Impolite to Listen: Classical Music Conversations

Kate Clark - an introduction to the Baroque flute

Useful links:

Telemann - Fantasia for Solo Flute in E Minor

Jed Wentz - Blavet Flute Sonatas

Saxophone quartet plays Bach's Italian Concerto

Stan Getz - Misty

Copland: Rodeo - Zubin Mehta conducting the LA Philharmonic

Copland conducts Hoedown from Rodeo

Marsalis - Swing Symphony

Marsalis - Haydn Trumpet Concerto

Yo-Yo Ma plays the Bach Cello Suites live at the BBC Proms

Yo-Yo Ma - NPR Tiny Desk Concert

Yo-Yo Ma, Stuart Duncant, Edgar Meyer, Chris Thile - Attaboy from Goat Rodeo Sessions

Goat Rodeo Sessians NPR Tiny Desk Concerts

Yo-Yo Ma on re-recording the Bach Cello Suites

Yo-Yo Ma, Leonidas Kavakos, Emanuel Ax - The Making of Beethoven for Three

Beethoven Symphony No. 6 - Yo-Yo Ma, Beethoven for Three

2001: A Space Odyssey opening

2001: A Space Odyssey docking scene

Schindler's List - black tie Nazi party

Jordi Savall - Beethoven Symphony No. 6

Beethoven Late Quartets - Quator Mosaïques

ITL #36: Rehearsal Rules

Tue, 22 Nov 2022 03:00:00 -0800

Chris and Sridhar discuss the New York Philharmonic’s new concert hall, TikTok’s influence on the music industry, and rules to make rehearsals run smoothly.

Jump in! Tweet us @shreggz and @chris_arkin

New York Philharmonic's new David Geffen Hall

Useful Links:

Stella Katherine Cole

Hank Green - So...TikTok Sucks

Willem de Fesch - wikipedia

Willem de Fesch: Concerto Grosso in B-Flat Major - Bremer Barockorchester

Online Tone Generator

Tuning Drones

Just Intonation vs Equal Temperament

Why It's Impossible to Tune a Piano - minutephysics

Modest Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition - Berlin Philharmonic/Karajan

René Voisin - wikipedia

Roger Voisin

ITL#35: The Lenny Special

Tue, 20 Sep 2022 03:00:00 -0700

Chris and Sridhar share some thoughts on YouTube Music before discussing the life, art, and legacy of Leonard Bernstein. Then, in true Lenny fashion, they (night)cap it off by naming some of their favorite Bernstein YouTube videos.

Jump in! Tweet us @shreggz and @chris_arkin

YouTube Music - App Store

Useful Links:

Netherlands Bach Society

Bernstein plays and conducts Rhapsody in Blue

Bernstein - Ravel Piano Concerto

Bernstein - Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 1

Young People's Concert: What is American Music?

Young People's Concert: What Does Music Mean?

Photos from the set of "Maestro"

Isaac Stern - Fiddler on the Roof

Alan Menken's Razzie winning song - High Times, Hard Times

Jean Ferrandis Flutist - Official Archive

Ferrandis rehearses Mozart with Leonard Bernstein

Glenn Gould - Bach Keyboard Concerto in D Minor

Gould - Brahms D Minor Piano Concerto (Bernstein's speech included)

The Truth About a Legend - Leonard Bernstein on the Gould "scandal"

Bernstein - Beethoven 9 at the fall of the Berlin Wall

Bernstein - "Nimrod" from Elgar's Enigma Variations

Triangle lessons with Bernstein

Bernstein riffing with a tuba player

Best of House Speaker John Bercow

Sridhar's Picks:

Bernstein documentary rehearsing Rite of Spring

Bernstein discusses Beethoven's 6th and 7th symphonies

Teachers and Teaching - An Autobiographic Essay by Leonard Bernstein

Chris' Picks:

Trumpet player disagrees with Bernstein in rehearsal

Bernstein on Debussy's Faune - Part 1

Bernstein on Debussy's Faune - Part 2

The Making of West Side Story documentary

ITL #34: Conservatory Blues

Mon, 11 Jul 2022 03:00:00 -0700

Chris and Sridhar discuss their favorite Victor Borge bits, the ins and outs of concert attire, and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music's acquisition of the record label Pentatone.

Join the discussion:

Tweet us @shreggz and @chris_arkin

Victor Borge performs at the White House

Useful links:

Victor Borge documentary

White House Steinway

Victor Borge & Anton Contra play Monti's Czardas

Victor Borge as Franz Liszt

Victor Borge & Michala Petri play Czardas

Victor Borge - Inflationary Language

Victor Borge - Happy Birthdays

Netflix to Stop Greenlighting Vanity Projects

Criterion Channel

First Woman Joins Vienna Philharmonic in 1997

Claudio Abbado's suit

Joshua Bell & Jeremy Denk - NPR Tiny Desk Concert

Joshua Bell & Yuja Wang play Beethoven Violin Sonata no. 9

Mischa Maisky plays Bruch's Kol Nidrei

A New Model for a Music Conservatory by Ted Gioia

The Honest Broker - Ted Gioia's substack

Pentatone Music

Reprise Records - wikipedia

Samuel Lipman - The House of Music: Art in an Era of Institutions

Natalia Osipova dances Giselle

Erich Leinsdorf - The Composer's Advocate: A Radical Orthodoxy for Musicians

ITL #33: Music of the Plains

Tue, 31 May 2022 03:00:00 -0700

Chris and Sridhar discuss session gigs, band education, Chris’ dream of becoming a piano salesman, Howard Hanson’s Symphony No. 2, Gerard Schwarz, the Seattle Symphony, and the art of conducting.

Join the discussion:

Tweet us @shreggz and @chris_arkin

Episode clips on Instagram @impolitemedia

Useful links:

Pierre Boulez with hula girls

Karajan conducts Sibelius: Finlandia

Karajan conducts Smetana: The Moldau

Karajan conducts Wagner: Overture to Die Meistersinger

Wayne Bergeron

Malcolm McNab

Movies Jim Walker has played in

Ratatouille - Wall Rat (Jim Walker flute solo)

Alexander Malofeev plays Rachmaninoff - Lilacs

Gerard Schwarz conducts Howard Hanson's Symphony No. 2

Howard Hanson - wikipedia

Hanson Symphony No. 2 - wikipedia

Gerard Schwarz - wikipedia

Bernstein plays Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue

Aaron Copland: Duo for Flute and Piano

Copland: Fanfare for the Common Man

Claudio Abbado conducts Beethoven: Symphony No. 6, "Pastoral"

András Schiff: Schubert documentary

Seattle Symphony on YouTube

Trumpet player disagrees with Bernstein - BBC Symphony

Leonard Bernstein rehearses Elgar's Enigma Variations

ITL #32: From Kyiv With Love

Wed, 13 Apr 2022 05:00:00 -0700

ITL is back with a 100% topical episode: after a quick review of the new West Side Story movie, Chris and Sridhar chat about the politics of music as it pertains to Putin's invasion of Ukraine. They discuss the cancellation of Russian music and musicians in wartime, music as propaganda, musicians who enable and benefit from Putin, and much more.

Join the discussion:

Tweet us @shreggz and @chris_arkin

Episode clips on Instagram @impolitemedia

Useful links:

West Side Story 1961 Opening

West Side Story 2021 Opening

Neil Gaiman - A View from the Cheap Seats

Ansel Elgort - Thief

Erik Hoel - CGI did, in fact, ruin movies

Subscribe to Erik Hoel's (free!) newsletter, The Intrinsic Perspective

Borys Lyatoshynsky - Symphony no. 3 in B Minor, "Peace Will Defeat War"

Borys Lyatoshynsky - wikipedia

Alexander Malofeev - wikipedia

NPR article on Malofeev's cancelled concerts

Malofeev plays Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3

Malofeev plays Rachmaninoff: Lilacs

Valery Gergiev - wikipedia

Summary of Navalny's report on Gergiev's illegal activities

Putin's War Conductor - Navalny's report in Russian on Gergiev

Navalny singles out Gergiev for sanctions - Reuters

Life in a Day - Valery Gergiev

Gergiev checks the Chelsea score

Anna Netrebko - wikipedia

Alex Ross - Listening to Russian Music in Putin's Shadow

Zachary Woolfe - Putin's Maestro, and the Limits of Cultural Exchange in Wartime

Netrebko posing with flag of Novorossiya

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy plays the piano

Zelenskyy plays Hava Nagila

ITL #31: Stirred, Not Shaken

Tue, 22 Feb 2022 03:00:00 -0800

In this cocktail of an episode, Chris and Sridhar discuss the theme from HBO’s Succession, naming a chamber music group, George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, whether or not music theory should be mandatory, and the merits of a theoretical perspective of music. They also get distracted and shop for domain names.

Join the discussion:

Tweet us @shreggz and @chris_arkin

Succession - theme and opening credits

Useful links:

Nicholas Britell explains the Succession theme

San Francisco Philharmonic

Karl Jenkins - wikipedia

Karl Jenkins - Palladio

Dvořák - Serenade for Strings

Ivry Gitlis plays Saint-Saëns Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso

Sergei Nakariakov plays Saint-Saëns on trumpet

Sergei Nakariakov - official website

Leonard Bernstein conducts Beethoven Symphony No. 5

Stirred Not Shaken - jazz ensemble

Stirred, Not Shaken - the podcast about how to drink better

Tony Bennett/Bill Evans: When in Rome

Rhapsody in Blue - Leonard Bernstein/New York Philharmonic

George Gershwin plays Rhapsody in Blue

United Airlines Rhapsody in Blue Commercial

Woody Allen - Manhattan opening scene

Fantasia 2000 - Rhapsody in Blue

Bernstein/Los Angeles Philharmonic - Rhapsody in Blue

Maja Babyszka - Rhapsody in Blue

Diminished Jazz Theory - Tony Winston

Glenn Gould - Bach Contrapunctus I

Glenn Gould - Bach Contrapunctus IV

Glenn Gould - Bach Contrapunctus XIV

ITL #30: Whiplash

Mon, 24 Jan 2022 03:00:00 -0800

Chris and Sridhar play a game of Overrated/Underrated/Properly Rated with the Cleveland Orchestra, seats behind the orchestra in a concert hall, Mahler's 5th Symphony, and standing ovations. Then, for another edition of ITL At the Movies, they discuss Damien Chazelle's 2014 film "Whiplash," which prompts a conversation about abusive teachers and "old school" teaching methods.

(Disclaimer--in the spirit of "Whiplash," this episode is uncensored.)

Join the discussion:

Tweet us @shreggz and @chris_arkin

Mahler Symphony no. 10 - Cleveland Orchestra/Pierre Boulez

Useful links:

Bruckner - String Quintet

Mahler Symphony no. 5 - Lucerne Festival Orchestra/Claudio Abbado

Pretend It's a City with Fran Leibowitz and Martin Scorsese

Whiplash - Amazon Prime Video

Whiplash - wikipedia

Whiplash deleted scene

Ian Pace on systemic abuse in music education

ITL #29: All I Want for Christmas

Fri, 24 Dec 2021 05:00:00 -0800

After an obligatory chat about The Nutcracker, Chris and Sridhar reveal their musical Christmas wishlists. They discuss vocal training, baroque instruments, ballet orchestras, music festivals, entertainment in the metaverse, and the growing number of pops concerts. Will Santa give them what they want?

Join the discussion:

Tweet us @shreggz and @chris_arkin

Staatsballett Berlin (not Munich!) on the Nutcracker

Useful links:

ITL #13: The Christmas Special

Billie Holiday - I'm a Fool to Want You

King's College Choir - Coventry Carol

Kate Clark - Introduction to the Baroque Flute

All of Bach - Cantata BWV 102

Marten Root and Shunske Sato on BWV 102

Gabriele Cassone and Ton Koopman - Brandenburg Concerto no. 2

Lucerne Chamber Circle - Bach Christmas Oratorio

Glenn Gould - The Question of Instrument

Kuijken Brothers - Bach Trio Sonata from Musical Offering

Mannheim Steamroller Christmas Album

Natalia Osipova dances Giselle - The Royal Ballet

Count Basie at Newport

Emmanuel Pahud - Haydn Trio at Festival Salon

Entertainment in the Metaverse

ITL#28: Gone Chopin

Mon, 13 Dec 2021 05:00:00 -0800

Chris and Sridhar discuss concerts during COVID, tips for writing program notes, buying a digital piano, the International Chopin Piano Competition, and the music of Frédéric Chopin in general.

Join the discussion:

Tweet us @shreggz and @chris_arkin

International Chopin Piano Competition - wikipedia

Useful links:

2021 Chopin Piano Competition - full playlists

Bruce Liu, first prize winner - first round

Bruce Liu - second round

Bruce Liu - final round

Chopin Cello Sonata - Natalia Gutman and Sviatoslav Richter

Kristin Zimerman plays Ballade no. 1 in G Minor

Zimerman plays Ballade no. 4 in F Minor

Zimerman plays Waltz in A-Flat Major (from 1975 Chopin Competition)

Zimerman plays Mazurka in G Minor (from 1975 Chopin Competition)

Zimerman plays Grande Polonaise Brillante (from 1975 Chopin Competition)

Maurizio Pollini at the 1960 Chopin Competition

Pollini plays Chopin Preludes Op. 28

Glenn Gould plays Chopin Piano Sonata no. 3 in B Minor

Hershey Felder - wikipedia

Hershey Felder - stream his shows on his website

Hershey Felder in "Maestro: The Art of Leonard Bernstein"

ITL #27: What Makes Music Scary?

Sun, 31 Oct 2021 05:00:00 -0700

For this Halloween special, Chris and Sridhar ask: what makes music scary? They discuss "scary" associations with certain kinds of music, whether or not music can be intrinsically scary, classic scores for Alfred Hitchcock films, and Saint-Saëns' "Danse Macabre."

