Sticky Notes: The Classical Music Podcast

By Joshua Weilerstein

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What's Sticky Notes: The Classical Music Podcast about?

Sticky Notes is a classical music podcast for everyone. Whether you are a beginner just looking to get into classical music but don't know where to start, or a seasoned musician interested in the lives and ideas of your fellow artists, this podcast is for you. The show will feature interviews with the top artists of today, in-depth looks at specific pieces from the repertoire, and deep dives into each era of classical music, plus much more.

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Beethoven String Quartet, O...

06.13.2019

This week we're diving into one of the great movements ever written in Western Music with the slow movement of Beethoven's Op. 132 quartet. This is a movement that explores Beethoven's contradictory religious beliefs, his core optimism despite all that ...

Sticky Notes: The Classical Music Podcast episodes:

06.13.2019 Beethoven String Quartet, Op. 132 (Part 2) This week we're diving into one of the great movements ever written in Western Music with the slow movement of Beethoven's Op. 132 quartet. This is a movement that explores Beethoven's contradictory religious beliefs, his core optimism despite all that ...
06.06.2019 Beethoven String Quartet, Op. 132 (Part 1) I’ve long hesitated to write about any of Beethoven’s late string quartets. These are pieces that every quartet grapples with. They explore not only every conceivable emotion, but they dig down into the core of those emotions and dare to ...
05.30.2019 10 MORE Pieces You've Never Heard, But Have To Listen To! This week on Sticky Notes, we're going back on a musical archeological expedition and discovering 10 more under-appreciated, underrated, and under-played works of the past and present. We'll look at composers like Janacek, Martinu, Kapralova, Beach, and Bonds among others, ...
05.23.2019 Mozart Symphony No. 41, "Jupiter" Why explore two Mozart symphonies in the span of one month? Well, both the Prague and Jupiter symphonies show us different sides of Mozart's genius, and so this week we'll look at the Jupiter symphony in the context of Mozart's ...
05.16.2019 Forces of War Unleashed: Shostakovich String Quartet No. 3 This week we explore one of the great string quartets of the 20th century. It is a piece that was written in the wake of World War II, and reflects the turmoil and uncertainty of a composer asking the deepest ...
05.09.2019 American Maverick: The Music of Charles Ives Charles Ives was one of the most innovative, dynamic, creative, and underrated American composers. Described as half Huck Finn, half Thomas Jefferson, Ives tackled a dizzying array of styles in his music, from avant-garde music 50 years ahead of its ...
05.02.2019 Mozart Symphony No. 38, "Prague" This week we explore one of Mozart's greatest symphonies, the Prague. This symphony, written possibly as a gift for the city that adored him so much, is one of Mozart's most ambitious pieces, with a massive first movement that rivals ...
04.25.2019 Season 5 Premiere - Mendelssohn's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" Welcome to Season 5 of Sticky Notes! This week, we look at Mendelssohn's famous overture, and his slightly less famous incidental music to Shakespeare's beloved play. We'll explore the remarkably precocious overture, written when Mendelssohn was just 17, and the ...
04.18.2019 Sibelius Symphony No. 2 (Re-Broadcast) One week until Season 5 of Sticky Notes! This week, we look t one of the most popular 20th century symphonies. From the moment of its premiere, this piece was given a revolutionary narrative by Finnish Nationalists looking to throw ...
04.11.2019 Mendelssohn Symphony No. 4, "Italian" We're two weeks away from Season 5 of Sticky Notes! This week, we look back at Mendelssohn's most popular symphony, the Italian! We discuss Mendelssohn's love of nature, the the remarkable independence and variety that Mendelssohn achieves within a tightly ...
04.04.2019 Copland: Appalachian Spring (Re-broadcast) This week we take a look back at a favorite episode of mine exploring the piece that practically invented the Americana style of classical music. We'll take apart this wonderful work and compare its chamber version for 13 instruments along ...
03.28.2019 Dvorak's "New World" Symphony (Re-Broadcast) We're taking a look back this week at Dvorak's beloved New World Symphony. This is a piece that has been popular since its very first performance, but its origins are widely debated. Is this music based on Native American, or ...
03.22.2019 Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue (Re-Broadcast) Very few pieces of classical music are as iconic as George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, so this week we're taking a look back at one of my favorite episodes! We'll talk about the amazing circumstances of the piece's premier, the ...
03.15.2019 Brahms Symphony No. 4 (Re-Broadcast) Due to a last minute substitution conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra, there was unfortunately no time to write and record Part 2 of our exploration of Mahler's 9th Symphony. Don't worry, we'll be back next week with the 2nd and 3rd ...
