Classical Conversations

Superstar cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason joins us to talk about his latest album from Decca Records, SONG, which features an eclectic mix of folk tunes, classical, jazz and pop - including Sheku's own composition and arrangements.

Cast members and creatives for Toledo Opera's production of "Blue" join us to talk about the work and how it uses a 400 year old artistic platform (opera) to address contemporary issues faced by the African American community. We also hear vocal excerpts from "Blue" sung by Kenneth Kellogg and Aundi Marie Moore, with Kevin Bylsma at the piano. Joining us are: Tazewell Thompson, librettist for "Blu...

Dr. Naomi André, a celebrated musicologist and scholar, is a frequent contributor to the community discussions surrounding the new opera "Blue" and its production at Toledo Opera. In this conversation with WGTE's Brad Cresswell, Dr. André sheds light on where "Blue" not only fits into the traditional operatic canon, but how operas like this are directly relevant to today's societal issues of race...

The wonderful Neave Trio has appeared on FM 91 several times in the past. Now they have a new album out called Musical Remembrances, that contains some of the best-loved piano trios in the repertoire. Cellist Mikhail Veselov joins us for a conversation about the album and the music by Rachmaninoff, Ravel, and Brahms – all of it united through the concept of remembrance.

The acclaimed Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes joins us to talk about the second album release in his Mozart Momentum project, which documents the genius of Wolfgang Mozart by focusing on touchstone years in the composer's life (in this case, 1786). Performing with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Leif Ove presents a beautiful portrait during the years in which Mozart's writing for the piano was at...

Since she was a child, opera sensation Nadine Sierra has wanted to sing opera. Now well beyond her wildest dreams, Nadine stands at the top of the younger generation of star sopranos, as evidenced by her latest album Made for Opera from Deutsche Grammophon records. In this conversation with WGTE's Brad Cresswell, Nadine recounts her family life growing up, the inspirations which fuel her personal...

Violinist Abi Fayette of the Catalyst Quartet joins WGTE's Haley Taylor to chat about the quartet's latest album release in their "Uncovered" project, which explores the music of pioneering Black composers. This installment (the second in the series) focuses on the music of Florence Price, the first African-American woman to have a symphony performed by a major orchestra (The Chicago Symphony, in...

In her latest album Reflections: Scott Joplin Reconsidered, pianist Lara Downes reframes the life and work of the pioneering composer and performer Scott Joplin. In this Classical Conversation with WGTE's Haley Taylor, Lara discusses her activities during the pandemic (including starting a record label and making recordings, hosting radio programs, and exploring the work of Black composers), and h...

Allen Markowicz and Sylvia Neil are probably t he only siblings to simultanously chair the boards of two opera companies: Toledo Opera and Lyric Opera of Chicago, respectively. In this wide-ranging discussion, brother and sister talk about how their interest in opera was sparked (by the same opera, no less - albeit in separate cities). We also talk about how each company responded and adapted to t...

We spend time with the stars of Giuseppe Verdi's La Traviata, which is being presented by Toledo Opera on Friday, April 22 at 7:30 p.m. and at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 24 at the Valentine Theatre. International opera star and Toledo favorite Kathryn Lewek takes on the role of Violetta for the very first time, joined by her real-life husband, acclaimed tenor Zach Borichevsky as Alfredo. Rounding...

Multi-Grammy nominated cellist Matt Haimovitz joins WGTE's Brad Cresswell to talk about the second installment in The Primavera Project - an onoing series of 81 solo cello commissions for Matt. The project takes inspiration from two paintings: Sandro Botticelli’s Primavera and Charline von Heyl’s Primavera 2020. The album, taking its title (the rabbits) from Charline von Heyl, features 13 new work...

Pianist Simone Dinnerstein joins us for a chat about her latest album, entitled Undersong. Beautiful, stately performances of works by Philip Glass, Robert Schumann, François Couperin and Erik Satie populate this disc, and those pieces share a common element: the refrain. Another theme which runs throughout is the global pandemic - this is the third album Simone has recorded at home in Brooklyn wh...

Multiple Grammy Award-winning conductor JoAnn Falletta talks with Haley Taylor about the remarkable pianist Claudette Sorel. A child prodigy (and eventual "poet of the keyboard" according to Falletta), Sorel was also a champion of modern music as well as female musicians. In this commemorative 2-CD set, we hear a selection of lesser-known works as well as a collection of American piano concertos....