Join the discussion:

Tweet us @shreggz and @chris_arkin

Karl Richter - Bach Toccata and Fugue in D Minor

Useful links:

German Brass - Toccata and Fugue in D Minor

Sideways - Why Pipe Organs Sound Scary

Stephen King - Three types of horror

Psycho - Shower scene

Cat watches horror movie

Bernard Herrmann - wikipedia

Psycho - soundtrack by Bernard Herrmann

Jaws - soundtrack by John Williams

Uncanny valley

Ligeti - Lontano

György Ligeti - wikipedia

Ligeti - Musica ricercata

Franz Waxman - wikipedia

Four Pieces from Rear Window

Rebecca Suite - Franz Waxman

Waxman - Theme from Rebecca

Sequence from Rebecca showing Waxman's brilliant scoring

Truffaut interviews Hitchcock

Psycho - opening scene

North by Northwest soundtrack - Bernard Herrmann

James Bond Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Danse macabre - wikipedia

Danse macabre - l'orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France

Danse macabre animation

ITL #26: Concerts in Caves

Tue, 05 Oct 2021 05:00:00 -0700

Chris and Sridhar discuss Beethoven’s 10th Symphony as completed by Artificial Intelligence, the role of AI in music, a pop quiz, and some superlative questions. Shots are fired, but it’s all in good fun.

Brought to you by:

Quorum Coffee: combining the artisan flavors of family-grown, single-origin coffee with the community and vibe of a neighborhood coffee shop. Order the new Coffee to the People roast—and check out the Impolite to Listen featurette—at quorumcoffee.com

Join the discussion:

Tweet us @shreggz and @chris_arkin

Beethoven's unfinished 10th Symphony completed by AI - classicfm

Useful links:

Beethoven X: The AI Project: III. Scherzo

Curse of the ninth symphony

27 club

Daniel Barenboim - Beethoven masterclasses

Sporcle

Classical music triplets quiz

Pasta shape or Italian composer quiz

Debussy - Sonata for flute, viola, and harp

Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4 - Leonard Bernstein

Glenn Gould plays Bach's Italian Concerto

András Schiff - Italian Concerto masterclass

Gould plays Bach's Chromatic Fantasia

Daniel Barenboim conducts Ravel's Bolero

Walt Disney Concert Hall - wikipedia

Glare at Walt Disney Hall

Cracked - 5 Most Embarrassing Architectural Failures Ever ft. Walt Disney Hall

Musical Arts Center at Indiana University (doubles as a bomb shelter)

Cave of the Mounds in Wisconsin

Boston Symphony Hall

Royal Festival Hall (if the Death Star had a concert hall)

St. Matthew Passion - All of Bach project

Gustavo Dudamel conducts Berlioz Requiem in Notre Dame de Paris

Claudio Abbado & Lucerne Festival Orchestra - Mahler 3

Mahler 3 Posthorn solo - Abbado/LFO

Bob Dylan - Desolation Row

Desolation Row lyrics

Nat King Cole - Stardust

Stardust lyrics

Hoagy Carmichael statue at Indiana University

Chris' Cocktail Piano Hour - Stardust

ITL #25: The Jazz Loft

Tue, 21 Sep 2021 07:56:02 -0700

Chris and Sridhar discuss the documentary “The Jazz Loft According to W. Eugene Smith.” They also discuss the musical scenes and cultures of various cities and their orchestras.

Tweet us @impolitelisten

W. Eugene Smith - Profile (with lots of his photos!)

Useful Links:

W. Eugene Smith - Master of the Photo Essay

W. Eugene Smith - Wikipedia

The Picture He Took When He Stood Up - Blast photo

Soldier from the Battle of Saipan

Train tracks from Smith's Pittsburgh essay

Eugene Smith portrait

Dali at the Jazz Loft

Thelonious Monk at the Jazz Loft

Zoot Sims at the Jazz Loft

Thelonious Monk with Hall Overton at the Jazz Loft

Another of Monk and Overton

Vincent Lucas recital - professor at the Paris Conservatory

Jean-Pierre Rampal - Marseilles style

Petrouchka with Abbado and London Symphony Orchestra

Rite of Spring with Abbado and London Symphony Orchestra

Mitsuko Uchida - Chopin Chromatic Étude Op. 10/2

Gustav Leonhardt - Bach English Suite no. 1

Bach - Musical Offering with the Kuijken Brothers

Ton Koopman and the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra - Bach Orchestral Suite no. 2

Pierre Hantaï on Gustav Leonhardt - All of Bach Project

George Balanchine and New York City Ballet

We do not endorse Peter Martins

Analysis of Mikhail Baryshnikov's dancing

Mikhail Baryshnikov and Elaine Kudo dance Sinatra

ITL #24: I Love a Piano

Tue, 07 Sep 2021 05:00:00 -0700

Chris and Sridhar discuss big news in the classical music streaming world, Chris' first composition, composition technology, video game music, and the merits of the piano as an instrument.

Email us your feedback: impolitetolisten@gmail.com

Tweet us @impolitelisten

Primephonic statement on Apple Music

Useful Links:

Forest Morning by Chris Arkin

Chris' website

Video game music with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra

Spitfire Audio

E.T. bike chase scene

Guy Michelmore

How to Write a Classic Wild West Theme

Philip Glass - Tirol Concerto for Piano and Orchestra

@visakanv on Twitter

"Do 100 Thing"

Daniel Barenboim - Beethoven masterclass 1

Daniel Barenboim - Beethoven masterclass 2

Daniel Barenboim - Beethoven masterclass 3

Daniel Barenboim - Beethoven masterclass 4

Daniel Barenboim - Beethoven masterclass 5

Daniel Barenboim - Beethoven masterclass 6

Leonard Bernstein on Conducting

Schumann Piano Sonata No. 1 - Maurizio Pollini

Schumann Piano Sonata No. 1 - Andràs Schiff masterclass

Emil Naoumoff plays Bach Preludes and Fugues

Naoumoff plays Bach Passacaglia BWV 582

Tony Bennett sings I Love a Piano

ITL #23: Off the Record

Mon, 23 Aug 2021 05:00:00 -0700

Chris and Sridhar discuss some behind the scenes for Sridhar's recently released solo flute album, recording techniques, the merits of recording, and solo music in general. They also set "The Jazz Loft According to W. Eugene Smith" as homework and finish by veering into a vexillological tangent.

If you enjoy the show, tell your friends about us or help spread the word on social media. We appreciate your support!

Email us your feedback: impolitetolisten@gmail.com

Tweet us @impolitelisten

Bandcamp (buy it here if you wish to support him)

Useful Links:

Check out Sridhar's album "The Quarantine Tapes" on:

Spotify

Apple Music

...and on all good streaming platforms.

