Episodes

  • Manfred Honeck and Michael Daugherty - Intermission Interviews

    Manfred Honeck and Michael Daugherty - Intermission Interviews
    Jun 8 2024
    WQED-FM's Jim Cunningham spoke with Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Music Director and composer Michael Daugherty backstage immediately after the world premiere of Daugherty's "Songs of the Open Road," during our live broadcast on Friday June 7, 2024.
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    13 mins
  • William Caballero & Cynthia Koledo DeAlmeida

    William Caballero & Cynthia Koledo DeAlmeida
    Jun 3 2024
    Pittsburgh Symphony Principal Oboe Cynthia Koledo DeAlmeida and Principal Horn William Caballero have joined pianist Rodrigo Ojeda to record Three Rivers Trios on the Crystal label released May 27. The disc features two pieces written for them: Chris Massa’s Scenes From Chautauqua Lake and Eric Ewazen’s Three Rivers Trio along with several other first recordings of the Mozart trio for oboe horn and piano arranged by Eric Naumann from the Quintet k. 407, Robert Kahn’s Serenade, and Heinrich Molbe’s Air Arabe. Cyndy and Bill will give the world premiere of Michael Daugherty’s Songs of the Open Road on Friday June 7th with Manfred Honeck conducting the Pittsburgh Symphony. They give a road map for the piece and talk about how the commission came together complete with a visit to the Lucille Ball Museum in Jamestown New York, the Big Sur, Continental Divide, Sleeping Bear, Desilu, Blue Ridge and Key West.
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    25 mins
  • Benjamin Grosvenor

    Benjamin Grosvenor
    May 29 2024
    Jim Cunningham spoke with pianist Benjamin Grosvenor who plays the Liszt Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra this weekend. Benjamin talks about the piece, his latest recording projects, and more.
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    13 mins
  • Vasily Petrenko

    Vasily Petrenko
    May 29 2024
    Vasily Petrenko returns to Heinz Hall to conduct the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra this weekend. He'll conduct Dukas' "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," Tchaikovsky's Manfred Symphony and Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 1 with soloist Benjamin Grosvenor. Jim Cunningham talks to him about the program, his latest projects and more.
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    23 mins
  • Stephane Deneve

    Stephane Deneve
    May 17 2024
    WQED-FM's Jim Cunningham spoke with this weekend's Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra guest conductor, Stephane Deneve. He's conducting music of Ravel, Poulenc and the Gershwin "An American in Paris." He talks about program, working in St. Louis, if he ever sees Leonard Slatkin in town, and if he is a classical radio fan.
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    21 mins
  • Pianist Cedric Tiberghien

    Pianist Cedric Tiberghien
    May 17 2024
    Pianist Cedric Tiberghien plays the Ravel Piano Concerto for the Left Hand this weekend with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. It's his Heinz Hall debut. WQED-FM's Jim Cunningham got his thoughts on the Ravel concerto, his interests outside of music and more.
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    21 mins
  • Samy Moussa

    Samy Moussa
    Apr 25 2024
    Montreal Canada born composer Samy Moussa talks about his Pittsburgh Symphony commission Adgilis Deda ---Hymn for Orchestra - mentioning that it is terrific to have it on a program with one of his favorite composers Anton Bruckner as well as how it was inspired by a person he met in Georgia of the former USSR where he spent an extended period of time. He describes his path so far as a musician studying in Canada, Munich, Germany and now living in Berlin. He is delighted that the Pittsburgh Symphony has already played his Violin Concerto and that he will be working with an orchestra and conductor he has admired from afar.
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    18 mins
  • Manfred Honeck

    Manfred Honeck
    Apr 25 2024
    Pittsburgh Symphony Music Director Manfred Honeck talks with Jim Cunningham in the grand lobby of Heinz Hall about the Liszt Dante Symphony and this weekend's performances of Beethoven’s Ninth with 3 pieces by Anton Bruckner - Locus Iste, Ave Maria and the Adagio from the String Quintet in F in the arrangement Manfred Honeck and Thomas Ille have made. He also speaks about the Beethoven Ninth and how it is always new including an offstage military band and working with Daniel Singer at the Mendelssohn Choir. Manfred Honeck talks about the Pittsburgh Symphony commission of Samy Moussa to write Adgilis Deda---Hymn for Orchestra. The Pittsburgh Symphony announced just this week that the orchestra will be back on tour in August and September 2024 as the only American orchestra at the Salzburg Festival and return visits to several other prestigious European Festivals.
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    21 mins