Posted inInterview

Untwisted

At one point during a recent performance of Simon Steen-Andersen’s Piano Concerto in Berlin, percussion sounds seemed to rise and concentrate near the ceiling of the concert hall, like hot air, and it sounded like the Pierre Boulez Saal might come crashing down. I met the Danish composer several weeks later at his apartment, a […]

Posted inPlaylist

A Mike Svoboda Playlist

I listen to a lot of music, but mostly live—either while playing myself, coaching chamber music, or in my head while composing. Putting together this playlist was a chance to remember some musical moments of my youth, the “formative years,” that left a particularly strong impression on me. Con Conrad/Herb Madison, “The Continental” – The […]

Posted inReview

The Architecture of Experience

Attendees of the Ultima Oslo festival took cover from the rainy September weather at venues that ranged from a railway underpass to a waste water purification plant to a mausoleum in the woods. These soundscapes often provided a physical refuge from the gloomy dampness, but simultaneously unsettled and destabilized aesthetic norms. Wading around town in […]

Posted inInterview

The Main Focus

The classical music educator Andrés Andrade has spent most of his 30-year teaching career thinking about the voices of teenagers. Originally from Tampa, Florida, Andrade currently operates a private voice studio in Manhattan. He has taught at the Queens College’s Aaron Copland School of Music, New York’s LaGuardia Arts High School (better known as the […]

Posted inRankings & Roundups

June 2017 Bagatelles

Steven Isserlis The cellist finds some tactful words for the Brutalist Barbican Centre’s bathrooms. Millenium Falcon Piano “Looks like a giant pendrive [sic],” writes one commenter. We agree. Thibaudet is known for his fashion sense, but we doubt his taste in instruments is quite this avant-garde. #DanielMullerSchott I No offense, but this got us thinking […]

Posted inPlaylist

A Daniel Grossmann Klezmer Playlist

Daniel Grossmann is the conductor and music director of the Jakobsplatz Orchestra in Munich, which focuses on Jewish music. In this playlist, he tells us the brief story of his relationship with the frequently underestimated—particularly in his home country—genre of klezmer. I hate klezmer. Or do I? Right now, it seems to me, Germany is […]

Posted inPlaylist

A French Election Playlist

The tension among French people in Berlin on May 7, when the final runoff between Marine Le Pen and Emmanuel Macron took place, was palpable. Musicians in particular were worried: Would visas and work permits soon be real bureaucratic problems they had to deal with? We asked artists to tell us what music they were […]

Posted inPlaylist

A Sung Jin Hong Playlist

Sung Jin Hong is the artistic director and conductor of the New York ensemble One World Symphony. In this playlist, he explores identity and idealism in music. Here is his introduction to the selection.   “What is it about Mignon that has captivated composers for over two centuries? More than 70 different composers have given voice […]

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