logo
episode-header-image
Aug 2023
36m 45s

Pianist Jeffrey Chappell

Karen Kevra
About this episode

Pianist Jeffrey Chappell reflects on his life and his formative mentorships first with pianist Jane Allen, and later with the legendary Leon Fleisher.  In this encore episode, Jeffrey reveals his early childhood genesis story with the piano; his studies at the Curtis Institute and Peabody Conservatory, and path that led him to an astounding last minute substitution for Claudio Arrau with the Baltimore Symphony. He addresses overcoming challenges and adversity and speaks about his lifelong meditation practice and his book Answers from Silence



Support the show

Up next
Feb 2024
FLUTE STORIES - Friedrich Kuhlau's Arietta and Variations on a Theme of Mozart
Fredrich Kuhlau (1786–1832) was a Danish composer of the late Classical and early Romantic periods who wrote prodigiously for the flute.  The final movement of his Fantasie for Solo Flute in D major, "Arietta and Variations" is charming,  virtuosic, and fun! The aria "Bati, Bati" ... Show More
10m 15s
Jan 2024
FLUTE STORIES - Katherine Hoover's WINTER SPIRITS
Composer Katherine Hoover's Winter Spirits is a musical tribute to the American Desert Southwest. This 5 minute piece was inspired by Marie Buchfink's artwork picturing a cross-legged native American flute player: A colorful cloud of tiny beneficent spirits rises from t ... Show More
11m 19s
Dec 2023
Tony Barrand: Sing Me A Story/Dance Me A Song
In this encore episode from Christmas eve 2020, we celebrate the life and legacy of Tony Barrand who died on January 29, 2022. Tony Barrand was born in England in 1945 but has lived most of his life in southern Vermont in the vibrant town of Brattleboro—a place that shines all th ... Show More
1h 11m
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2012
Rachmaninov, 2nd Piano Concerto
Rachmaninov's 2nd Piano Concerto - famously featured in David Lean's film "Brief Encounter" - is one of the world's most popular pieces of classical music. Some of its fans describe the way in which it has touched and shaped their lives. Featuring a pianist from Taiwan whose memo ... Show More
27m 33s
Mar 2023
The Life and Music of Clara Schumann
Clara Schumann, without a doubt, was one of the greatest pianists of all time.  Schumann’s playing didn’t just leave critics and audiences in raptures, it also left other composers amazed that their music could sound so beautiful. Liszt called her the Priestess of the Piano, Chop ... Show More
48m 33s
Feb 2022
Franz Liszt: Hungarian pianist and painter in sound
A proud Hungarian by birth, Franz Liszt was a pioneer both in his piano playing and in his compositions. He was also the nearest thing to a rock star that classical music had in the 19th century. Fans would reportedly swarm over him, try and grab his gloves, even smoke his discar ... Show More
40m 29s
Mar 2010
Mendelssohn Violin Concerto
Series exploring famous pieces of music and their emotional appeal.When Mendelssohn wrote his Violin Concerto in 1844 he could hardly have imagined how famous and well loved it would become. In this programme, people tell how it has played an important part in their lives. Violin ... Show More
27m 57s
Feb 2009
Thomas Quasthoff
Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the bass-baritone Thomas Quasthoff. He has performed in concert halls the world over under the batons of the finest conductors and, while he made his name as a Lieder singer, he's equally popular for his jazz, spiritual and gospel recordings. ... Show More
36m 35s
Apr 2023
Cédric Tiberghien on piano variations by Beethoven … and more
The French pianist Cédric Tiberghien has just released a new album, Variation[s], on Harmonia Mundi. It takes Beethoven's many sets of themes and variations for solo piano as its starting point, and weaves in major sets by others composers, in Vol 1 by Mozart, Schumann and Webern ... Show More
29m 49s
Nov 2023
R. Schumann Piano Concerto
In January of 1839, Clara Wieck, Robert's future wife, wrote to Robert, “Don’t take it amiss if I tell you that I’ve been seized by the desire to encourage you to write for orchestra. Your imagination and your spirit are too great for the weak piano.” Clara knew that she would ha ... Show More
48m 17s
Apr 2011
Leonard Bernstein
The conductor Charles Hazlewood chooses the great American composer Leonard Bernstein, music director of the New York Philharmonic and creator of West Side Story, Wonderful Town, and Candide. The charismatic Bernstein clearly influenced Charles Hazlewood's own choice of career - ... Show More
28m 8s
Dec 2023
Nigel Kennedy
John Wilson's guest is the violinist Nigel Kennedy. A prodigy whose childhood talents were nurtured by Yehudi Menuhin, one of the greatest violinist of the 20th century, Kennedy himself became an international star in 1989 with his recording of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. It sold ove ... Show More
44m 31s