Classically Speaking

Looking for a cool adventure with a lot of great music? It’s time to head to Pittsburgh. They’re having a Tchaikovsky festival from February 2 through 12 . The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is then bringing an all-Tchaikovsky concert to Morgantown on February 13, but if you want to get beyond the concert hall, Pittsburgh is the place to be.

They're presenting a conference, movies, lectures, cylinder recordings, masterclasses, chamber music, song recitals, and orchestra concerts – it’s a cool opportunity to explore Tchaikovsky's music and life, whether you can make just an event or two, or want to spend days immersed in all things Tchaikovsky. 

You can start here by listening to interviews with several of festival participants.

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Music Director Manfred Honeck discusses the concert in Morgantown and the festival in Pittsburgh:

Dr. Richard Kogan, a psychiatrist and musician, presents about “Tchaikovsky: Music and Melancholy.” Listen to Kogan discuss these connections and his approach to combining psychiatry and music:

Conductor Gianandrea Noseda speaks the music he's conducting at the festival and his approach to Tchaikovsky:

For more about the festival, visit the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra's Tchaikovsky Festival website. Check back here next week, when I’ll also have an interview with Festival Curator Joseph Horowitz to share with you here on Classically Speaking. 

Cedille Records is a non-profit classical record label based in Chicago. The label started as James Ginsburg recording solo piano music during his breaks from law school, and over twenty one years, it has grown to an organization that records orchestras and operas, as well as solo and chamber music recordings.

Cedille is now an integral part of Chicago’s classical music scene and a source for quite a few of my favorite classical recordings.

Their catalog includes performances by West Virginia native Larry Combs (of the Chicago Symphony and the Chicago Chamber Musicians).Other recordings that have been featured here on the blog include Trio Settecento and Rachel Barton Pine and the Warner-Nuzova Duo’s recording of Russian cello music.

Cedille Records founder and president Jim Ginsburg spoke with me about the label and its history and the connections that have made in Chicago and throughout the world. We also spoke about discovering and listening to music. Both when we spoke last August and as I’ve listened to the interview as I prepare to post it here, I’m caught up in his knowledge about the music and his enthusiasm for discovering and presenting music, while making connection to art, literature, history, and his community. 

This is a long interview that is worth listening to for the whole 37 minutes. You can stream it on the site here, or download it to hear as a podcast. 

You can explore more about Cedille on their website and read about the ongoing festival inspired by Shostakovich at The Soviet Arts Experience, and you can check out previous posts on Classically Speaking that have connections to Cedille:

* A German Bouquet: Trio Settecento
* Larry Combs named to WV Music Hall of Fame
* Russian Cello and Chopin Essentials

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