Visiting the PSO to play Shostakovich's Violin Concerto #1 with guest conductor Susanna Mälkki, Leila Josefowicz talks about the concerto in detail, and about her upcoming winter in Europe performing contemporary works.

Finnish conductor Susanna Malkki makes her Heinz Hall debut with works by Sibelius, Shostakovich, and Stravinsky. As Pierre Boulez's successor as Music Director of the Ensemble Intercontemporain, she has moved from the darkness of the far north to Paris, the City of Light. She talks about what Finlandia means to the Finns, Sibelius's character, and the affinities of this Russian/Finnish program.

The Seattle Symphony's next Music Director, the young French maestro Ludovic Morlot (b. 1974), makes his Heinz Hall debut with works by Weber, Bruch, Tower, and Ravel. Morlot talks about getting the right choral sound in Ravel's Daphnis and Chloe, his background as a violinist, and his work with great conductors in Boston and Tanglewood.

PSO Principal Guest Conductor Leonard Slatkin talks about his forthcoming book, his recent Western sightseeing trip, his work with PSO Composer of the Year Joan Tower and her "For the Uncommon Woman," the Dvorak 6th Symphony and Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto #1 with soloist Olga Kern, and Slatkin's latest download-only recording from Naxos.

Russian pianist Olga Kern makes her Heinz Hall debut in Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto #1. She talks about her work with conductor Leonard Slatkin, Rachmaninoff's concertos, her musical family and its ties to Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky, and meeting Van Cliburn as Gold Medalist at the 2001 Van Cliburn Competition.

The diminutive powerhouse pianist Yuja Wang plays Rachmaninoff's "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini" to open the Pittsburgh Symphony's 2010-2011 season. She tells Jim Cunningham about her next CD, talks about upcoming performances, working with conductor Claudio Abbado, PSO friends from her native China, and her tastes in pop music.

Renee Fleming appears with Manfred Honeck and the PSO in the "Bella Notte" gala on Sep 16, 2010 to begin a new season at Heinz Hall. The Western PA native talks about singing at the BBC Proms, her family, her mentor Mildred Posvar, communicating with an audience, the art of singing and more.

Manfred Honeck talks about his interpretation of Beethoven's Ninth, including an unusual understanding of tempo markings, and his take on the march in the Ode to Joy.

Violinist Hilary Hahn gives an insider's view of the Sibelius Vioin Concerto. She talks about appearing on one of Conan O'Brien's final Tonight shows, cooking on the road, upcoming CDs, and her work with last week's PSO soloist Valentina Lisitsa.

On the occasion of his final visit as PSO Composer of the Year, Richard Danielpour talks about "Rocking the Cradle," his orchestral response to the sacrifice of war. He talks about his inspiration, the individual movements, his use of Tibetan bowls in the percussion, and his amazement at Manfred Honeck's intuitive understanding of this work.