The basic premise of All the Cool Parts is to introduce recent classical music recordings through some light commentary (with my own feelings and opinions thrown in) with excerpts from the CDs. It's my hope that you'll take what I present as a springboard for your own further discovery of this music.
Finally - a new episode after nine months off! I'm very excited about our return episode with composer, percussionist and web site creator Eric Guinivan. I talked with Eric about his recently created web site ComposersCircle.Com. On the site, Eric features a different living composer every single day, with biographical information, a link to the composers web site, and a sample of the composers music.
On this episode of All the Cool Parts, I talk with composer/guitarist Scott Johnson. We discuss music from his recent CD Americans, as well as the merging of pop and classical music, the old battle between "downtown" and "uptown" composers in New York City, progressive rock, punk, Bach and so much more!
This week on All the Cool Parts we are joined by guitarist Kevin Gallagher to talk about his recording of classical guitar music for Naxos. In addition, we are re-joined by Dr. Jonathan Kulp as co-host for this laureate edition.
We had a fun and fascinating conversation with Kevin about the music on the CD as well as his experiences recording the CD and also winning the competition that allowed that recording to happen.
Kevin has been busy of late creating videos of classical guitar music and posting them on You Tube. I'll include some of those videos below!
In addition to that, we feature composer/guitarist Frederick Carrilho on this edition of All the Cool Parts Idol. We hear his beautiful piece (Re)Birth for electric guitar, flute and electronics. You can learn more about Fred and his music HERE.
This week on All the Cool Parts - the NOW Ensemble. Judd Greenstein, Mark Dancigers and Patrick Burke talk with me about the ensemble and about their new CD Awake.
Check out the fantastic short film on Greenstein's Change.
This week on All the Cool Parts - Our 2010 ACP Idol winner, composer Nicholas Vasallo. We spend some time with this young, up and coming composer and discuss his music among other topics. Come check out some cool new classical music!
This week on All the Cool Parts we continue our series of podcasts on the CD's of the Naxos label - their Laureate Series. Thomas Viloteau was the winner of the 2006 Guitar Foundation of America International Guitar Competition, and the CD he recorded for Naxos as part of his prize turned out to be one of the best classical guitar CDs I've ever heard. Journey through the music with myself and my guitar cohort Dr. Jonathan Kulp, and experience some awesome music and even more awesome-er (yes that's right - awesome-er) playing!
I will also embed some videos below - a few of Thomas and also one I mentioned on the show of Brazilian musician Egberto Gismonti.
Check out Viloteau playing Llobet's Variations on a Theme of Fernando Sor, and especially the "left hand" variation at 6:10 - Eddie Van Halen eat your heart out!!
Here is Viloteau playing the second movement from Leo Brouwer's Ritos de las Orishas:
Here is the video of Egberto Gismonti that I talked about in the show:
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau sings Schubert - Der Erlkönig! The fantastic tale of a father racing through the forest (on horseback - represented by the repeated notes in the right hand of the piano) with his ill son. Only the boy can hear the calls of the evil Elf King, trying to lure the boy away from his father. In the end, the father reaches home but too late - the boy dies.
Also, if you can do anything with this much intensity and sincerity, you are as awesome as Dietrich.
Aaaand we have a winner!! Composer Nick Vasallo has garnered the most votes in our 2010 ACP Idol poll and will be featured in an upcoming show. Congratulations to Nick! More details soon!
