Classical Music Happy Hour

Composer and pianist Marc-André Hamelin joins Manny to talk about growing up with a musical father, the mechanics of piano playing, and the influences behind his prolific performing and recording career. He answers listener questions about piano transcriptions and why music is written in so many different keys. In the music segment, Hamelin performs one of his favorite works by Rachmaninoff live in the studio.

The piece performed by Marc-André Hamelin is Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Etude-Tableau op39/5 in E-flat minor.

Our theme song is Schumann’s Arabeske in C Major, Op. 18 performed by our host, Emanuel Ax.

Music used in today’s episode includes:

53 Studies on the Chopin Études: No. 12 in G-Flat Major (6th Version)

Leopold Godowsky

Robert Helps, Piano

53 Studies on the Chopin Études: No. 45 in E Major (1st Version)

Leopold Godowsky

Robert Helps, Piano

Pictures at an Exhibition: Promenade

Modest Mussorgsky

Yutong Sun, Piano

Pictures at an Exhibition: Promenade

Modest Mussorgsky

Volgograd Philharmonic Orchestra, Edward Serov

Horn Concerto No. 2 in E-Flat Major

Mozart

Bournemouth Sinfonietta, Michael Thompson

Fantasia in C minor, K. 475

Mozart

Péter Nagy, piano

Listen and Subscribe to Classical Music Happy Hour wherever you get your podcasts. 

Credits

Classical Music Happy Hour is supported in part by the Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Foundation and by Linda Nelson.

Our production team includes Lauren Purcell-Joiner, Eileen Delahunty, Laura Boyman, Elizabeth Nonamaker, David Norville, Christine Herskovits, and Ed Yim.

Our engineering team includes George Wellington, Irene Trudel, and Chase Culpon.

Classical Music Happy Hour is produced by WQXR in partnership with Carnegie Hall.

Superstar pianist Yuja Wang joins Manny Ax to talk about bad pianos, encores, what influences her musical interpretations, and her love for Prokofiev. In our Newly Dead game, Yuja puts her knowledge of composer deaths to the test.

Listen and Subscribe to Classical Music Happy Hour wherever you get your podcasts. 

Our theme song is Schumann’s Arabeske in C Major, Op. 18 performed by our host, Emanuel Ax.

Music used in today’s episode includes:

Piano Sonata No. 18 in E-Flat Major, Op. 31 No. 3 "La chasse": IV 

Beethoven 

Boris Giltburg, Piano

Piano Sonata No. 16 in G Major, Op. 31 No. 1: I. Allegro

Beethoven

Boris Giltburg, Piano 

Piano Sonata No. 16 in C Major, K. 545 "Sonata facile": I. Allegro

Mozart

Jenő Jandó, Piano

Concerto No. 2 Op 18 II Adagio Sostenuto

Rachmaninoff

Sergei Rachmaninoff, piano

Leopold Stokowski, conductor

The Philadelphia Orchestra 1924

Scythian Suite, Op. 20: II. The Enemy of God, III. Night 

Prokofiev

Ukrainian State Symphony Orchestra

Theodore Kuchar, conductor

Piano Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 6: IV. Marche Funebre 

Scriabin

Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, Konstantin Scherbakov & Igor Golovschin  

Symphony No. 3 in E-Flat Major, Op. 55 "Eroica": II. Marcia funebre 

Beethoven

Danish Chamber Orchestra & Ádám Fischer 

Symphony No. 44 in E minor Trauer Sinfonie Mourning III Adagio

Haydn

Capella Istropolitana & Barry Wordsworth

Credits

Classical Music Happy Hour is supported in part by the Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Foundation and by Linda Nelson.

Our production team includes Lauren Purcell-Joiner, Eileen Delahunty, Laura Boyman, Elizabeth Nonamaker, David Norville, Christine Herskovits, and Ed Yim.

Our engineering team includes George Wellington, Irene Trudel, and Chase Culpon.

Classical Music Happy Hour is produced by WQXR in partnership with Carnegie Hall.

Join renowned pianist Emanuel Ax for Classical Music Happy Hour: a new podcast full of music, merriment, and conversation. Manny (Emanuel) talks with special guests about their lives, listens to some of their favorite classical gems, plays music-inspired games, and answers questions from listeners. Grab a cocktail and press play on a podcast celebrating our love of all things classical music! Episode one with guest  and pianist Yuja Wang drops next week.

Listen and Subscribe to Classical Music Happy Hour wherever you get your podcasts. 

Classical Music Happy Hour is supported in part by the Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Foundation and by Linda Nelson.

Our production team includes Lauren Purcell-Joiner, Eileen Delahunty, Laura Boyman, Elizabeth Nonamaker, David Norville, Christine Herskovits, and Ed Yim.

Our engineering team includes George Wellington, Irene Trudel, and Chase Culpon.

Classical Music Happy Hour is produced by WQXR in partnership with Carnegie Hall.

Hello Our Common Nature fans, Ana González is dropping into the feed to tell you about Classical Music Happy Hour, a new podcast you might be interested in, hosted by Yo-Yo Ma’s friend and pianist Emanuel Ax.
The show is all about the joy in chatting about music with all sorts of people, including some of Manny’s dearest friends like pianist Yuja Wang, composer John Adams, actor David Hyde Pierce, and cellist Yo-Yo Ma. 
In every episode, Manny Ax speaks with a guest about their relationship with music.  We’ll hear their favorite music selections–sometimes performed live in the studio! Manny also takes listener questions, and he and his guests play music-inspired games.
To Our Common Nature fans, please join Manny for music, merriment, and conversation. And to give you a taste of what you can expect, here’s just a bit of the episode with guest Yo-Yo Ma. 
Follow or subscribe to this show for upcoming episodes of Classical Music Happy Hour  wherever you get your podcasts.

Host Ana González is back to thank you all for sharing your amazing photos from our Common Nature! She is also sharing an episode from The Broadside Show from our friends at WUNC about the hunt for a long-lost musical masterpiece. Perhaps more than any other art form, the 20th century was shaped by jazz. And piano player and composer Mary Lou Williams was there at nearly every turn. In recent years, historians have documented and dissected her career and its big impact on American music. But the final chapter of her life—spent teaching at Duke University—was shrouded in mystery. Until now.
Link to original episode here (WUNC) 
Transcript here

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