Ben Johnson (audio engineer)

Libby Danforth (photographer)

Glenn Gould records & edits Sarabande from Bach English Suite no. 1

Glenn Gould records & edits Bourrées from Bach English Suite no. 1

Leonard Bernstein conducts Tchaikovsky 5 at Tanglewood

Emmanuel Pahud plays Mozart Flute Concerto in G Major (disappearing flutists at 3:00)

Netherlands Bach Society play Bach solo works:

Six Sonatas & Partitas for Solo Violin

Six Suites for Solo Cello

Partita for Solo Flute

The Jazz Loft According to W. Eugene Smith:

Watch on Tubi

Watch on Amazon

Look at these if you want to follow along with the flag talk:

Flags of the U.S. States & Territories

Indianapolis' great flag

Tennessee flag inexplicably flying in Juneau

Betsy Ross flag

U.S. State flag redesigns

Roman Mars' TED Talk on flags

North American Vexillological Association's report on American city flags

Madison flag

San Francisco's awful flag

SF rebel flag flying in the wild

Japanese prefecture flags (great example of a cohesive, yet unique set of designs)

Flags of the Union Jack

Paris' boring flag

Ann Arbor's awful flag

Phoenix's awesome flag

ITL #22: Vinyl Revival

Mon, 12 Jul 2021 05:00:00 -0700

Chris and Sridhar discuss orchestras’ concert programs as America tentatively opens up. Then they pilot a segment, “Vinyl Revival,” in which they each talk about all aspects—music, artwork, liner notes, etc.—of a record that they own. Today’s records are Frank Sinatra’s “Sinatra at the Sands” and Bob Dylan’s “Bringing It All Back Home.”

If you enjoy the show, consider telling your friends about us. We appreciate your support!

Email us your feedback: impolitetolisten@gmail.com

The Music of E.T. - A discussion with John Williams

Useful Links:

Atlanta Symphony plays 20th Century Fox Fanfare & Star Wars Intro

ITL #2: Does Film Music Count?

ITL #10: Side Notes

Music Streaming is Fueling Vinyls's Resurgence

Music industry sales visualized

Arthur Lintgen, the man who can recognize records by looking at them

Arthur Lintgen reads records with Georg Solti

Frank Sinatra - Sinatra at the Sands vinyl

Sinatra at the Sands - wikipedia

Sinatra at the Sands - Remembering Frank's Time-Stopping Performance

Sinatra at the Sands - YouTube playlist

Al Grey, trombonist in the Count Basie Orchestra, remembers Sinatra at the Sands

Count Basie Orchestra - wikipedia

Quincy Jones - wikipedia

Sinatra - One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)

Bill Miller - Sinatra's pianist

Fred Astaire: One for My Baby (dance & song)

Bob Dylan - Bringing It All Back Home vinyl

Bringing It All Back Home - wikipedia

No Direction Home - Bob Dylan documentary by Martin Scorsese

Final Scene of No Direction Home

Electric Dylan Controversy - wikipedia

The Story of the Bringing It All Back Home album cover

Bob Dylan - It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)

Desolation Row - Sridhar's favorite song by Bob Dylan

ITL #21: The Grumpy Special

Tue, 01 Jun 2021 05:00:00 -0700

In this long awaited return, Chris and Sridhar discuss the ways in which classical music institutions might launch successful digital ventures, the pay what you can model, Steven Spielberg's 2021 remake of West Side Story, realism in musicals, and how La La Land is, surprisingly, a breath of fresh air.

If you enjoy the show, consider following us on social media. We appreciate your support!

Email us your questions/comments/concerns: impolitetolisten@gmail.com

Philip Daniel, composer - YouTube

Useful Links:

Paul Hindemith - wikipedia

Leonard Bernstein conducts Hindemith - Symphonie Mathis de Maler

Glenn Gould & Raymond Crisara play Hindemith's Trumpet Sonata

Heinrich Schütz - wikipedia

Brandon Patrick George plays the Bach Flute Partita

Orchestra of St. Luke's

West Side Story (2021) - Trailer

Screenwriter Tony Kushner on the West Side Story remake

Steven Spielberg on his West Side Story

Why Jurassic Park Looks Better Than Its Sequels

Jackie Chan - How to Do Action Comedy

Leonard Bernstein - The Making of West Side Story

Sideways - Why the Music in Les Misérables (2021) is Worse than you Thought

Ansel Elgort - Thief (Meet the new Tony!)

Curb Your Enthusiasm - Officer Krupke

ITL #20: Anniversary Special - Part III

Thu, 22 Apr 2021 05:00:00 -0700

Chris and Sridhar answer more questions in the final installment of the Anniversary Special: 1.) What’re your opinions on “pop” classical musicians such as André Rieu? 2.) Sridhar, have you ever played an Indian flute? 3.) Chris, how do I learn to play jazz? 4.) What is your favorite movie about classical music?

Thank you to all of our listeners for tuning in over the past year, and here’s to another! Cheers!

Useful links:

André Rieu - The Beautiful Blue Danube

Chris Botti and Josh Groban - Old Devil Moon

James Galway - Danny Boy

Yehudi Menuhin and Ravi Shankar - West Meets East

L'aube enchantée based on the raga "todo" by Ravi Shankar

Ravi Shankar and Alla Rakha - Raga Desh

Ravi Shankar and Alla Rakha explain Indian classical rhythms

Ravi Shankar and Alla Rakha live in London

Ravi Shankar and Alla Rakha at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival

Chad LB's YouTube Channel

Aimee Nolte's YouTube Channel

Tony Winston's YouTube Channel

Whiplash - Amazon Prime

Schubert - "Trout" Quintet Documentary

ITL #19: Anniversary Special - Part II

Tue, 20 Apr 2021 05:00:00 -0700

Chris and Sridhar answer some more of your questions in the Anniversary Special sequel: 1.) What advice do you have for performance anxiety? 2.) What are your thoughts on music competitions? 3.) Can you tell us more about Chris’ page turning days? 4.) Have you guys ever performed together? 5.) What was the most surprising part about making a podcast?

Thank you to all of our listeners for tuning in over the past year, and here’s to another! Cheers!

Useful links:

Richard Felciano - American composer

Felciano's "Masks" (link works best on desktop)

"Masks" score

Combination tone - psychoacoustic phenomenon

Combination tones - video by Physics This Week

ITL #18: Anniversary Special - Part I

Fri, 16 Apr 2021 05:00:00 -0700

To celebrate the show's first anniversary, Chris and Sridhar answer some questions they have been asked over the year in three installments. Today's questions are: 1.) What orchestras or artistic organizations have done a good job handling the pandemic? 2.) Who do you think is the most underrated composer? 3.) What was your favorite class in music school?

Thank you to all of our listeners for tuning in over the past year, and here's to another! Cheers!

Useful links:

New York Philharmonic on YouTube

Tweet at the New York Philharmonic about their lost Halloween Concert

University of North Texas One O'Clock Lab Band - wikipedia

One O'Clock Lab Band: Ray Noble - Cherokee

University of North Texas Masquerade Concert

Berlin Philharmonic Digital Concert Hall

Berlin Philharmonic plays Symphonic Dances from West Side Story

Leonard Bernstein conducts Symphonic Dances from West Side Story

Bedřich Sematana - Czech composer

Rafael Kubelik conducts Smetana at the 1990 Prague Spring Festival

Antonín Dvořák - Czech composer

Dvořák - Symphony No. 9 "From the New World"

Leoš Janáček - Czech composer

Janáček - Sinfonietta

Georg Philipp Telemann - German Baroque composer

Maurice André - Telemann Trumpet Concerto in D Major

Barthold Kuijken - Telemann Fantaisies for Solo Flute

Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra - The Colorful Telemann

James Stephenson - composer

James Campbell - clarinetist

James Campbell & Glenn Gould play Debussy - Première Rhapsodie

ITL #17: Kind of Baroque

Tue, 30 Mar 2021 05:00:00 -0700

Chris and Sridhar discuss famous musical families, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach and his father Johann Sebastian, the magnificence of the organ as an instrument, the affinities between Baroque and Jazz music, and a mysterious instrument conceived by Leonardo da Vinci.

Also...we have merch! Go browse our wares—it’s a great way to help support the show while repping our swag. We truly appreciate it.

Sridhar's New York Times Crossword

Useful Links:

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach - wikipedia

Johann Sebastian Bach - wikipedia

ITL #7: The Source Code (the Bach episode)

Sridhar's essay on CPE Bach

Teatro La Fenice in Venice

Gabrieli in St Mark's Basilica

Giovanni Gabrieli's Sonata XIII

Rick Steves in St Mark's

The Making of Gabrieli - mini documentary with John Williams

Early Music Revival

Bach Toccata and Fugue in D Minor

Sideways - Why Pipe Organs Sound Scary

Some of Bach's technical specs and a menu from his organ consulting days

Bach - Organ Pedal Exercise BWV 598

Denis Bouriakov plays Bach Chaconne on flute

Karl Joseph Riepp - organ builder

Riepp's organ in Ottobeuren Abbey

Karl Richter plays Bach at Ottobeuren Abbey

Netherlands Bach Society - All of Bach Project

Netherlands Bach Society play Vivaldi's "Winter"

Notes inégales - wikipedia

Bill Evans - wikipedia

Bill Evans in conversation with his brother Harry

Miles Davis - Stella by Starlight

Ella Fitzgerald - Stella by Starlight

Lullaby of Birdland - Count Basie

Barthold Kuijken - Bach Partita for Flute

Chick Corea & Hubert Laws play Bach

MrVinylObsessive's video of So What by Miles Davis

Kind of Blue - wikipedia

The mysterious picture Sridhar sent to Chris

Viola organista - wikipedia

First performance on Leonardo da Vinci's viola organista

Walter Isaacson - Leonardo da Vinci biography (highly recommended by both of us!)

ITL #16: When in Seville

Thu, 25 Feb 2021 05:00:00 -0800

Chris and Sridhar do a live listening of Mozart’s newly discovered piece before discussing the peculiar role of Spain in Western music, operas set in Seville, and the greatness of Georges Bizet’s “Carmen.”

Also...we. have merch! Go browse our wares—it’s a great way to help support the show while repping our swag. We truly appreciate it.

Previously unknown Mozart piece enthuses Mozart week

Useful Links:

Mozart's Allegro in D

The Unknown Mozart

Classic FM article on Mozart's Allegro in D

Joaquín Rodrigo - wikipedia

Manuel Barrueco plays Rodrigo - Concierto de Aranjuez for Guitar

Pablo de Sarasate - wikipedia

Gil Shaham plays Sarasate - Zigeunerweisen

Gil Shaham in "Run Gil Run" (feat. Sarasate's Zapateado)

Georges Bizet - wikipedia

Carmen - wikipedia

Barenboim/Berlin Philharmonic - Carmen Suite No. 1

Emmanuel Pahud - Entr'acte to Act III

Elīna Garanča - "L'amour est un oiseau rebelle" (Habanera)

Laurent Naori - Toreador song

Elīna Garanča - "Près des remparts de Séville"

Elīna Garanča - "Les tringles des sistres tintaient" (Chanson bohème)

Leonard Bernstein - "La cloche a sonné"

Sridhar & Thomaz (as a matador) play the ending to Borne's Carmen Fantaisie

Maxim Vengerov - Carmen Fantasy by Franz Waxman

Gil Shaham - Carmen Fantasy by Pablo de Sarasate

A scene from Rebecca showcasing Waxman's score

Waxman - Rebecca Suite

Hitchcock's "Rebecca" - full movie (shh...don't tell anyone!)

Carmen on the theremin

Erich Wolfgang Korngold - wikipedia

Gil Shaham - Korngold Violin Concerto

Shaham - Korngold Much Ado About Nothing

Claudio Abbado/London Symphony - Carmen

Stromae - wikipedia

Stromae - Carmen music video

ITL #15: Mostly Mozart

Tue, 02 Feb 2021 05:00:00 -0800

Chris and Sridhar discuss the premiere of a newly discovered work by Mozart, the challenges of playing Mozart, some frustrations with Mozart despite his obvious genius, and some of their favorite Mozart interpreters.

If you enjoy the show, you can “buy us a coffee,” tell your friends about us, spread the word on social media, or rate/review us on Apple Podcasts. We appreciate your support.

Buy us a coffee

Check out our new website!

Tweet us our feedback @impolitelisten

Short clips on Instagram @impolitelisten

Spotify playlist for this episode's music

Discuss this episode on r/impolitetolisten

Useful Links:

Classic FM article on Mozart's "unheard" piano piece

"Previously unknown Mozart piece enthuses Mozart week"

Premiere of Mozart's "Allegro in D"

Dr Jay Hook - our music theory professor at Indiana University

Salvator Mundi - Da Vinci painting

Krystian Zimerman plays Mozart Piano Sonata no. 10

Mozart Flute & Harp Concerto - Emmanuel Pahud/Marie-Pierre Langlamet

Noah Bendix-Balgley gives a masterclass on Mozart's Symphony no. 40

Mozart Symphony no. 40 in G Minor

Leonard Bernstein's lecture on Mozart Symphony no. 40

Victor Borge - Happy Birthday as different composers

Sonata form - wikipedia

Bernstein conducts Beethoven's 5th Symphony

Haitink conducts Mozart Symphony no. 35, "Haffner"

Mozart String Quartet no. 15 - played by Alban Berg Quartet

Mitsuko Uchida plays Mozart Piano Concerto no. 24 in C Minor

Maurizio Pollini plays Mozart Piano Concerto no. 21 in C Major

Peter Pringle plays Mozart on theremin

Glenn Gould plays Mozart Piano Sonata no. 11 in A Major

Henryk Szeryng & Ingrid Haebler play Mozart Violin Sonata no. 18 in E Minor

Mitsuko Uchida plays Mozart Piano Sonata no. 10 in C Major

Robert Levin - "Improvising Mozart" lecture

Robert Levin - "Composing Mozart" lecture

F Murray Abraham's iconic performance as Salieri in "Amadeus"

ITL #14: The King's Gambit

Tue, 19 Jan 2021 05:00:00 -0800

New year, new ITL: after some light banter about the rebranding, Chris and Sridhar discuss the similarities between music and chess, why it might be that there are so many musicians who are avid chess players, a poster for an old New York Philharmonic concert conducted by none other than Gustav Mahler, Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Scheherezade,” and Leonard Bernstein’s affinity for Mahler.