03.14.2019 Mahler Symphony No. 9 (Part IV + Season 4 Finale) It's the Season 4 Finale and we're going out with a bang with the Finale of Mahler's 9th Symphony. This is one of Mahler's most unusual and passionate creations, a 25 minute slow movement that embraces church hymns as well ...
03.07.2019 Mahler Symphony No. 9 (Part III) Mahler was the Artistic Director of the Vienna Court Opera from 1897-1907. During his tenure, he instituted reforms, raised playing levels, and introduced new operas to the audience. Despite grudging admiration from all corners, he was reviled for his bull ...
02.28.2019 Mahler Symphony No. 9 (Part II) When I started writing the show this week, I realized there’s so much to get into that each movement really does deserve to have its own special show, so this week we're focusing on the second movement of Mahler 9. ...
02.14.2019 Mahler Symphony No. 9 (Part 1) Mahler never said that his 9th symphony was a response to the death of his daughter Maria, and never hinted at the programmatic aspects behind the symphony, but the piece has become indelibly associated with saying goodbye, to Maria, to ...
02.07.2019 Leadership in Music w/ Benjamin Zander Benjamin Zander is a Renaissance man - he is a brilliant conductor and musician and also is a highly sought after speaker, lecturer, and teacher - his TED Talk on Leadership and the power of music has been viewed over ...
01.31.2019 Dvorak Cello Concerto On this week's Patreon-sponsored episode, we're looking at Dvorak's beloved cello concerto. We're remarkably lucky to even have this piece, as Dvorak was initially opposed to the idea of writing a cello concerto at all! But once he finished it, ...
01.25.2019 How to Build an Orchestra w/Joshua Roman (Episode 100!) To mark the 100th episode of Sticky Notes(!), I was thrilled to be joined by Joshua Roman, cellist, composer, and curator. The core of our discussion centers on building an orchestra from the ground up. That is, not taking over ...
01.17.2019 5 Tales of Woe: Romeo and Juliet in Classical Music There are very few works of art that have had such a profound influence on classical composers than Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. This week on Sticky Notes we take a look at 5 different settings of the play by Tchaikovsky, ...
01.10.2019 Schubert Symphony No. 9, "The Great" This week we dive into one of the great Early Romantic symphonies, Schubert's 9th. Mysteries have shrouded this symphony ever since it was heard for the first time, long after Schubert's death. Despite, or because of, its radical simplicity and ...
01.03.2019 Bach Cello Suites We're kicking off 2019 with a bang with an exploration of the Bach Cello Suites. These pieces represent the apex of the path of every cellist. We'll go through the history of the Suites, including their disappearance, rediscovery, and now ...
12.27.2018 Beethoven Symphony No. 5 (Re-broadcast) Ring in the New Year with a look back at one of the most famous pieces of music ever written, Beethoven's 5th symphony! This symphony shattered conventions and built new ones that have endured in music until this very day. ...
12.20.2018 Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker What is there to say about this ubiquitous Holiday classic? Quite a lot, actually! This week's show will delve into the complicated process that brought the ballet to life, the not so successful premiere, and the brilliant and characteristic music ...
12.13.2018 Mahler Symphony No. 5 (Parts 2 and 3) This week we finish our two week look at Mahler's monumental 5th symphony. We'll explore Part II, a massive 17 minute scherzo that is as complicated to understand as it is difficult to play and conduct. Then, of course, there ...
12.06.2018 Mahler Symphony No. 5 (Part 1) This week, we take a deep dive into part 1 of Mahler's monumental 5th symphony. Looking at the first two movements of the piece, we talk about Mahler's unusual idea of symphonic structure, his brilliant orchestration, and the unfiltered emotional ...
11.29.2018 Baroque Music in 60 Minutes Continuing a now 4 part series, this week we take a deep look at the Baroque Era, featuring composers like Bach, Handel, Couperin, Vivaldi, Purcell, Monteverdi, Biber, and more. What made the Baroque Era distinct from the Renaissance? A lot! ...
11.21.2018 Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" Very few pieces of American classical music are as iconic as Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, which makes it the perfect piece to dive into to accompany your Thanksgiving travel! We'll talk about the amazing circumstances of the piece's premiere, the ...
11.15.2018 Mussorgsky, "Pictures at an Exhibition" Have you ever been to an art museum and wanted to have music to accompany your experience? Well, Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition is the piece for you. Inspired by the art of his late friend Victor Hartmann, Mussorgsky composed ...
11.05.2018 "Shout, shout, up with your song": 12 Pieces of Political Classical Music Just in time for Election Day in the US, this week we explore 12 pieces of Political Classical Music! All throughout history, composers have expressed their feelings about the issues of the day through their music, from Haydn and Mozart ...
