Classical Classroom

Okay, I lied last week: Producer Todd is still working on the new Two Star Symphony album (for which we are pretty darn excited). But! Never fear: We have unearthed a timely gem from the vault to keep you busy until next week, when we will really for real have a new episode for you. Please enjoy! PS, The info about the Mozart Festival at the end of this episode is outdated. However, you can still find tons of information over at www.themozartfestival.org. —————————– Mozart’s death, on December 5, 1791, is still so mysterious over two centuries later, that we couldn’t help but do a Research Presentation about it. In this short, we explore why his death is an unsolved mystery, and why we’re still so fascinated by it. Intweeged? Hit play to find out more! Audio production by Todd “Sir Toddfried” Hulslander with much brow furrowing and consternation by Dacia Clay.

(Producer Todd is off recording Two Star Symphony’s new album right now (sweet!), so we have unearthed some old gold for you from the vault. Please enjoy this repeat of our class with conductor James Gaffigan. We’ll be back next week with another spankin’ new episode.) Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 is dramatic, cinematic, erratic, sarcastic, and full of existential longing – according to Chief Conductor of the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra, James Gaffigan. Why is it important to listen to this symphony, the musical expression of Shostakovich’s depression and anxiety as he lived under Stalin’s thumb? Listen to this episode and find out! Audio production by Todd “Taller than Necessary” Hulslander with inspired napping from Dacia Clay. Music in the episode includes: – Dmitri Shostakovich, Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op. 47, New York Philharmonic Orchestra led by Leonard Bernstein   To find out more about hilarious comedian Jim Gaffigan, go to a different website. :)

Classical music: the future frontier. These are the voyages of the podcast Classical Classroom. It’s mission: to explore strange new music – Sorry. I’ll stop. Where was I? Right! Composer, performer, and Mannes College of Musiccomposition faculty member, Missy Mazzoli talks to us about the future of classical music, from the future, aka, New York. Also talked about in this episode: Beth Morrison, Schoenberg, David Little, pillow fights, Lars von Trier, eighth blackbird, Richard Reed Parry, Bryce Dessner, Victoire, Abigail Fischer, “bands” vs. “ensembles”, operatic voice, and streaming music. PS, If you’re in the Houston area, Missy’s opera, Song from the Uproar, will be making its premiere here at Da Camera in March of 2015. For more info, click here! Audio production of this episode by Todd “Tisk Tisk” Hulslander with buckets of help from Dacia Clay. All music in this episode was composed by Missy Mazzoli. For more about Missy Mazzoli: www.missymazzoli.com

What makes creativity? Is it money? Is it a gift from the Powers That Be? Is it won through trials and tribulations? Shepherd School of Music Professor of Violin Kenneth Goldsmith unveils the ancient formula. He looks at how Haydn, Grieg, and Ravel – composers from different life circumstances and different times – all used their mysterious powers of creativity to explore the same theme. Audio production by Todd “Tether Ball King” Hulslander with a really good try at defense by Dacia Clay. Music in this episode: – Josef Haydn: Symphony #6 “Le Matin” – Edvard Grieg: Morning Mood from Peer Gynt Suite #1 – Maurice Ravel: Daphnis and Chloe, Suite #2 Professor Kenneth Goldsmith. Photo courtesy of Shepherd School website.   For more about Kenneth Goldsmith:www.music.rice.edu/facultybios/goldsmith.shtml

What would the movies be like without music? They’re like peanut butter and jelly, Luke and Darth, et and cetera… Would we be as moved at a movie without music? Film composer Vivek Maddala takes us behind the scenes to show us how movies use music to toy with our emotions. But like, in a nice way. Audio production by Todd “Sir Toddius of Toddsville” Hulslander with curtsies and bows by Dacia Clay. All music used in this episode is by Vivek Maddala and is from the film, “American Revolutionary: The evolution of Grace Lee Boggs”. Composer Vivek Maddala. Photo courtesy of the composer’s Myspace page. For more about the film: www.americanrevolutionaryfilm.com For more about Vivek Maddala: www.tadcaster.com

“You gotta hear this one song. It’ll change your life.” – Pierre Jalbert to me*. Have you ever heard a piece of music that truly moved you? Has a piece of music actually changed the course of your life? Ravel and George Crumb wrote pieces of music that played huge roles in the life of a young Pierre Jalbert. He talks about these two pieces of music, how he encountered them, how they work, and how they are woven into the fabric of his life and work. Audio production in this episode by Todd “Toots” Hulslander with angry Footloosedancing from Dacia Clay. Music in this episode: – Maurice Ravel: String Quartet in F major, fourth movement, played by the Emerson String Quartet – George Crumb: Black Angels, “God-music”, played by the Miro Quartet – Pierre Jalbert:  – Visual Abstract, for chamber ensemble: II. Dome of Heaven (from the CD Chamber Music) – Icefield Sonnets for string quartet For more about Pierre Jalbert: www.pierrejalbert.com  Hear music from our episode using this handy Spotify playlist! *Actually, P

It’s getting close to midnight. Something evil’s lurking in the dark… AAACK! It’s a special Halloween edition of Classical Classroom! Last year for the holiday, we exhumed some composers from the dead. This year, we kidnapped a living composer, violinist, and maker of scary movies and forced him to introduce us to spooky tunes. Then, we ordered him to tell us why it is that creepy music creeps us out. Jerry Ochoa of Houston’s Two Star Symphony does a wicked good job of explaining it, too. Which is why, at the end of the episode, we let him go*. Audio production by Todd “Terrifying” Hulslander with snargling from Dacia Clay. Music in this episode: By Two Star Symphony – “Goblin Attack”, from Love and Other Demons  – “Feast”, from Titus Andronicus  – “Dawn Dipple”, from Love and Other Demons By others – Camille Saint-Saens: Danse macabre, Op. 40, played by the New York Philharmonic – Modest Mussorgsky: Night on Bald Mountain, played by the London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus – Bernard Hermann: Psycho Suite – F

Composer Peter Boyer goes deep into the core of Symphony No. 1. Why do composers write symphonies? What goes into writing a symphony? If it has three movements, is it still a symphony? I mean, really: What IS a symphony anyway?! Grammy-nominated composer and conductor Peter Boyer answers all of these questions and more by taking us deep into his Symphony No. 1. From making dots on a page, to recording the piece with the London Philharmonic Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios, this is a tell-all of one composer’s creative process. Come along, won’t you? Goood. Goood… Audio production by Todd “Twitchy” Hulslander with quasi-spiritual guidance from Dacia Clay. Music in this episode: – Peter Boyer, Symphony No. 1. Played by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Naxos 8.559769. For more about Peter Boyer: www.propulsivemusic.com

This episode does double duty: teaches you all about the trumpet and trumpet playing, while carrying out the secondary mission of Classical Classroom, i.e., the humiliation of the show’s host. Trumpet players George Chase and Jason Adams of the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra teach host and former trumpet player, host Dacia, a trumpet lesson. Along the way, they say all kinds of important things about the history of the instrument. Plus, there are duck calls! Varieties of trumpet and mutes. Photo by Dacia Clay. Audio production by Todd “Ah!” Hulslander with running and hiding by Dacia Clay. Music in this episode: – Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F Major Mvt. 3 -Bach played by the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra – Duo No. 1 by Chris Gecker played by George Chase and Jason Adams For more about the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra: www.rocohouston.org For more about George Chase, check that very same link. For more about Jason Adams: www.trumpetowner.com But wait! There’s more! In case you didn’t get enough trumpet in Epi

Like an Around the World and Back snap, Bach’s Suite in B Minor for Flute and Strings takes the listener pretty much everywhere. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll dance fast and slow, you’ll wonder if you’re Polish or French, yet feel German. But don’t worry: Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music professor and flutist Leone Buyse will be your guide on this musical (spiritual?) journey. Flutist Leone Buyse. Photo by David Long. Courtesy of leonebuyse.com. Audio production by Todd “Tobias” Hulslander with Fünke by Dacia Clay. Music in this episode: – J.S. Bach – Suite in B-Minor for Flute and Orchestra as played by Barthold Kuijken and Emmanuel Pahud (respectively) For more about Leone Buyse: www.leonebuyse.com

Take a tour through music history – from chant to present day – through the lens of the motet. What’s a “motet”, you ask? Is it real, you ask? We are not entirely sure. Composer Mark Buller, whose music has been performed worldwide, and who has been commissioned by organizations like Houston Grand Opera, will be your tour guide. Get on board the great Classroom coaster. We have cupholders and a great soundsystem. Audio production by Todd “Tween” Hulslander with insightful insight from Dacia Clay. Music in this episode: Adam de la Halle: “Mout me fu grief li departir/Robins m’aime/Portare”, Tonus Peregrinus/Anthony Pitts Philippe de Vitry: “Garrit gallus flendo dolorose/In nova fert animus/Neuma” Sequentia Palestrina, “Osculetur me osculo oris sui” from Canticum Canticorum, The Hilliard Ensemble Thomas Tallis, “If ye love me”,  The Sixteen/Harry Christophers JS Bach: Lobet den Herrn, alle Heiden, Monteverdi Choir/John Eliot Gardiner W.A. Mozart, Ave verum corpus, The Sixteen/Harry Christophers Richard Strauss

A small step in the evolution of the trumpet. “Ear Trumpet 1”. Photo by Eknath Gomphotherium, used with permission. How did the trumpet morph from a simple horn that announced kings and queens, in to the sophisticated, nuanced instrument it is today? Monumental Brass Quintet trumpet player, public school music teacher, and inventor of the Buzz Clip brass player training tool, Mark DiClaudio tells how Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto and a guy named Anton Weidinger literally poked holes in the instrument and changed it – forevah! Also, thoughts on music education, and SO MUCH MORE. Audio production by Todd “Tiny” Hulslander with belated but no less meaningful birthday wishes from Dacia Clay. Music in this episode: Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra in E Flat Major, by Franz Joseph Haydn. Played by Wynton Marsalis and the National Philharmonic Orchestra. For more about Mark DiClaudio: www.diclaudiostudios.com

In this episode, Classical 91.7’s Saturday Morning Music host and contra dancer extraordinaire, Amy Bishop takes Dacia on a journey with Smetana, Strauss, and Gershwin to learn about tone poems, invoking a surprising number of mermaids and mimes. Audio production by Todd Hulslander with “insightful” suggestions from Dacia Clay. Music used in this episode includes: Smetana’s “The Moldau” from Tchaikovsky/Smetana, Chesky CD65 Richard Strauss’ “Death and Transfiguration” from Metamorphosen, Tod Und Verklarung, Deutsche Grammophon 410 892 Gershwin’s “An American in Paris” from Rhapsody in Blue, RCA 68792

In this episode, conductor Brett Mitchell — Assistant Conductor for the Cleveland Orchestra, man of too many accolades to mention, and former Assistant Conductor of the Houston Symphony — talks about John Williams’ use of leitmotif in the score to the original Star Wars movie. Listen, you must. Audio production by Todd “Tatooine” Hulslander, with use of the Force by Dacia Clay. For more about Brett Mitchell: www.brettmitchellconductor.com

Think you know your classical tunes? Play along in this host-humiliating “drop the needle” quiz show! Test your skills while listening to quiz master, Opera Cheat Sheet host, and Classical 91.7 program director St. John Flynn point and laugh at Dacia. Good luck! Send us an email to let us know how you do: dclay@houstonpublicmedia.org. Classical 91.7 program director St. John Flynn with Whoopee cushion. Photo by Dacia Clay.   Audio production by Todd “Test Mastah” Hulslander with a really good try by Dacia Clay.

The human voice is (very probably, we’re pretty darn sure) the first classical music instrument. Grammy-nominated producer, choral and orchestral instructor, and artistic director of Grace Song, Inc., Keith Weber takes us on a journey through the evolution of choral work. He also explains why choir singers are generally in way less peril than opera singers. Audio production for this episode by Todd “Tasty” Hulslander with smart-mouthed comebacks from Dacia Clay.  

August is Arts Appreciation Month! During August, Houston Public Media Arts and Culture is paying tribute to art forms that have inspired other art forms. We thought this Classical Classroom rerun fit with that theme perfectly, hence the rerunning. The remix has been alive as long as the Beastie Boys’ “License to Ill”. JK! It’s been around for as long as music. Learn how composers have been inspired by, paid tribute to, given tips of the hat to, and plain ripped off, each other since the very beginning. MusicLab intern, composer, drummer, and snappy dresser, Daniel Webbon tells all. Audio production by Todd “Sir Toddeus of Toddleton” Hulslander with serving suggestions by Dacia Clay. Music used in this episode includes: – Aerosmith and RUN-DMC “Walk This Way” (with an appearance by Missy Elliott) – Dies Irae: Gregorian Chant from the 13th century – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Twelve Variations on “Ah vous dirai-je, Maman”, K. 265/300e – Gustav Mahler, Symphony No. 1 in D major – Dmitri Shostakovich, String Quart

Take an interstellar journey to one of classical music’s most influential works. Climb aboard the great Classroom space coaster for a trip to Gustav Holst’s The Planets! Composer, MusicLab intern, and self-described professional nerd Joshua Zinn is our captain on this journey through one of classical music’s most influential and popular works. Who was Holst? How did he write the music for Star Warsbefore the movie existed!? How does one actually pronounce “Uranus”? All of these questions and more will be answered! Audio production by Todd “Titan” Hulslander with copiloting from Dacia Clay. All music in this episode is from Gustav Holst’s “The Planets”.

Producer Todd is “out of town on vacation” this week, so we are bringing this oldie-but-goodie out of the vault. Hope you enjoy it! If you do, check out Classical 91.7’s River Oaks Chamber Orchestra broadcasts every Wednesday in August. Go here for more info. In this episode, River Oaks Chamber Orchestra’s Artistic Director, founder, and principal oboist, Alecia Lawyer takes Dacia inside the mind of an oboe player. In this strange world, people grow their own (bamboo), enjoy fame alongside Willie Nelson, and live on the edge without all of the annoying parachutes and bungee cords. For more about Alecia and ROCO, www.rocohouston.org. Photo from artsandculturetx.com.

Giuseppe Verdi: composer of Aida, La Traviata, Falstaff, and haver of an adorable Italian accent. But as Eric Skelly – cohost of the Opera Cheat Sheet podcast and Buffy the Vampire Slayer superfan – tells us, Verdi was so much more. He was an innovator who changed opera forever. Learn about how he did this and who he was in this episode! Audio production by Todd “With a T” Hulslander with nervous pacing by Dacia Clay. All music in this episode by Giuseppe Verdi. For more about Opera Cheat Sheet:www.houstonpublicmedia.org/shows/opera…heat-sheet/