If you enjoy the show, you can “buy us a coffee,” tell your friends about us, spread the word on social media, or rate/review us on Apple Podcasts. We appreciate your support.

Check out our new website!

Buy us a coffee

Short clips on Instagram @impolitelisten

Spotify playlist for this episode's music

Discuss this episode on r/impolitetolisten

Useful Links:

Ennio Morricone Plays Chess - Paris Review interview

Leonard Bernstein explains the harmonic series

Bernstein conducts Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique

Composer Alexander Liebermann notates animal sounds

Olivier Messiaen - Le Merle Noir (The Blackbird)

Arnold Schoenberg's paintings

Chris's Elementary School chess handbook

Bobby Fischer Against the World on YouTube

Arthur Rimbaud - one of the few poetic prodigies

Sergei Nakariakov - shopping for a new trumpet

How many chess games are possible? - Numberphile video

Gustav Mahler - wikipedia

Program for Mahler's matinee with the New York Philharmonic

Scheherazade (1001 Arabian Nights)

Scheherazade (Rimsky-Korsakov piece) - wikipedia

Scheherazade - Sinfónica de Galicia (YARR!)

Leif Segerstam - Finnish composer/conductor

Bernstein conducts Mahler's unfinished Symphony no. 10

Mahler - "Ulricht" from Symphony no. 2 on theremin

Who is Gustav Mahler? - Leonard Bernstein's Young People's Concerts

The Unanswered Question: Bernstein on Mahler

Mahler rehearsals with Leonard Bernstein

Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack

The Mask of Zorro suite by James Horner

Alma Mahler - wikipedia

Bernstein & Alma

Tom Lehrer - "Alma"

ITL #13: The Christmas Special

Fri, 18 Dec 2020 05:00:00 -0800

Chris and Sridhar say goodbye to 2020 with an epic Christmas Special. They discuss classic--and Classical--Christmas music, what makes music sound Christmassy, their favorite things to listen to around this time of year, and yes...The Nutcracker.

If you enjoy the show, consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or telling your friends about us. We appreciate your support.

Check out the Impolite to Listen Spotify playlist for this episode's music

Bach - Christmas Oratorio

Useful Links:

Home Alone soundtrack

Mariah Carey - All I Want for Christmas is You

Darlene Love - Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)

John Lennon - Happy Xmas (War is Over)

Paul McCartney - Wonderful Christmastime

E.T.A. Hoffmann - The Nutcracker and the Mouse King

1889 World's Fair in Paris

The Nutcracker - Coffee (Arabian Dance) played on theremin

White Christmas (weather) - wikipedia

Charles Dickens - "the man who invented Christmas"

Felix Mendelssohn - wikipedia

Mendelssohn - A Midsummer Night's Dream

Santa's Midsummer Night's Dream

Vince Guaraldi

A Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack

Brian Setzer jazzy Nutcracker arrangement

Ding Dong Merrily on High - Philharmonia Brass Quintet

German Brass - "Now you are well avenged" from Bach's Christmas Oratorio

German Brass - "Let honor be sung to You, O God" from Bach's Christmas Oratorio

German Brass goes Bach

Matthias Höfs - A Spanish Christmas

Béla Fleck - banjo player

Béla Fleck & the Flecktones - Jingle All the Way

Jingle All the Way starring Arnold Schwarzenegger

Handel's Messiah - Christopher Hogwood/Academy of Ancient Music

Tom Lehrer - wikipedia

Tom Lehrer - A Christmas Carol

Tom Lehrer - concert in Copenhagen

Eric Idle - Monty Python comedian/musician

Eric Idle - F*ck Christmas

Eric Idle - Boozy Philosopher's Song

Nat King Cole - wikipedia

Nat King Cole - The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)

Hoagy Carmichael - wikipedia

Stardust - Nat King Cole

Nat King Cole L-O-V-E

Duke Ellington's Nutcracker Suite

Boston Pops Christmas album

Boston Pops Sleigh Ride - conducted by John Williams

Boston Pops Sleigh Ride - conducted by Shaq

John Sergeant - Home Alone/Nutcracker medley

Verily, He is Worthy - Russian Orthodox chant

Irving Berlin/Bing Crosby - White Christmas

Some of our favorite Nutcrackers:

San Francisco Ballet (audio only)

New York City Ballet (movie w/Home Alone kid)

Berlin Philharmonic (audio only - abridged)

Bolshoi Theatre (complete performance)

ITL #12: Talking Tango - Interview with Iona Italia

Mon, 30 Nov 2020 06:00:00 -0800

Impolite to Listen welcomes its first guest as Sridhar interviews tango dancer, teacher, and author Iona Italia. They discuss the complexity of tango music, how it evolved from immigrant influences in Buenos Aires, interpreting music through dance, the dynamics of leading and following, orchestras of tango’s Golden Age, placebo effects in dancing, Tango Nuevo, and more.

Useful Links:

Iona Italia - ionaitalia.com

Buy Iona's tango books on Milonga Press

"Our Tango World vol. 1: Learning & Community" on Amazon (also available on Kindle)

"Our Tango World vol. 2: At the Milonga" on Amazon (also available on Kindle)

Follow Iona on Twitter @ionaitalia

Two for Tea Podcast on SoundCloud (also available on most podcast players)

Areo Magazine

Persuasion on Substack

Letter - a platform for thoughtful conversation

Iona dancing to "Vuelves"

Iona Italia on YouTube

Milonga - wikipedia

Tango waltzes

"Si la llegaran a ver" - Juan D'Arienzo

Bandoneon - wikipedia

Noelia Hurtado & Carlitos Espinoza (one of Iona's favorite couples)

Tango music - wikipedia

Orquesta típica - wikipedia

Astor Piazzolla - wikipedia

The Golden Age of Tango - tangology 101

Lunfardo - Buenos Aires argot

Piazzolla - Zero Hour

Piazzolla - Oblivion played on theremin

Piazzolla - Histoire du Tango: Bordel 1900

Piazzolla - Histoire du Tango: Café 1930

Piazzolla - Nightclub 1960

Piazzolla - Histoire du Tango: Concert d'aujourd'hui

Some Golden Age orchestras on YouTube:

If you enjoy the show, consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or telling your friends about us. We appreciate your support.

ITL #11: The Vertigo Effect

Mon, 16 Nov 2020 05:00:00 -0800

Chris and Sridhar discuss Keith Jarrett’s retirement, the blurry line between composition and improvisation, late Romantic/early Modern music by Claude Debussy and Erik Satie, and the San Francisco Ballet’s new video with music from Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo”.

