Authentic Sound Podcast

In this episode of the Authentic Sound Podcast , Stefan and I turn to an early-20th-century source that raises deeply uncomfortable questions about modern Chopin performance: Gottfried Galston’s Studienbuch . Galston was no marginal figure. Born in 1879, trained by major representatives of the Leipzig tradition, and active well into the 20th century, he stood at a crucial crossroads between 19th-c...

In this episode of the Authentic Sound Podcast , Stefan and I tackle one of the most persistent arguments used against historical metronome marks: concert duration . Can the length of a performance really tell us how fast Beethoven played? We focus on the most famous and best-documented case of all: Beethoven’s academy concert of 22 December 1808 , where the Fifth and Sixth Symphonies were premier...

In this episode, Stefan and I step back from specific repertoire and dive into a much deeper question: what is the difference between opinion and fact—and why does this distinction matter so much for music today? We talk about how modern discourse is increasingly driven by vibes , personal impressions, and online persuasion rather than evidence and slow verification. From COVID debates to Chopin t...

In this episode of the Authentic Sound Podcast , Stefan and I dive into the explosive opening of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony — but through two radically different tempo worlds. We compare our Whole Beat version (performed in Czerny’s brilliant piano transcription) with John Eliot Gardiner’s modern single-beat interpretation. The contrast is shockingly wide. At times, it feels as if we are listening...

In this episode, Stefan and I return to Adolf Bernhard Marx, one of the most influential musical thinkers of the 19th century. Marx wasn’t just a commentator on Beethoven—he stood close enough to the early Romantic world to watch performance culture change in real time . And what he recorded is astonishing. Marx describes pianists who played the finales of Beethoven sonatas twice as fast as they w...

In this episode, Stefan and I take on one of the greatest challenges of the Whole Beat approach — Beethoven’s Adagio Cantabile from the Pathétique Sonata . We compare Maurizio Pollini’s famous single-beat recording with Alberto Sanna’s whole-beat interpretation from Beethoven Keyboard Works Vol. 1 . The contrast is shocking — almost like hearing two different worlds. Why does this slow movement, s...

In this episode of the Authentic Sound Podcast , Stefan and I ask a simple but unsettling question:Would Chopin himself stand a chance at winning the competitions that now bear his name? We look at what “authentic Chopin playing” has come to mean — and how far it may have drifted from what Chopin actually wrote, taught, and heard. We also talk about the modern cult of expressiveness, the misunders...

In this episode of the Authentic Sound Podcast , Wim and Stefan revisit one of the most controversial figures in Beethoven scholarship: Anton Schindler (1795-1864) . Long dismissed as the man who falsified documents and destroyed Beethoven’s legacy, Schindler has been blamed for decades — but what if that story need more nuance? If you’re curious about how one man’s reputation shaped Beethoven rec...

In this episode, Stefan and Wim explore how the 19th century gradually lost touch with Beethoven’s original world — and how one man, Adolf Bernhard Marx, stood right at the turning point. Marx saw himself as a guardian of Beethoven’s legacy, yet his writings reveal how profoundly performance ideals had already shifted. When he claimed that tempo words were too vague and that Maelzel’s metronome ha...

In this fifth episode of the Authentic Sound Podcast , Wim and Stefan return to Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata — this time exploring the explosive third movement . After their deep dive into the famous first movement, they now compare two radically different interpretations: Wim’s Whole Beat performance and Valentina Lisitsa’s modern version. What does Beethoven’s marking Presto agitato really mean?...

In this episode, Wim and Stefan dive deep into one of the most ambitious parts of the Authentic Sound project: the creation of a worldwide Metronome Mark Database . What started as a Patreon-only discussion has grown into a cornerstone for future research and performance. They talk about why such a database is essential — turning opinions into facts about playability and tempo — and how it could b...

In this third episode of the Authentic Sound Podcast , Wim and Stefan dive into one of the most famous piano pieces ever written — Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata . Was this music really meant to sound nocturnal and mysterious, or is that an image we’ve projected onto it later? Using two radically different recordings of the first movement, they explore how Beethoven’s original tempo marking changes...

In this second episode of the Authentic Sound Podcast , Wim Winters takes the hot seat as co-host Stefan asks him a series of unscripted questions. None were prepared in advance, so what listeners hear are spontaneous and candid answers. Some of the questions include: * Why are Wim and Lorenz the only ones researching Whole Beat Metronome Practice? * Why does something so logical remain so controv...

Join Wim Winters and Stefan Pospiech as they explore music, history, and performance practice through fresh conversations and deep dives into sources. From Whole Beat metronome practice to Beethoven, Chopin, and beyond, we discuss recordings, ideas, and discoveries that challenge tradition and open new ways of hearing and playing classical music. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss...