Classical 101 Podcasts

Even as Mozart was establishing himself Vienna as a freelance composer and performer, his new musical compositions were also establishing themselves among the world’s great masterworks. Here’s how Mozart’s Piano Concerto in D minor, K. 466 made its way into the world.

You've heard of scary movies and scary books, but have you ever played a scary game? Until Dawn is one of 2015's most terrifying and immersive horror games - in this episode, we'll talk with composer Jason Graves about his inspiration and love for scoring horror.

  Visit composer Jason Graves online

Music in this episode:

• The Shadow of the Mountain
• You Go, Girl
• Icicle Elegy

It was an open secret in Mozart's day, as in ours – Mozart didn’t like his job at the Salzburg court of the Archbishop Hieronymous von Colloredo. Mozart’s letters are full of colorful rants about the archbishop. Here’s the story about the day it all blew up.

The Metropolitan Opera presents a new production of Puccini's Manon Lescaut live in HD in movie theaters worldwide on Saturday, March 5 at 1:00 p.m. The production moves the story based on the Abbe Prevost's  1731 novel to Nazi occupied France in the 1940s.

As a freelance musician with a growing family, Mozart couldn’t afford to hide his light under a bushel, and in any event he was never one to be bashful in the first place. With musical gifts as phenomenal as Mozart knew his to be, he didn’t hesitate to put his flashiest skills on display, as he did even before the Holy Roman Emperor in one particular performance that he spiced up in a special way.

As a freelance musician more often than not short on cash, Mozart learned early on that, when it comes to making do-re-mi, if you don't succeed, the only thing to do is try and try again.

Mary Rousculp Hoffman was Program Director at WOSU radio through the early 1980s. During her tenure Mary sought out and spoke to some of the world's greatest artists. In future posts we'll hear Mary's visits with Vladimir Horowitz, Igor Stravinsky, Maria von Trapp and Yehudi Menuhin.

Continuing our series of podcasts on the African American conductor, I've asked Columbus based conductor Antoine Clark to join me in talking about Henry Lewis (1932-1996).

I've asked Columbus based conductor Antoine Clark to join me for a series of conversations about African-American conductors. Antoine is finishing a doctorate at OSU, and is the founder and music director of the McConnell Arts Center Chamber Orchestra.

The Metropolitan Opera presents Puccini's Turandot live in HD in movie theaters worldwide on Saturday, January 30th at 1:00 PM. Don't miss Franco Zeffirelli's magnificent production!

Mary Hoffman became program director of WOSU-FM in 1966. Before her retirement thirty years later, Mary interviewed at length some of the greatest musicians of the 20th century.

As 2015 comes to a close, Unmute will explore the music of two of the year's top games. In this episode, we'll have a conversation with Fallout 4's Inon Zur about his dynamic and thoughtful music for the game.

The history of music, much like the early history of beer, centers around people who were passionate about improving their craft and making it accessible. In this podcast, I take a look at a bit of the history of early chant repertoire and how it relates to the development of everyone's favorite malt beverage. 

The Metropolitan's Opera's new production of Lulu, by Alban Berg will be shown live from New York in movie theaters world-wide, as part of the Met's Live in HD Series, on Saturday, November 21 at 12.30 p.m. Locally, Lulu may be seen at AMC Lenox, Crosswoods Theaters, or Polaris.

It's fair to say that in opera, there is Lulu and there is everything else.