Useful Links:

Keith Jarrett - American pianist

Keith Jarrett Confronts a Future Without the Piano - The New York Times

Keith Jarrett & Michala Petri play Bach Flute Sonatas

Keith Jarrett & Kim Kashkashian play Bach Viola da Gamba Sonatas

Keith Jarrett - solo Bach

Keith Jarrett - The Köln Concert

Keith Jarrett - Live in Tokyo

Clifford Brown - Joy Spring

John Coltrane - Giant Steps

Claude Debussy, musicien français

Debussy - Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune

L'après-midi d'un faune (poem by Stéphane Mallarmé)

Debussy himself plays the Faune flute solo

Leonard Bernstein - Norton Lecture on Debussy & Wagner

Debussy - Pelléas et Mélisande

Debussy - Sonata for Flute, Viola, and Harp

Richard Wagner - German composer

Wagner's Ring Cycle - wikipedia

Erik Satie - gymnopédist

Alice Sara Ott plays Satie's "Gymnopédies" and "Gnossiennes"

Jessye Norman sings Satie's "Je te veux"

Furniture music (musique d'ameublement)

Clip from "Parade" (ballet by Satie, Picasso, Cocteau, and Diaghilev)

San Francisco Ballet - Dance of Dreams (music video w/Herrmann's "Scène d'amour")

Benjamin Millepied - choreographer/Natalie Portman's husband

"Vertigo" - music by Bernard Herrmann

Scène d'amour - scene from "Vertigo" (SPOILERS!)

Scène d'amour - score analysis

The Vertigo Effect

Wagner - Tristan and Isolde: Prelude and Liebestod

Wagner - Prelude to Act I of Lohengrin

Tristan chord

ITL #10: Side Notes

Fri, 16 Oct 2020 05:00:00 -0700

After some John Cage follow up, Chris and Sridhar discuss the Steinway & Sons Spirio player piano, vinyl revival, the concertos of Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff, and how AI might affect the future of the music industry.

Useful Links:

4'33'' performed by a death metal band

Tabla - Indian percussion instrument

Zakir Hussain - tabla virtuoso

Zakir Hussain plays tabla

Sridhar's essay on John Cage

Player piano - wikipedia

Steinway & Sons Spirio player piano

Music Streaming is Fueling Vinyl's Resurgence

Music industry sales visualized

Sir Patrick Stewart reads Shakespeare's Sonnet 130

Mozart - Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major

Khatia Buniatishvili - French-Georgian pianist

Khatia Buniatishvili plays Rachmaninoff Piano Concertos 2 & 3

Sergei Rachmaninoff - Russian composer/pianist

Rachmaninoff - Vocalise on theremin

Denis Matsuev - Russian pianist

Denis Matsuev plays Rachmaninoff Piano Concertos 2 & 3 back-to-back

Vladimir Horowitz plays Rachmaninoff 3 with Zubin Mehta

Zubin Mehta - Indian conductor

Zubin Mehta's final 3 minutes of conducting the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - Russian composer

Valery Gergiev conducts Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6

Gil Shaham plays Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto

Tchaikovsky - Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor

Denis Matsuev plays Rachmaninoff - Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini

Augustin Hadelich plays Paganini - Caprice no. 24

AIVA - artificial intelligence composer

AIVA soundtrack playlist

Aiva.ai - website

AIVA - TED Talk

Victor Borge - (music/comed)ian

Victor Borge - Live in Minneapolis

Louis Armstrong - trumpeter

Louis Singin' 'Dinah' in Copenhagen

Ken Burns: Jazz

ITL #9: The Glass Cage

Wed, 23 Sep 2020 05:00:00 -0700

After issuing a correction from Episode 1, Chris and Sridhar discuss Glenn Gould's early appreciation of recording technology, the music of John Cage and Philip Glass, the phenomenon of 20th century music generally, and humans' attitudes towards the new.

Useful Links:

Glenn Gould plays Beethoven's 6th Symphony on piano

Longer clips on YouTube

Gould's "Acoustic Orchestrations" album

Gould's Scriabin recording session (short documentary)

Gould's recording of Scriabin's Sonata No. 5 - a look under the hood

Chris and Glenn

Glenn Gould statue in Toronto - map link

Gould's CBC archives

Marshall McLuhan - Canadian media theorist

Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Glenn Gould, and the Goldberg Variations

John Cage - American composer, artist, philosopher, mycologist

Cage's 4'33'' played by David Tudor

4'33'' score

Cage's Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano

Cage's notes for preparing the piano for Sonatas and Interludes

Prepared piano - wikipedia

Aleatoric (chance) music - wikipedia

"Making Music With Dice" - 12Tone video

I-Ching - Book of Changes

A Year With John Cage - How To Get Out Of The Cage (Documentary by Frank Scheffer)

Cage plays "Child of Tree" for amplified cactus and feather

Cage's obsession with mushrooms

Cage and his cat Losa

Cage's "Roaratorio, an Irish Circus on Finnegans Wake"

Finnegans Wake - Irish pub in San Francisco's Cole Valley

James Joyce's "Finnegans Wake" with annotations

The Philip Glass Ensemble

The Orange Tree by Philip Glass (from The Illusionist)

The Illusionist - full movie with music by Philip Glass (shh...don't tell anyone)

Philip Glass' (disowned) Sonatina No. 2

Helen's Theme from Candyman (by Philip Glass) played on theremin

Anton Ego's monologue from "Ratatouille" - voiced by Peter O'Toole

Applebee's All You Can Eat Riblets commercial

ITL #8: #Beethoven250?

Wed, 02 Sep 2020 06:38:16 -0700

After catching up on some long overdue housekeeping items, Chris and Sridhar discuss Daniel Barenboim's marathon performances and masterclasses on Beethoven's Piano Sonatas, the issue of tempo and tempo relations in Beethoven interpretations, Beethoven as a cusp composer, and yes, #Beethoven250.

Useful Links:

"The Importance of Being Earnest" by Oscar Wilde

Short clips on Instagram

Longer clips on YouTube

Steve Waugh, Australian cricketing legend

Steve Waugh's perfect day against England

McMurdo Station in Antarctica

"Absolutely on Music" - reading for the Impolite to Listen bookclub

Haruki Murakami

Seiji Ozawa

Chopin Piano Competition

A young Maurizio Pollini at the Chopin Competition

Daniel Barenboim

Barenboim's interview on 60 Minutes

Barenboim Beethoven masterclasses - BBC documentary

Playlist of Barenboim's full masterclass videos (Made by Sridhar)

Playlist of Barenboim's performances of all 32 Beethoven Piano Sonatas

Beethoven Piano Sonata no. 14 in C-Sharp Minor ("Moonlight")

Beethoven Piano Sonata no. 17 in D Minor ("The Tempest")

Beethoven Piano Sonata no. 21 in C Major ("Waldstein")

Beethoven Piano Sonata no. 32 in C Minor (the one with the boogie-woogie)

Beethoven Symphony no. 7 on theremin

Glenn Gould interview about Beethoven

Glenn Gould's brilliant thoughts on Beethoven & his performance of the 17th Piano Sonata

Glenn Gould - Beethoven Variations on a Theme in C Minor

Octatonic Scale

Leonard Bernstein's final concert - Beethoven 7 at Tanglewood

The hot mess that is #Beethoven250 on Twitter

We blame #Beethoven250

Barenboim plays Adios Muchachos

ITL #7: The Source Code

Tue, 04 Aug 2020 05:00:00 -0700

Chris and Sridhar discuss whether or not Bach is beyond criticism, the comparisons between Bach and Shakespeare, Bach's pedagogical importance, and his influence on popular music. They then wade into the period instruments debate, and finish off by talking about performance spaces that aren't concert halls.