11.01.2018 Stravinsky Rite of Spring: Part 2, The Sacrifice This week, on Part 2 of our exploration of the most important piece of the 20th century, we'll go through the narrative section of the Rite of Spring, beginning with the introduction and taking us to the sacrifice of the ...
10.25.2018 Stravinsky Rite of Spring: Part 1, The Adoration of the Earth Today we start a two week exploration of Stravinsky's earthshakingly revolutionary Rite of Spring. Focusing on Part 1, we'll talk about the cast of characters involved in the ballet: Diaghilev, Nijinsky, Roerich, Monteux, and of course Stravinsky. These 5 men ...
10.18.2018 What Does a Conductor Really Do? People are often fascinated when I tell them what I do for a living. Sometimes they do a little imitation of a band director they had back in school, or talk about a great conductor they saw, or once in ...
10.11.2018 A Postcard from Italy: Mendelssohn Symphony No. 4 This week we take a trip to Italy, exploring Mendelssohn's most popular symphony. We discuss Mendelssohn's love of nature, and the remarkable independence and variety that Mendelssohn achieves within a tightly knit German Romantic era symphony. This symphony is like ...
10.04.2018 Renaissance Music in 60 Minutes This week we continue our series of exploring each period of Western classical music in 60 minutes with a look at Renaissance Music! We'll talk about polyphony, the Protestant Reformation, Gesualdo, the printing press, music suddenly acquiring a national identity, ...
09.27.2018 Simple Gifts: Copland's "Appalachian Spring" This week we explore one of the great works of the 20th century, Copland's ballet Appalachian Spring. This is a piece that practically invented the Americana style. We'll take apart the Suite that Copland extracted from the complete ballet, looking ...
09.19.2018 Sibelius Symphony No. 2 - "A Confession of the Soul" This week we take a look at one of the most popular 20th century symphonies, Sibelius' glorious 2nd symphony. From the moment of its premiere, this piece was given a revolutionary narrative by Finnish Nationalists looking to throw off the ...
09.13.2018 Mozart's "Cosi Fan Tutte" - Part 2 This week we continue our exploration of Mozart's opera, "Cosi Fan Tutte," or "They're All Like That." We'll talk about social mores of the time, the rapidly mounting hilarity and absurdity of the text, but more importantly perhaps, about the ...
09.06.2018 Introduction to Opera + Mozart "Cosi Fan Tutte" Part 1 For the first time, Sticky Notes tackles opera! This week, we'll take you through a brief history of the development of Opera up to the time of Mozart. Then we begin a two part exploration of one of the greatest ...
08.30.2018 Season 4 Premiere - Dvorak Symphony No. 9 "From the New World" Dvorak came to the USA in December of 1892. Three years later, he returned to Bohemia. In the meantime, he wrote three of his most popular pieces and 3 of the most popular pieces in all of classical music, the ...
08.23.2018 The Big Bang of Classical Music: The Medieval Era Only one more week until the premiere of Season 4! In the meantime, take one more look back at a favorite episode of mine, Medieval Music in 60 Minutes. We'll explore some of the first ever composers that we have ...
08.16.2018 "The Most Perfect of Swiss Watchmakers" - the music of Maurice Ravel (Rebroadcast) This week, we're exploring 4 of the greatest pieces of the French master, Maurice Ravel. Through the Piano Concerto for the Left Hand, Valses Nobles et Sentimentales, Tombeau de Couperin, and of course, Bolero, we dive into the incredibly unique ...
08.09.2018 Film Composers from Bernard Herrmann to John Williams (Re-broadcast) This week on Sticky Notes we dive into Film Music! For almost 100 years, filmgoers have been captivated by the music of composers like John Williams, Bernard Herrmann, Erich Korngold, Dmitri Shostakovich, Max Steiner, Charlie Chaplin, and more. On this ...
08.02.2018 The Music of Joseph Haydn (Re-broadcast) We all need some humor in our life, and even though classical music is often thought of as a very serious art form, that is not always the case! In fact, there is no shortage of jokes, witticisms, and hilarity ...
07.26.2018 Mozart Symphony No. 40 (Re-broadcast) On this previously released edition of Sticky Notes, we dive into one of the most famous pieces of music ever written, Mozart's dramatic and stormy 40th symphony in G Minor. Mozart 40 is not just a ringtone! It's a powerful, ...
07.19.2018 Beethoven Symphony No. 5 This week, a deep dive into the grand-daddy of them all, Beethoven's 5th Symphony. Simply put, the world of music was never the same after this symphony, which simultaneously shattered conventions and built new ones that have endured in music ...
07.12.2018 Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2 A Patreon-sponsored episode this week, looking at Brahms' 2nd Piano Concerto. We'll be taking a look at the piece with a wide lens, finding similarities and differences between other works of Brahms, like his first Piano Concerto, and his symphonies ...
07.05.2018 Prokofiev Symphony No. 5: "A Hymn to Free and Happy Man" This week we look at Prokofiev's epic 5th symphony, written at the height of World War II. We'll discuss Prokofiev's unique brand of traditionalism and innovation, and the deep contradictions within his music between lyricism and violence, heat and ice, ...

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