What happens when one of history’s greatest composers begins to lose the very sense he relies on most? In this episode, we explore how Ludwig van Beethoven continued to create groundbreaking music even as his world fell into silence. Along the way, we uncover the myths, inventions, and raw determination that fueled Beethoven’s defiant creativity, and hear ho ... Show More
Aug 13
Super Mario Bros: Koji Kondo’s 8-Bit Masterpiece
From the springy jump sound to the iconic Overworld Theme, the sound of Super Mario Bros. is instantly recognizable. With just five lo-fi audio channels and 40 kilobytes of space, composer Koji Kondo created a soundscape full of unforgettable melodies. In this episode, we explore ... Show More
33m 18s
Jul 30
Sound Off: Pinball Pings, Borrowed Melodies & Airport Acoustics
Presenting the second short story collection from our Sound Off competition, featuring five pieces written and produced entirely by our listeners. From the sonic evolution of pinball to reused classical melodies to the battle against airport noise, this Silver Collection is a div ... Show More
30m 20s
Jul 16
Mixing Madison Square Garden for Vulfpeck’s Biggest Show
When Vulfpeck played a sold-out show at Madison Square Garden, the performance looked effortless. But behind the scenes, their Front of House Engineer and Tour Manager Jake Hartsfield was juggling missing tickets, technical curveballs, and mixing seventeen dynamic musicians throu ... Show More
38m 52s
Jan 2022
Pourquoi Beethoven ne disait jamais non, alors qu’il avait perdu l’ouïe ?
C’est l’un sinon LE drame de Ludwig Van Beethoven, être devenu sourd. Malgré ce handicap cruel, le compositeur et pianiste Allemand, improvisateur de génie, un des plus grands musiciens de tous les temps, a continué de composer des œuvres majeures. Mention spéciale à sa dernière ... Show More
10m 32s
Sep 2022
Louise Farrenc Symphony No. 3
In the mid 19th century, the way to make yourself famous in France as a composer was to write operas. From Cherubini, to Meyerbeer, to Bizet, to Berlioz, to Gounod, to Massenet, to Offenbach, to Saint Saens, to foreign composers who wrote specifically for the Paris Opera like Ros ... Show More
57m 31s
May 9
Pianist Yevgeny Sudbin on returning to Scriabin's music
In 2007, Yevgeny Sudbin released an album of music by Alexander Scriabin. Reviewing it in Gramophone, Bryce Morrison described it as a 'disc in a million'. Now, Sudbin has returned to the composer for his 25th recording for BIS, and offers a wide-ranging survey of music that incl ... Show More
26m 35s
Dec 2021
David Sulzer, "Music, Math, and Mind: The Physics and Neuroscience of Music" (Columbia UP, 2021)
Why does a clarinet play at lower pitches than a flute? What does it mean for sounds to be in or out of tune? How are emotions carried by music? Do other animals perceive sound like we do? How might a musician use math to come up with new ideas?This book offers a lively explorati ... Show More
1h 16m