Useful Links:

Leonard Bernstein: The Creative Performer

Ira Glass thinks Shakespeare sucks

Jacques Bono plays Bach on electric bass

Elton John: Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding

Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F Major, 1st movement

Penny Lane - hilarious music video

David Mason - Penny Lane trumpeter

Penny Lane - Canadian Brass Ensemble

Penny Lane - Anthology version without piccolo trumpet solo

What the hell is a piccolo trumpet?

The Beatles: In My Life

Bach: Concerto for Two Violins in D Minor

One of Bach's subpar fugues

Bach's magnum opus: St. Matthew Passion

András Schiff prefers Bach to "silly" piano exercises

Voyager 1 Golden Record

Bach Air played on air...

Historically informed performance - wikipedia

Shunske Sato plays Bach Chaconne on violin

Chris Thile plays Bach Chaconne on mandolin

Shunske Sato talks about the baroque violin and bow

Chopin played on Chopin's piano

Beethoven played on Beethoven's piano

A brief history of the modern piano

All of Bach - Violin Concerto in D Minor in the Rijksmuseum

Rembrandt - The Night Watch

Rembrandt - The Sampling Officials

Charlie Parker - Yardbird Suite (ft. Young Miles Davis)

Sridhar plays Bach in a café

Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D Major, 1st movement

Bach: Coffee Cantata

Coffee Cantata text

ITL #6: Remembering Ennio Morricone

Thu, 16 Jul 2020 05:00:00 -0700

Chris and Sridhar honor the passing of the legendary composer Ennio Morricone. They discuss the iconic status of his film scores, his gifts as a melodist, his use of non-orchestral instruments, his role in the evolution of Hollywood music, and his passion for chess.

Useful Links:

Ennio Morricone: wikipedia

Watch "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" on Netflix

Watch "Cinema Paradiso" on Amazon

"The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" soundtrack

"Cinema Paradiso" soundtrack

"The Hateful Eight" soundtrack

"The Battle of Algiers" soundtrack

"Django Unchained" soundtrack

Morricone receiving an Honorary Oscar

Morricone wins Best Original Score for "The Hateful Eight"

"The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" standoff

"Ecstasy of Gold" on theremin & voice

Moog synthesizer

Vladimir Nabokov's index cards

Tom Hanks does a Clint Eastwood impression

Il Gruppo (Morricone's avant-garde composers collective)

Morricone plays trumpet

"If This is a Man": Holocaust memoir by Primo Levi

Primo Levi

"If This is a Man" music by Morricone

Yo-Yo Ma's tribute to Morricone

"Yo-Yo Ma plays Ennio Morricone" album

Morricone's Paris Review interview about chess

Janos Starker: Cellist, Artist, Teacher

Leonhard Euler: wikipedia

Euler's Speculum Musicum

Tonnetz: wikipedia

What the Heck is Neo-Riemannian Analysis? - video explanation by 12tone

ITL #5: What is American Music?

Sat, 04 Jul 2020 05:00:00 -0700

Chris and Sridhar celebrate the Fourth of July by asking: what makes American music American? They discuss 19th century American music, jazz as the quintessential American art form, George Gershwin, the universality of West Side Story, Dvořák in the New World, the American landscape reflected in its music, California as the creative capital of the world, and (regrettably) John Philip S***a.

Useful Links:

Leonard Bernstein: What is American Music?

Ken Burns: Jazz

George "Jazz in a Tux" Gershwin

Nadia Boulanger: teacher extraordinaire

Gershwin plays his Three Preludes

LA Philharmonic & Gustavo Dudamel: Gershwin's Cuban Overture & An American in Paris

Leonard Bernstein plays & conducts Rhapsody in Blue

West Side Story synopsis

West Side Story lyrics

West Side Story movie on Amazon

Officer Krupke

America

Pyramus and Thisbe

Verdi: Bella figlia dell'amore from Rigoletto

Benjamin Britten: Storm Interlude from Peter Grimes

Jerry Robbins behind the scenes of West Side Story

The Making of West Side Story documentary

Antonín Dvořák

Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 “From the New World”

Paul Robeson: Going Home

Aaron Copland

Copland: Fanfare for the Common Man

Copland: Duo for Flute & Piano

Ken Burns: The National Parks - America's Best Idea

Grizzly Man soundtrack

Beef: It's What's For Dinner

Copland: Piano Variations

Werner Herzog: A Guide for the Perplexed

Arnold Schoenberg's Los Angeles

ITL #4: YouTube Showdown

Thu, 18 Jun 2020 08:24:24 -0700

Chris and Sridhar discuss their favorite classical music YouTube videos.

Useful Links:

YouTube Top 5 Showdown playlist

Jacques Bono plays Bach on electric bass

Benjamin Zander: The Transformative Power of Classical Music

Gilles Apap's cadenza to Mozart Violin Concerto No. 3

Gustavo Dudamel conducts Danse Bacchanale by Camille Saint-Saëns

Jameson Whiskey Ad - "The Hawk of Achill"

Jean-Pierre Rampal plays Bolling Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio

Mnozil Brass

Mnozil Brass: Hungarian Schnapsodie ft. Zoltan

Claudio Abbado conducts Mahler 9 in Lucerne

Gustav "Buried in Vienna" Mahler

Lucerne Festival Orchestra

Gershwin: An American in Paris

Bernstein conducts Beethoven 9 to celebrate the fall of the Berlin Wall

Friedrich Schiller: Ode to Joy

European Union Anthem

West-Eastern Divan Orchestra

"Knowledge is the Beginning" - documentary with Daniel Barenboim and Edward Said

Edward Said: Orientalism

Glenn Gould plays Bach Contrapunctus XIV

Bach: The Art of Fugue

Bernstein conducts Tchaikovsky's 5th Symphony at Tanglewood

John Denver: Annie's Song

ITL #3: The Holiday Special

Thu, 21 May 2020 10:45:12 -0700

After doing some housekeeping, Chris and Sridhar discuss the digital world of classical music before veering off into a conversation about The Nutcracker's various innovations and difficulties, eventually finding their way back on topic by talking about Spotify, YouTube, and the Berlin Philharmonic's Digital Concert Hall.

Useful Links: