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The Classical Gabfest

The Classical Gabfest

The Classical Gabfest

A weekly discussion about the ever-changing world of classical music. Hosts: Tiffany Lu, Kensho Watanabe, and William White. Contact us at [email protected]. New listener tip: start with the most recent episode! :)
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Top 10 The Classical Gabfest Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best The Classical Gabfest episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to The Classical Gabfest for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite The Classical Gabfest episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

The Classical Gabfest - 89: Will on Moveable Do

89: Will on Moveable Do

The Classical Gabfest

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05/12/22 • 58 min

This week, we’re playing Will’s interview on the Moveable Do podcast, hosted by Steve Danielson.

Will joins an illustrious lineup of composers to be interviewed on the show, including Eric Whitacre, Libby Larsen, Rollo Dilworth, and Jake Runestad. Be sure to check out the podcast and subscribe:

https://anchor.fm/moveabledo

CLASSICAL MIXTAPE
The full playlist

From Will’s interview, we’ll add “Acadia Fanfare” to the mixtape as this week’s selection:
White, “Acadia Fanfare”

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The Classical Gabfest - 90: Friends Like These

90: Friends Like These

The Classical Gabfest

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05/19/22 • 54 min

This week, we start out with a rousing round of Back to the Future AKA Retrogradus ad Parnassum, and then we move on to our three topics:

MUSICIANS FIRED FROM THEIR OWN QUARTET
Nonprofit board fires DaPonte String Quartet musicians, changes mission (Portland Press Herald)

CHINA-NK FRIENDSHIP CONCERT
Full Performance of North Korean Artists in Beijing (YouTube)

RAVEN CHACON WINS 2022 PULITZER IN MUSIC
Full performance (Vimeo)
Meet Raven Chacon, the first Native American to win the Pulitzer Prize for music (NPR)
Commentary: Raven Chacon’s ‘Voiceless Mass’ magnifies unsung voices into the realm of the sacred (LAT)
The Pulitzer Prize Winner That Emerged Out of a Time of Quietness (NYT)

CLASSICAL MIXTAPE
The full playlist

Tiffany
Farrenc, Symphony No. 3, mvmt. 3

Will
Bloch, Baal Shem

Gabe
Beethoven, arr. Roman Kim: Symphony No. 5

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The Classical Gabfest - 49: John Williams is a Really Good Composer
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08/05/21 • 56 min

This week, we start out with a rousing round of Back to the Future AKA Retrogradus ad Parnassum, and then we move on to our three topics:

UNFINISHED

Beethoven didn’t know how to read a metronome

Are there snakes in the Alps

The New York Metropolitan Opera
Union negotiations
Dallas SO / NFTs
No kids at the MET this fall

Competition judges only watch 22 seconds of online video

Jarod Impichchaachaaha Tate named US Cultural Ambassador

Will’s new group name!
www.harmoniaseattle.org

CHICAGO SYMPHONY SEASON (P)REVIEW
https://order.cso.org/events?view=listing&startdate=2021-09-01

JOHN WILLIAMS’ NEW VIOLIN CONCERTO
https://youtu.be/fl_-JKB21b0

CLASSICAL MIXTAPE
The full playlist

Kensho
Augusta Holmès - La Nuit et l'amour (1888)

Tiffany
Franck, “Ce qu'on entend sur la montagne"

Will
Schnittke, Movement 1 Cadenza for the Beethoven Violin Concerto

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The Classical Gabfest - 10: Slave Orchestras

10: Slave Orchestras

The Classical Gabfest

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11/05/20 • 60 min

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The Classical Gabfest - 4: Enthusiastic Disbandment

4: Enthusiastic Disbandment

The Classical Gabfest

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09/24/20 • 58 min

This week, we start off with a rousing game of Listening Limbo, then we dive into our three topics:

THE DISSOLUTION OF THE COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY MARCHING BAND

Part 1 in the Columbia Spectator Article
Part 2
The band’s statement on Medium

NORMAN LEBRECHT’S ZERO-STAR REVIEW OF “JOHN WILLIAMS IN VIENNA”

The album on Spotify
The review

THE DISMISSAL OF GARRETT MCQUEEN FROM AMERICAN PUBLIC MEDIA

Garrett’s statement on Opus 66 of TRILLOQUY (begins at 16:16)
MPR News story

CLASSICAL MIXTAPE
The full playlist

GARRETT
Celso Garrido-Lecca, Andean Folk Dances: 3. Ritmico

WILL
Mozart, Le nozze di Figaro “Porgi amor”

TIFFANY
Britten, Billy Budd “Blow Her Away” Chorus

KENSHO
Beethoven, Fidelio: “Komm, Hoffnung”

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The Classical Gabfest - 71: Cultural Revolution

71: Cultural Revolution

The Classical Gabfest

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01/06/22 • 64 min

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The Classical Gabfest - 86: Michael Jinbo, Teacher

86: Michael Jinbo, Teacher

The Classical Gabfest

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04/21/22 • 6 min

Hi there Classical Gabfest Listeners, this is Will, and I’m afraid we don’t have a regular episode for you this week. Longtime listeners to the show will know that Tiffany and Kensho and I all met at the Pierre Monteux School, which is a summer music institute focused on orchestral conducting and playing. Unfortunately, earlier this week, the school’s director, Michael Jinbo, died suddenly, and as Michael was a beloved teacher, mentor, and friend to all three of us, we decided not to produce an episode this week.

As a brief tribute, I wanted to say a few words about our teacher:

Maestro Jinbo was only the third-ever music director of the Monteux School in its 79-year history, succeeding his own teacher, Charles Bruck, and before him, Pierre Monteux himself, whom some of you may know was the conductor of the world premieres of The Rite of Spring and Daphnis and Chloé, and who performed Brahms’ string quartets for Brahms himself, among many other accomplishments.

Maestro Jinbo was proud of the school’s tradition, but he was very much his own musician and a great musician at that. Maestro Jinbo was not a famous conductor, but he was famous among conductors. We marveled at his crystal-clear technique and his deeply felt, uncomplicated musicality, and I know for a fact that videos of his conducting (which he would never allow to be released) circulated privately among his admirers. In rehearsal, he was totally unfussy and to-the-point. He always preferred to show and rather than to tell, but whenever he did say something about the music, it was invariably insightful, witty, and inspiring.

Of course, my co-hosts and I, and many, many others of his students will remember Michael for his abilities as a teacher. He combined uncompromising honesty with a deep care for each of his students as a human being, and he taught to each student individually. He didn’t waste time and he went immediately for your weaknesses, not to demean you, but to strengthen you.

Above all, Michael Jinbo taught us to be our true selves, both on and off the podium. He never tried to mold us in his own image, rather he helped us to strip away our excess baggage and taught us to honor the essential core that remained. And that’s just about the greatest gift that any teacher can give you.

It’s hard to find recordings of Michael’s work, but I did find a beautiful one on YouTube, in which Michael is leading the Nittany Valley Symphony of Pennsylvania, of which he was also music director for several decades. This is a recording of the “Meditation” from Jules Massenet’s opera Thaïs, featuring violinist Max Zorin, which I offer as this week’s mixtape suggestion.

Rest in Peace, Michael.

CLASSICAL MIXTAPE

Massenet, Thaïs: “Meditation”
Nittany Valley Symphony Orchestra
Max Zorin, violin
Michael Jinbo, conductor

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The Classical Gabfest - 19: Top Brass at the Covid Lab

19: Top Brass at the Covid Lab

The Classical Gabfest

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01/07/21 • 67 min

This week, we start out with a rousing round of Classical Chronology with listener Ted Fishman. Want to join us for a prelude segment? Post about the Gabfest on social media and tag us to be entered for a chance to come on the show.

Then we move on to our three topics:

ROBERT F. SMITH’S TAX FRAUD REVELATIONS
Carnegie Hall Stands by its Chairman Despite Tax Violations (NYT)

“LOUIS VAN BEETHOVEN” ON AMAZON
Trailer (YouTube)

SFS ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL HORN AND COVID RESEARCHER MARK ALMOND
Profile in the San Francisco Classical Voice
Profile in the San Francisco Chronicle

CLASSICAL MIXTAPE
The full playlist

Mark
Walton, Crown Imperial

Kensho
Vaughan-Williams, Flos Campi

Will
Sibelius, Morceau romantique sur un motif de monsieur Jakob de Julin

Tiffany
Gershwin, Piano Concerto in F

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GET A COPY OF JOHN BORSTLAP’S “THE CLASSICAL REVOLUTION” FOR OUR BOOK CLUB
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073BKG4J9

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The Classical Gabfest - 63: The Boratorio

63: The Boratorio

The Classical Gabfest

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11/11/21 • 55 min

This week, we start out with a rousing round of Viola Hero and then we move on to our three topics:

LISTENER FEEDBACK
Breaking Down the Innovative Deep Learning Behind Google Translate (Medium)

Kevin Puts, Symphony No. 2 Video (YouTube)

ARE CONDUCTORS NECESSARY?
Performing Without a Conductor: Liberation or Illusion?

“THE ORATORIO” DOCUMENTARY
Watch on PBS

CLASSICAL MIXTAPE
The full playlist

Will
Hersant, Cantique des trois enfants dans la fournaise

Tiffany
Arvo Part, Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten

Kensho
Rachmaninoff, Symphony No. 2 IV. Allegro vivace

THINK YOU CAN STUMP US? GO AHEAD AND TRY!
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FAQ

How many episodes does The Classical Gabfest have?

The Classical Gabfest currently has 106 episodes available.

What topics does The Classical Gabfest cover?

The podcast is about Music, Podcasts, Arts and Performing Arts.

What is the most popular episode on The Classical Gabfest?

The episode title '67: Stephen Sondheim, Composer' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on The Classical Gabfest?

The average episode length on The Classical Gabfest is 57 minutes.

How often are episodes of The Classical Gabfest released?

Episodes of The Classical Gabfest are typically released every 7 days.

When was the first episode of The Classical Gabfest?

The first episode of The Classical Gabfest was released on Sep 3, 2020.

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