The Fugue for Thought Podcast Alan M

1943/10/22 - 2017/06/06
I make no presumptions that I was even an associate of American violinist Paul Zukofsky. If he even recognized my name, he'd probably roll his eyes, but I was priveleged to have the chance to exchange emails with him over the period of a few years, and to pick his brain about many things. I learned of his passing only hours ago. He had told me many months ago, apologetically, that he was very unwell, and would have to politely decline any further correspondence. He was 73 years old. 
 
 
 
 
The music featured in this episode is Li Mei performing Bach's Violin Sonata in Gm, available from musopen.org. I can be found as fugueforthought on almost all social media, as well as at www.fugueforthought.de. 

It's the end of the year in less than 6 hours (for me, at the time of writing). 2017 is just around the corner, and the podcast itself started nearly a year ago. With (most of) the first year behind me, I'd like to say thanks to all my previous guests. Go back and listen to any episodes you haven't heard, and excuse the lower quality of some of the editing and recording. The content is still great. Today's episode, since everyone is busy with New Year stuff, is a bit of housekeeping, and a reminder to please share the podcast with others if you're enjoying it, and to get in touch with me. I'd love to hear from you. 
I'm at www.fugueforthought.de, and on Facebook and Twitter @fugueforthought. Thanks to musopen.org and to Zencastr. See you next year. 

Lisa Casal-Galietta is artistic director of the Red Door Chamber players in NY, USA. Social media and classical music might seem an unlikely pairing, but for Red Door, it's all part of the job. They're a welcoming, friendly group of talented musicians dedicated not only to making wonderful music, but to making sure as many people as possible enjoy it. To that end, they're breaking down some of the obstacles that people might have to discovering classical concerts, and that's why they're the first in a series I'll be doing on how ensembles and organizations are reaching people who might not think they'll love classical music. The Red Door Chamber Players make great ambassadors for this cause. Enjoy. Find them at reddoorchamberplayers.com, or on Facebook. The featured music in this episode is Dvorak's 'American' 12th string quartet, from musopen.org. Podcast recorded using Zencastr. 

Mary Birnbaum is a brilliant stage director with a background in English (and French) who directed a remarkable performance of Verdi’s Otello this past summer in Taipei. We managed to get in touch with each other and I had a wonderful conversation with her about opera in Asia (and anywhere), what opera represents and why it’s so important, how her background informs her craft, and how a first-timer to the opera house (or concert hall) should think about their first visit and why they should absolutely go. She speaks very eloquently about the power and importance of music. Enjoy. Find her at www.marybirnbaum.com, with photos of the Otello production.
Find Fugue for Thought on Twitter and Facebook, and at www.fugueforthought.de. The podcast is recorded with Zencastr, and the music comes from musopen.org. This episode features Verdi's (only) string quartet in E minor. 

In the third and final and maybe most delightful part of a mammoth conversation we had some months ago, we finish up by discussing some meatier details of Haydn: the value of his early quartets, his daily routine, his brother Michael, and (I think of it as) how Haydn saved music, or just showed up at a pivotal point in history, as well as what to remember when listening. Schubert also gets a mention. Check out Mike's fantastic Haydn resource at www.fjhaydn.com, and find me at www.fugueforthought.de, and share on social media. Enjoy. 

In this episode, I speak with Julie Comparini, who performed the world premiere recording of René Leibowitz's Explanation of Metaphors. The story of her career and how she found herself in Bremen, Germany, performing music that spans centuries of history in various languages, is a fascinating one. What's it like to sing in a language you don't speak? Or a language that no one speaks (anymore) (or ever did)? I speak with Julie about this, her wonderful journey to where she is now, both geographically and professionally, as well as what she's been up to lately, and you should take a listen to it.