Anthony Plog on Music

Part 2 is a continuation of our conversation about writing, creating, and the four composers covered in his biographies: Mozart, Brahms, Beethoven, and Ives.

In the Bonus Room, Jan discusses his other creative outlet, composition.

Jan Swafford is known as both a composer and biographer. His compositions have been performed by orchestras such as the St. Louis Symphony, the Indianapolis Symphony, and the Dutch Radio Orchestra. His biographies of Ives, Brahms, Beethoven, and Mozart have received rave reviews, and so it was a total joy to have this conversation with Jan about all things musical (and a few things non-musical). I...

In Part 2 , we discuss Håkan’s most recent project, the recording of the 36 Études Transcendantes of Théo Charlier, which leads to a discussion of interpretation. At the end of Part 2, Håkan talks about his friendship with Andris Nelsons, the Music Director of the Boston Symphony, and how Håkan got him interested in playing the trumpet again.

I've always been impressed with the way Håkan has been able to achieve a great balance in his life, so we talk about what's important to him as both an artist and also as a husband and father. We end with Håkan talking about how he spends his time during the day of a performance.

Håkan Hardenberger has not only had an illustrious career as a trumpet soloist, he's also re-defined the role of the trumpet as an important solo instrument. Throughout his career, he's been responsible for the commissioning of major contemporary composers, which has had a profound effect on not only our generation, but future generations as well. I met Håkan early on when he was a stude...

Roger discusses his teaching career in Part 2 , and what it has been like to teach in Switzerland, Italy, England, Japan and now Mexico. Some of the teaching was a study in contrasts, for example the difference between students in Japan and Italy!

In the Bonus Room , I had to (of course) ask Roger about eating and some of his favorite cuisine! Roger has also been around some of the greatest performers of our time, including when he realized that Pavarotti stole his warm up (sort of). We end with a story of a concert he and I did at a beautiful castle in the mountains in Italy, and how someone in the audience asked us during intermission if...

Roger Bobo is a brass legend and is recognized as an orchestral tubist, soloist, and teacher. He was first a member of the Rochester Philharmonic, then the Concertgebouw Orchestra, and finally the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. As a soloist he has performed around the world and was a member of the famed Los Angeles Brass Quintet. At a time when tuba was not considered a solo instrument, he ra...

In Part 2 of our conversation, Joe and Chris discuss their own auditions and give insights that I think could be very valuable to students who will be taking auditions in the future. In addition, since both played with the Philadelphia Orchestra (at different times), they speak about how the principal players at the time, Glenn Dodson and David Bilger, became mentors for them. They also compare ho...

In the Bonus Room , Chris and Joe talk about how fitness is important to them, and what it was like to work with the musical geniuses John Williams and Chick Corea on solo pieces. And, as an aside, why Joe wants my son Jason to come to Canada to give him table tennis lessons (spoiler alert: he hates to lose to other NY Philharmonic players).

Chris Martin and Joe Alessi hold the principal trumpet and trombone positions with the New York Philharmonic. In addition to being iconic musicians in the brass world, they both teach at the Juilliard School of Music and have active solo careers. In Part 1 of our conversation , Chris and Joe talk in depth about how they work together in the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and discuss working with...

In the Bonus Room , I ask Mark about the brass band culture in England and his involvement in extreme endurance sports, including the famed Marathon des Sables.

In Part 2 of our conversation , Mark discusses his beginnings as a trumpet player and what he learned from studying with John Wilbraham and Håkan Hardenberger. Also discussed is how to deal with “bumps in the road” and Mark’s concepts of teaching.

Mark David is the Artistic Director and the Head of Brass at the Royal Academy of Music in London, England. He was principal trumpet for over twenty years with the Philharmonia Orchestra, and he currently holds that position with the Academy of St. Martins in the Fields. In addition to his presence in the English musical scene, he is also a certified ski and mountain bike instructor and takes part...

In Part 2, we discuss some ways in which digitization has greatly changed how music sound tracks for films are recorded. We also discuss nerves, why it's crucial to be a confident player, getting started as a newly arrived player in Los Angeles, and what it is like to record with John Williams.

The life of a recording musician varies from day to day, so Jon and Bill talk about how they balance their schedules, how they work to be consistent players, and why "egos must be checked at the door."

Jon Lewis and Bill Booth are two of the top brass players in the Hollywood film recording scene. For many years, they have recorded with the top Hollywood film composers, and in our conversation we discuss the many aspects of what it means to be a first call player in the Hollywood studio scene. In Part 1 of our conversation , Jon and Bill take us through the process of being a studio musician, in...

After playing with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra , David moved to the Detroit Symphony where he was principal horn. During his time in Detroit, he was a founding member of the rock group, “Symphonic Metamorphosis”, had an interesting recording experience with Marvin Gay, and continued his interesting relationship with Arthur Fielder. He then won his dream job with the San Fransisco Symphony and w...

David Krehbiel has had an extraordinary career and life as one of the great horn players of his time. Joining the Chicago Symphony as associate first horn and sitting next to his teacher Phillip Farkas, he later became principal horn of the Detroit Symphony and ended his career as principal of the San Francisco Symphony. His autobiography, Through the Door: A Horn Player’s Journey , was recently r...

Allan and Ray were there at the beginning of playing Renaissance and Baroque music on authentic instruments in the United States. Our conversation goes into the movement's history and then follows up with some thoughts about authentic and modern performance practices.

In the Bonus Room, Allan and Ray talk about their many years of teaching, primarily at Yale (Allan) and Juilliard (Ray) and the different approaches of those two great schools. They also offer their thoughts on today’s students versus students from when they first began teaching and what's changed and what hasn't.

Ray Mase and Allan Dean are legends in the world of trumpet and brass. They are both foundational figures of the brass quintet genre, were part of the start of the early music scene in the United States performing on period instruments, and were both members of the astounding Summit Brass. Their teaching careers led them to the highly respected music schools at Yale (Allan) and Julliard (Ray). In...

In Part 2 of our conversation, David speaks in detail about the process of writing music for film from the first contact with the director to the final recording session. He explains why he can't afford to be "mentally blocked" and why he has had to push himself mentally and physically to the limit to finish a score before the first recording session.