Haley Taylor chats with the uber-talented siblings Sheku and Isata Kanneh-Mason, who have released their first album together. Entitled Muse, the recording (on the Decca Classics label) features the cello/piano sonatas of Samuel Barber and Sergei Rachmaninoff, plus some beautiful song transcriptions from both composers. As they tell us, their collaboration was partly inspired by the global pandemi...

UMich faculty member and stellar pianist Matthew Bengtson joins us for a preview of the upcoming 2021 American Liszt Society Festival at the University of Michigan (October 15 - 18). With a focus on Franz Liszt’s Hungarian roots and legacies, the festival features performances, dance, and presentations that provide a fully immersive experience with the culture and music surrounding one of the grea...

We offer a preview discussion of Toledo Opera's upcoming production of Giuseppe Verdi's Il Trovatore, including how the opera's complicated (and sometimes horrifying) plot echoes the experience of contemporary communities of color. You can watch a much more in-depth discussion of these issues in Toledo Opera's Tuesday Talk, streaming (and later archived) on September 28, 2021 at 6:00 PM via Toledo...

The venerated pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet joins us to talk about his most personal album to date, called Carte Blanche, a collection of encores – each of which have a connection to the people and events that have shaped him as an artist. Released in celebration of Thibaudet's 60th birthday and longtime association with Decca Records, Carte Blanche features beautiful and stunning transcriptions of...

Billboard Chart-topping pianist and NPR Music personality Lara Downes joins us to sample her recent album New Day Begun, which is part of her ongoing recording project Rising Sun. Featuring music by Black composers from over nearly 200 years, Rising Sun Music's recordings are "radically reframing the history of classical music by embracing the true diversity of its origins and expanding the inclus...

The young pianist (and singer) Chelsea Guo has racked up some impressive honors as a Young Scholar of the Lang Lang Foundation and a top prizewinner in the 2020 National Chopin Piano Competition. Chelsea joins us for a tour of her wonderful new debut album, Chopin: In My Voice, in which she not only essays the 24 Preludes of Chopin, but sings three Chopin-centric songs as well – while accompanying...

"Do not reach for the music. Do not try to will the music into being. Surrender yourself. Become empty and allow yourself to receive what feels true." Composer Richard Danielpour joins us for an in-depth conversation about his collection of musical portraits, An American Mosaic. Written for the pianist Simone Dinnerstein (who also talks about it here), An American Mosaic paints compelling pictures...

The young cellist John-Henry Crawford (winner of the 2019 International Carlos Prieto Competition) introduces his debut album DIALOGO (Dialogue), recorded with pianist Victor Santiago Asuncion. Built around the idea of musical conversation, DIALOGO brings together the music of Dmitri Shostakovich, György Ligeti, and Johannes Brahms for a masterful program of very different – yet related – works. J...

In this intimate conversation, composer, conductor,and host of the Interplay YouTube series Michael Shapiro takes us on a journey through his Peace Variations – a Theme and 18 Variations on the traditional melody of Shalom Aleichem ("peace be upon you"), played by the virtuoso violinist Tim Fain. Shapiro's beautiful and thought-provoking music represents a calm yet persistent voice – a call to act...

Craig Phillips, bass for the Grammy-nominated vocal quartet New York Polyphony provides some of the backstory for the group's latest album And The Sun Darkened. Featuring exquisite performances of ancient and modern works, And The Sun Darkened is organized around texts appropriate for Passiontide, the last two weeks of the Lenten season in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church. (photo credit: Jaco...

Karlos Rodriguez, founding cellist of the Catalyst String Quartet, talks about the first installment in Catalyst's Uncovered Project - an ongoing performance and muti-volume anthology recorded on the Azica label. The album is dedicated to music of the extraordinary (but somewhat neglected) Afro-British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, with guest performances from pianist Stewart Goodyear and clar...

The pianist Simone Dinnerstein joins us for a conversation about her second album recorded at home during the pandemic: An American Mosaic by Richard Danielpour. A 15-movement cycle of character shorts inspired by the heroes of the pandemic (Doctors and Interns, Teachers and Students, Rabbis and Ministers - to name but a few), An American Mosaic was written for Simone after the composer's own expe...