Classical Music Happy Hour

Renowned American composer John Adams joins Manny to discuss his approach to opera composition, the stories behind his intriguingly titled works, and the time he was once mistaken for John Cage. Adams answers listener questions on the evolution of music and the emotional pull of minor keys.  He also  shares his love of Stravinsky and Handel. For our game segment, Adams puts his knowledge to the test as Manny quizzes him on outrageous performance directions. 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: Italian Concerto in F Major BWV 971, III: Presto Bach András Schiff, Piano Live Recording at The Greene Space Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Var. 25 Bach Anne-Catherine Bucher, Harpsichord Courtesy of Naxos of America, Inc. Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Var. 25 Bach Simone Dinnerstein, Piano Live Recording at The Greene Space Violin Sonata No. 21 in E minor, K. 304 Mozart Takako Nishizaki,  Violin Jeno Jando, Piano Courtesy of Naxos of America, Inc. Cello  Sonata No. 1 in E minor, Op. 38, I. Allegro non troppo Brahms Johannes Moser, Cello Michael Brown, Piano Liver Recording at The Greene Space Symphony No. 5, I. Trauermarsch Mahler Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Antoni Wit Courtesy of Naxos of America, Inc. Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 74, IV. Finale–Adagio lamentoso Tchaikovsky Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Antoni Wit Courtesy of Naxos of America, Inc. Tu Del Ciel Il Trionfo Del Tempo E Del Disinganno Handel Claron McFadden, Elisabeth Scholl, Joachim Carlos Martini, Junge Kantorei, Barockorchester Frankfurt, Nicholas Hariades & Peer Abilgaard Courtesy of Naxos of America, Inc. Gnossienne No. 3 Satie Klara Kormendi, Piano Courtesy of Naxos of America, Inc. Horn Concert No. 2 in E-Flat Major, K. 417, III. Rondo Allegro Mozart Bournemouth Sinfonietta, Michael Thompson Courtesy of Naxos of America, Inc.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.

Composer Gabriela Ortiz joins Manny to talk about her grandfather’s surprising connection to Mahler, her own compositional process, and her enduring love for works by Debussy and Stravinsky. Listeners call in with tricky questions about folk music’s influence on classical works, new developments in orchestral instruments, and the realities of orchestra cliques. In our game segment, Manny puts Gabriela to the test—can she identify which famous composer was panned by critics? 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: Symphony No. 5 in C-Sharp minor, IV. Adagietto Mahler Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Antoni Wit Courtesy of Naxos of America, Inc. Le Sacre du Printemps Stravinsky Brussels Philharmonic, Ali Rahbari Courtesy of Naxos of America, Inc. La Mer, L. 109, II. Jeux de vagues Debussy Brussels Philharmonic, Ali Rahbari Courtesy of Naxos of America, Inc. Miroirs, M. 43 Une barque sur l'océan Ravel Francois-joel Thiollier, piano Courtesy of Naxos of America, Inc. Estancia, Op. 8, Scene 5: Danza Final. Malambo Alberto Ginastera London Symphony Orchestra, Gisele Ben-Dor Courtesy of Naxos of America, Inc. Romanian Folk Dances Bartok Orpheus Chamber Orchestra Live Recording Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 36 Beethoven Danish Chamber Orchestra, Ádám Fischer Courtesy of Naxos of America, Inc. 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.

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.

World-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma explores the intersection of music and nature, eager to communicate with whales using his cello. Joined by Hawaiian musician Snowbird Bento, they discuss the significance of Hawaiian chants, which connect deeply with the environment. As they board the Hokule'a canoe against the backdrop of Mauna Loa’s eruption, they attempt to reach out to whales, blending traditional practices with musical vibrations. The conversation dives into the themes of intention, connection, and our place within nature.

Bernard Punikaiʻa, a musician and advocate who lived in Kalaupapa due to Hansen's disease, shares his powerful life story and the role of music in building community. Mikiʻala Pescaia, a Molokaʻi native and U.S. Park Service employee, explains the cultural significance of mana and leads listeners through sacred sites like the kukui grove. Together with reflections on Yo-Yo Ma's performance, they honor the resilience of Kalaupapa residents and discuss the importance of memory and memorialization.

In this engaging conversation, Yo-Yo Ma, the world-renowned cellist, reflects on the beauty and complexity of West Virginia, while Chris Saunders, a third-generation coal miner, shares personal stories of pride and hardship in the mining industry. Poet Crystal Good contributes powerful verses that express the community's resilience and struggles. The trio explores the cultural significance of music, the impact of coal mining disasters, and the healing power of nature, illustrating how art and expression can connect and uplift communities besieged by challenges.

This episode begins in Fairbanks, AK.  Yo-Yo Ma is at a house concert with drag queen environmentalist Pattie Gonia, singer/songwriter Quinn Christopherson and Princess Daazhraii Johnson, a writer and filmmaker from the Gwich’in Nation.  They were all performing to help their communities process the negative effects of climate change in Alaska.  Salmon have been disappearing for decades, but now there are laws preventing fishing along the Yukon River, an ancestral practice for many Alaska Native people.  Host Ana travels up to the 2024 Gwich’in Gathering in Circle, Alaska to learn how the Gwich’in nation uses its centuries-old tools of music and discussion to speak with one voice and  bring back the salmon.Featuring music by Yo-Yo Ma, Quinn Christopherson and Pattie Gonia, poetry by Princess Johnson, and traditional music by members of the Gwich’in Nation.Watch Pattie Gonia performing "Won't Give Up" featuring Yo-Yo Ma and Quinn Christopherson (video) Watch Yo-Yo Ma playing Bach in a birch forest damaged by melting permafrost on Lower Tanana Dene lands near Fairbanks, AlaskaListen to the Our Common Nature EP.Credits: Our Common Nature is a production of WNYC and Sound Postings Hosted by Ana GonzálezProduced by Alan GoffinskiWith editing from Pearl MarvellSound design and episode music by Alan GoffinskiMixed  by Joe PlourdeFact-checking by Ena AlvaradoExecutive Producers are Emily Botein, Ben Mandelkern, Sophie Shackleton, and Jonathan Bays.Our advisors are Mira Burt-Wintonick, Kamaka Dias, Kelley Libbey, and Chris NewellEpisode photo by Austin Mann; Episode and show art by Tiffany PaiThis podcast was inspired by a project of the same name, conceived by Yo-Yo Ma and Sound Postings, with creative direction by Sophie Shackleton, in collaboration with partners all over the world.Our Common Nature is made possible with support from Emerson Collective and Tambourine Philanthropies