma" from Turandot by Giacomo Puccini, performed by Franco Corelli
• "Nessun Dorma" from Turandot by Giacomo Puccini, performed by the Texas Tenors

Audio production by Todd "Tenortastic" Hulslander with scads of squillo from Dacia Clay.

Dacia Clay is either presenting a case to the Supreme Court or having a pint in Adams Morgan, I can't remember which. Anyway, she has not shown up to work, so we are going to re-run a previous show about chamber music. What's that? It is National Chamber Music Month? Well now, that just works out, doesn't it? Enjoy… –Todd

Chamber music, performing live as a group, and how movement informs music! In this episode, WindSync wind quintet talk about all of those things and about life as a touring group. Hotel rooms are trashed (okay, not really)! Miley Cyrus is discussed (very probably)! WindSync gets schooled by tango (definitely)!

Audio production by Todd "Ermahgerd" Hulslander with "help" from Dacia Clay.

For more about WindSync, go to www.windsync.org. For more about Classical Classroom, go to www.classical917.org/classroom.

Love our shows? Show us by donating a few bucks here: bit.ly/UQweya. Donations contribute directly to your own continued audio happiness!

Music in this episode includes performances by WindSync!:

• Leonard Bernstein (arr. WindSync), Overture to Candide
• Astor Piazzolla (arr. WindSync), Histoire du Tango Cafe 1930
• Gallo Ciego (w/ Hector Del Curto on bandoneon)

Learn 100% more about the tuba in this episode than you've ever known! Norwegian tuba soloist and chamber musician Øystein Baadsvik is the only tuba virtuoso in the world to make a career exclusively as a soloist. He is also the only tuba player in the world to have a great story about touring with a punk band. He joins us all the way from Norway to tell us about this shadowy instrument: its size, its repertoire, and its fnugg.

Audio production by Todd "Tall Texan" Hulslander with slings and arrows by Dacia Clay.

Music in this episode: – Bass Tuba Concerto in F Minor, 1st mvmt, by Ralph Vaughn Williams. Performed by Øystein Baadsvik. – Concerto for Tuba and Orchestra 1st mvmt, by John Williams. Performed by Øystein Baadsvik. – Fnugg from The Front Row – Reserved (a Houston Public Media compilation CD). Performed by Øystein Baadsvik. – Fnugg from YouTube video – Blood Sweat and Tears tuba solo from YouTube video – The Cod Lovers – Encounters II for solo tuba, performed by Roger Bobo – Csárdás by Vittorio Monti, performed by Øystein Baadsvik. – Ordner seg (It'll Be All Right) from Ferry Tales by Øystein Baadsvik. – Winter from the Four Seasons Concerto by Antonio Vivaldi, performed by Øystein Baadsvik.

For more about Øystein Baadsvik: www.baadsvik.com.

PS, The title for this show was inspired by a great band called 500 Megatons of Boogie. You can find out more about them here: www.reverbnation.com/500megatonsofboogie

May is National Chamber Music Month! Oh, what? You're not excited? Maybe that's because you don't know exactly what chamber music is yet. Which means you should probably listen to this research presentation to find out more about it. Then you, too, can get excited about a form of music that's had an effect on everything from symphonies to garage bands. Whoo chamber music!!

Audio production by Todd "T Bone" Hulslander with apoplectic paroxysms of approval from Dacia Clay.

Music in this research presentation includes: – "(Nothing But) Flowers" performed by David Byrne, Ethel, and Thomas Dolby – "I Wanna Be Sedated" from Road to Ruin by the Ramones – "New England Journey" by Brad Sayles – February: Scherzo from Das Jahr by Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel, played by Sarah Rothenberg – "Cuckolds All A-row" from the Art of the Bawdy Song by the Baltimore Consort – "Joyne Hands" by Thomas Morley played by the Baltimore Consort – Quartet No. 62 in C major ("Emperor" or "Kaiser"), Op. 76, No. 3, FHE No. 42, Hoboken No. III:77 by Joseph Haydn – Symphonie Fantastique, 5th mvmt., Songe d'une nuit de sabbat by Hector Berlioz – Ornithology (1946) by Charlie Parker Septet – "Artists Only" from More Songs About Buildings and Food by the Talking Heads – String Quintet in E flat major, Op. 97 by Antonín DvoÅ™ák performed by the Emerson String Quartet

What do we mean when we say "classical music"? Sure, sure: it refers to a period of music, like "Baroque" or "Romantic". But we largely use the word as a sort of generic brand-name for a specific variety of sound. In this episode of Classical Classroom, genre-ignoring violinist Todd Reynolds attempts to define classical music. Does he succeed? Does he give up and just start talking about Prince instead? Maybe and maybe! Listen to this episode to find out.

Audio production by Todd "Timbalander" Hulslander with at least 3 really good suggestions from Dacia Clay.

Music in this episode: – Third Construction by John Cage – Composition for Four Instruments by Milton Babbitt – "Pulses" from Music for 18 Musicians by Steve Reich – Symphony No. 41 (the "Jupiter Symphony"), Molto Allegro by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – "Happy" from G I R L by Pharrell Williams – "Let's Go Crazy" from Purple Rain by Prince and the Revolution – "Crossroads" and "Taskforce: Farmlab" from Outerborough by Todd Reynolds – Fantasia in G Major, BWV 571 by Johann Sebastian Bach

Todd Reynolds was a special guest of the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts.

ABOUT THE MITCHELL CENTER The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts is dedicated to interdisciplinary collaboration across the performing, visual, and literary arts. Based at the University of Houston, the Mitchell Center commissions and produces new works, presents public performances and exhibitions, offers curriculum and scholarships, and hosts residencies with renowned visiting artists from throughout the world. The Center is home to the Mitchell Artist Lecture, an annual event featuring a pioneer in contemporary art-making, as well as CounterCurrent, an annual spring festival of new performance. The Mitchell Center forms an alliance among five departments at UH: the School of Art, Moores School of Music, School of Theatre & Dance, Creative Writing Program, and Blaffer Art Museum. For more information visit www.mitchellcenterforarts.org.

For more about Todd Reynolds check out his blog: www.toddreynolds.wordpress.com

That's not a violin – it's a woodbox! Daniel Bernard Roumain talks about creative appropriation in classical music. The Haitian-American composer's creative world was cracked open when he realized that everything – including the definition of "violin" – was ripe for reinterpretation. As a kid in garage bands, he took the decidedly uncool violin and made it his own. As a classically trained musician, he brings classical music together with hip hop, rock, bluegrass, and other genres to create his signature sound. We talk about DBR's creative journey and about how innovators like John Cage have changed classical music by adding an important ingredient to the genre: imagination.

Audio production by Todd "T-Dawg" Hulslander with super disco breaking by Dacia Clay.

Music in this episode:

• Lots of woodbox improvisation by Daniel Bernard Roumain
• "Sonata No. 2" from Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Pianoby John Cage, played by Boris Berman
• "Sonata for Violin and Turntables, Part 1" from Woodbox Beats & Balladry by Daniel Bernard Roumain

To see DBR perform in our studios on Skyline Sessions, go here.

Daniel Roumain is an artist in residence with the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts, which is dedicated to interdisciplinary collaboration across the performing, visual, and literary arts. Based at the University of Houston, the Mitchell Center commissions and produces new works, presents public performances and exhibitions, offers curriculum and scholarships, and hosts residencies with renowned visiting artists from throughout the world. The Center is home to the Mitchell Artist Lecture, an annual event featuring a pioneer in contemporary art-making, as well as CounterCurrent, an annual spring festival of new performance. The Mitchell Center forms an alliance among five departments at UH: the School of Art, Moores School of Music, School of Theatre & Dance, Creative Writing Program, and Blaffer Art Museum. For more information visit www.mitchellcenterforarts.org.

The bass: classical music's strange, lonesome hero. In this episode, bassist and composer Michael Kurth gives us a glimpse into the Bizarro World of bass players. Then, he talks about why he started composing, and what inspires him – including the Pixies and ring tones. Listen, if you dare!

Audio production by Todd "Toasty" Hulslander with happy whistles, clicks, and beeps from Dacia Clay.

Music in this episode includes: – Music from Michael Kurth's website: www.reverbnation.com/michaelkurth – "Wave of Mutilation" from Doolittle by the Pixies