Classical Conversations

In this Zoom conversation with WGTE's Mary Claire Murphy, Grammy®-nominated flutist Brandon Patrick George talks about his new album TWOFOLD from In a Circle Records. A pairing of canonical works for solo flute with new compositions, TWOFOLD represents a fascinating dialogue between composers of the past and composers of the present.

Plínio Fernandes explores the enduring genius of J.S. Bach in his latest album from Orchid Classics, Bacheando. The Brazilian guitarist joins WGTE's Mary Claire Murphy for a conversation about the recording, which not only contains some Bach favorites, but Brazilian works that are directly influenced by J.S. Bach.

Classical violinist Rachel Barton Pine has a secret. Well, not really a secret, especially after her recently-recorded collaboration with heavy metal and hardcore punk composer Earl Maneein. Together, they chat about their album Dependent Arising, which brilliantly pairs the classical/heavy metal violin concerto by Maneein with Dmitri Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No. 1.

Pianist and composer Carlos Simon grew up in a religious household, surrounded by hymns and a musical culture that has had a profound influence on his own work. Carlos joins us to talk about his album Together, which welcomes stellar performances from violinist Randall Goosby, mezzo J'Nai Bridges, baritone Will Liverman and cellist Seth Parker Woods.

Randall Goosby brings his outstanding reputation as a solo violinist and arts advocate for diversity to bear in his second album for Decca Classics, which includes the first commercial recording of two concertos by Florence Price. In this conversation with WGTE's Brad Cresswell, Randall chats about the album - which pairs Price with the well-known concerto by Max Bruch - in both studio and live concert recordings with the Philadelphia Orchestra under conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Visit the artist's website: https://randallgoosby.com/ Visit the Decca page for this album: https://www.deccaclassics.com/en/catalogue/products/violin-concertos-goosby-nezet-seguin-12974

Pianist and composer Alexandra Stréliski talks about her new album, Néo-Romance, the followup to her platinum-selling album Inscape. Intrigued by the meeting of dark romanticism with the modern world, Alexandra fills Néo-Romance with beautiful musical short-stories — including some that mirror events in her own life.

Modern music specialist Maya Beiser (cellist, producer, multi-media artist and more) records — for the first time — one of the pinnacles of the cello repertoire, the Bach Solo Cello Suites. But, Maya's rendition has a bit of a twist, in that it's being released with different sound profiles, based on the space where it was recorded (in this case, a barn in the Berkshires of Massachusetts). Maya Beiser joins us to talk about the music found on her new album Infinite Bach.

Artist Matt Wedel joins WGTE's Brad Cresswell and Mary Claire Murphy for a discussion surrounding his exhibit at the Toledo Museum of Art, entitled "Phenomenal Debris." We get to the heart of what makes Matt's artistry so unique, and learn about his process in creating the many sculptures and drawings that make up the exhibit. "Phenomenal Debris" closes on April 2nd, but Matt Wedel will be in Toledo on March 31st to give an artist tour of the exhibit and sign copies of the TMA's new catalog of his work. More details at the Toledo Museum of Art Website.

Toledoans may remember superstar violinist Rachel Barton Pine's appearance with the Toledo Symphony a couple of seasons ago. Now, to mark the 25th anniversary of her pioneering album of works by Classical and Romantic composers of African descent, Cedille Records has re-released that album... with a new addition: Florence Price's Violin Concerto No. 2 with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, conducted by Jonathon Heyward. That violin concerto, composed shortly before Price's death in the early 1950's, lay undiscovered until 2009, when a treasure trove of Price works was discovered in her former house near Chicago. In this Classical Conversation, Rachel gives us the backstory on that discovery, plus all of the music on her album Violin Concertos by Black Composers Through the Centuries. A long-time proponent of the vast amount of classical music left behind by composers of color, Rachel founded the Music by Black Composers project to not only spread that music, but to inspire young Black performers to embrace it, and ultimately change the landscape of Western classical music by spreading diversity throughout the canon.

Award-winning Jamaican-American violist Jordan Bak joins us to preview his recital at BGSU on January 11, and to share a couple tracks from his debut album, IMPULSE. Described as “an exciting new voice in Classical performance” (I Care If You Listen), Jordan was named one of Classic FM's "30 Under 30" Rising Stars, and was a featured artist for WQXR’s inaugural Artist Propulsion Lab. Jordan is an Assistant Professor of viola at Bowling Green State University. Note: The musical selections have been trimmed in this podcast. Both tracks are available on IMPULSE. More about Jordan: https://jordanbak.com/ More about IMPULSE: https://www.brightshiny.ninja/impulse BGSU Recital Details: https://events.bgsu.edu/event/faculty_artist_series_jordan_bak_viola Jordan's recital will be live-streamed at https://www.youtube.com/user/bgsumusic/live Photo Credit: https://jordanbak.com/