Interviews Category

The Cultural Capital of Europe

March 12th, 2008 Comments(0)

Weimar. National TheaterThis former East German city (that seems so pastoral and peaceful) is actually a bubbling caldron for the arts and culture! Designated in 1999 as UNESCO’s Cultural Capital of Europe, Weimar is a small but unbelievably beautiful and famous city where virtually every movement in German and European cultural history seems to have left its mark.

Weimar combines the cultures of the Reformation (Luther), European Baroque (Bach and Herder), Classicism (Goethe and Schiller), and Romanticism (Liszt) with modern movements in the arts (Bauhaus), politics (Weimar Republic), and military history (Napoleon, Hitler and World War II).

After discovering Weimar in 1998, I helped create SMU’s Summer in Weimar program and co-directed the program for many years.  During that time, I developed a deep admiration for one of our German guides, Dieter Kunkel.  I asked Dieter to help me explain what makes Weimar so special.

icon for podpress  Dieter Kunkel Interview [18:37m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Highlights of Lande Interview

February 27th, 2008 Comments(0)

Vladimir LandeI enjoyed my interview with conductor and virtuoso oboist Vladimir Lande so much, I decided to present highlights of it in a shorter program. Listen and enjoy as Maestro Lande talks about the legendary conductor Evgenii Mravinsky and about the powerful influence of the Russian Bells.  Lande’s upbringing in the Soviet musical system, his many achievements, and his rich opportunity to learn from the greatest of Russian musicians, have given him wonderful insights into music and life. 


 

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An Interview with Vladimir Lande

February 06th, 2008 Comments(0)

Conductor and oboist Vladimir Lande talks with Professor Carol about the legacy of Evgeny Mravinsky and Soviet composers Shostakovich and Khachaturian, as well as the influence of folklore and the bells of the Orthodox Church on Russian composers. He discusses performances of music by John Corigliano, Gaetano Panariello, and Lorenzo Ferrero and his enthusiasm for performing contemporary music of Russia, America, and Italy at the St. Petersburg Musical Spring and Ravello Festivals.Vladimir Lande

 

In addition to his conducting career, Lande is a virtuoso oboist with the Poulenc Trio and the D’Amore duo. He began his career as principal oboist of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra (1984-1989), playing under such legendary conductors as Mravinsky, Mariss Jansons, Leonard Bernstein, Claudio Abbado, Valery Gergiev, and Yuri Temirkanov.

 

Lande has been awarded many prestigious prizes, including the First Prize of the Russian Republic Wind Competition. He was named principal guest conductor of the St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra in Russia, as well as music director and conductor of the Washington Soloist Chamber Orchestra in Washington, D.C.

 

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Commissions, Dedications, and Premieres

October 17th, 2007 Comments(0)

What’s this program about?

Dallas Wind SymphonyIn today’s classical music world, there are not many composers who can stir up the excitement that might have accompanied the premiere of a new work by Brahms.  But John Mackey is a composer who can.  He has a popular following from all over the world.  The Dallas Wind Symphony collaborated with a group of wind bands to commission Mackey’s new Concerto for Soprano Sax and Wind Ensemble.  Mackey dedicated the work to Don Fabian, principal saxophonist of the Dallas Wind Symphony, and Professor Carol talks to Fabian about the upcoming premiere.

 

Works discussed: John Mackey’s Concerto for Soprano Sax and Wind Ensemble

 

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The Making of a Steinway

October 05th, 2007 Comments(0)

Professor Carol interviews New York Times veteran reporter James Barron, author of Piano: The Making of a Steinway Concert Grand (New York: Times Books, 2006), which tells the story of a single piano (K0862) and its eleven-month journey from its beginnings as raw lumber to the concert stage at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

 

The 9-part series in The New York Times is available online with images and interactive features.

 

Visit the Steinway & Sons site to learn more.

 

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The Musicians’ Perspective on Mahler

August 16th, 2007 Comments(0)

Mahler expanded the orchestra to huge proportions, going beyond the already inflated forces of Wagner.  But Mahler simultaneously achieved an striking delicacy and transparency by using solo instruments to create “chamber music” in the midst of a his massive musical canvases.  He drew his inspiration from the simple tunes of his childhood, military marches, folk songs, and village dances.  But he also used the Viennese traditions of Beethoven, Schubert, and the Imperial Viennese waltz.  He treated all of these elements as pieces of a mosaic, and placed them in a sophisticated symphonic frame.  His great range of artistic expression and his choice to empower the instrumentalists with wonderful solo passages revolutionized music.

 

It’s true that musicians get excited about playing Mahler in a way that can’t be compared to other composers.  Their Mahler experiences stand out – their first awed encounters with his music and their experiences performing it.  Mahler demands constant attention from the musicians and pushes them to their limits of physical endurance.  So it makes sense to let the musicians themselves talk about Mahler and explain not only why it’s electrifying to play his music, but why so many listeners identify Mahler as one of their favorite composers.

 

This podcast features Michael Shih, Concertmaster, Ana Victoria Luperi, Principal Clarinet, Mark Houghton, Principal Horn, Steve Wegel, Principal Trumpet, Ron Wilson, Principal Trombone, Kathryn Perry, Violin, and Brian Perry, Bass.

 

The Fort Worth Symphony’s Mahler Cycle at Bass Hall opens August 23, 2007, with “The Man Behind the Music,” a spectacular multimedia experience led by Professor Carol Reynolds and featuring selections from Mahler’s vocal works with mezzo-soprano Jill Grove and pianist John Churchwell.

 

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Music of the American Spirit

April 18th, 2007 Comments(0)

Arts District ChoraleWhat’s this program about?
John Gibson’s choral work “Mockingbird Sings” utilizes Native American texts of the Yuma, Zuni, Laguna, and Apache tribes. The title refers to the individual charged with remembering events and traditions and his recounting of this oral history in songs and stories. In this interview, Gibson explains his approach to setting these unusual texts to music and factors that distinguish American music from its European roots.

Works Discussed: John Gibson’s “Mockingbird Sings”

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Pulling Out All the Stops

April 09th, 2007 Comments(0)

Dallas Wind SymphonyWhat’s this program about?
Professor Carol talks with Mary Preston, the resident organist of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, about the Lay Family Concert Organ. The organ built by C.B. Fisk for the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center is one of the finest instruments ever built. Mary Preston joins the Dallas Wind Symphony in a concert to be featured on Michael Barone’s syndicated radio show “Pipedreams.”

Works Discussed: Hindemith Kammermusik No. 7; Walton “Crown Imperial”; Guilmant Finale from Sonata in D Minor

Where you can find:
At the Meyerson
Mary Preston plays Marcel Dupre
Pomp and Pipes

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Big Band Swing

February 07th, 2007 Comments(0)

Dallas Wind SymphonyWhat’s this program about?
Carol interviews Dean Bouras, arranger for the Dallas Wind Symphony Big Band concerts, and John Trapani, leader of the John Trapani Big Band about the era, the music, and its popularity today.

Works Discussed: Glenn Miller, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Woody Herman, Norman Leyden

Where you can find:
Big Band Collection
Big Band Magic

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One Generation to Another

January 24th, 2007 Comments(0)

Dallas Wind SymphonyWhat’s this program about?
Student players in the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra Wind Symphony join the professionals of the Dallas Wind Symphony for a “side by side” concert, featuring music of Dmitri Shostakovich, Paul Hindemith, Donald Grantham, Dan Welcher, and Giovanni Gabrieli.

Where you can find:
Hindemith: Symphonic Metamorphoses
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5

icon for podpress  One Generation to Another [19:32m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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