WGBH - Classical Music with Cathy Fuller RSS

Pianist Jonathan Biss

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 08:14 AM +0000

The American pianist previews "Schumann: Under the Influence," with music by Robert Schumann and Leos Janacek, presented by the Celebrity Series of Boston on Friday night.

Friday at 4pm on Classical New England

Aisslinn Nosky Plays Bach

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 22:54 PM +0000

The concertmaster of Boston's Handel and Haydn Society visits CNE's Fraser Performance Studio, and Konrad Junghänel conducts the Missa Brevis in A.

On-demand at Classical New England

The Boston Cello Quartet

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 21:22 PM +0000

CNE's Fraser Performance Studio resonates with the sound of four Boston Symphony cellists in music by Rossini, Albinoni, Rimsky-Korsakov, and more.

On-demand at Classical New England

Schubert, Live with Paul Lewis

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 14:51 PM +0000

The British pianist performs Schubert's heartbreakingly powerful Sonata in A, D. 959, live in our studio.

Tonight at 7pm on Classical New England

Boston Camerata's American Christmas

Sun, 23 Dec 2012 15:16 PM +0000

Boston Camerata and director Anne Azema perform seasonal music from the Colonial era and early United States.

On-demand at Classical New England

Love is Better than Wine, with the Tallis Scholars

Thu, 20 Dec 2012 15:18 PM +0000

The legendary British vocal ensemble sings a program of British and French music from the Renaissance, in concert at St. Paul Church in Cambridge, Mass.

On-demand at Classical New England

The Classical Spirit of Halloween

Tue, 30 Oct 2012 15:39 PM +0000

Forget about childhood fears like the thing in the closet and the seemingly endless expanse of darkness beneath the bed, “scary” can take on a whole different dimension with the perspective of an adult.

At a certain age, “scary” becomes things we earnestly worry about every day: the realities of the economy, or, say, freakishly strong late-season hurricanes. Or perhaps the "normally" scary, such as rush hour on 93 South (or 128, or 95, or the Mass. Pike, or….) on a Friday summer afternoon. It’s just part of growing up.

But, for just a few hours this Wednesday, Classical New England invites you to set aside the real-world concerns that keep us up at night in the grownup world and allow music to do what it does best: transport the mind and spirit to another place altogether. It’s Hallowe’en. And we’re offering a mid-week musical diversion featuring characters from the supernatural world of goblins, fairies, and magical spirits of all origins.

Do you know the story of the virtuoso violinist whose skills were so superb it was widely thought he could only have come by his talents if he’d struck some kind of dangerous Mephistpholean bargain? We’re not talking about Paganini here, though he certainly did everything he could in his lifetime to perpetuate a similar mythology for himself. No, this is someone who lived much earlier – the 17th c. teacher and violinist Giuseppe Tartini. Wednesday morning Laura Carlo will feature his treacherously difficult Devil’s Trill virtuoso violin sonata.

Other highlights in her program include two works that were famously featured in animated Disney films: the magical Sorcerer’s Apprentice by Paul Dukas (who could ever forget Mickey Mouse in the hapless title role, with his pesky problem of exponentially multiplying brooms and buckets?), and, from Fantasia, Modest Mussorgsky’s darkly evocative Night on the Bare Mountain.

As the day continues you can look forward to Alan McLellan conjuring up Charles Gounod’s ballet music from his “underworldly” opera, Faust, as well as the clarevoyant trio of witches from Giuseppe Verdi’s Macbeth, and an afternoon materialization of Beethoven’s spectral Ghost piano trio.

And into the evening while the real-life little ghosts and witches take to the streets for their trick-or-treating, Cathy Fuller and James David Jacobs offer a haunting accompaniment to all of the night’s festivities.

You can get back to the fearsome tasks of yard cleanup, mortgage payments and end-of-the-week deadlines on Thursday and Friday. For the 31st, turn your imagination over to Classical New England and we’ll promise a howlingly entertaining time.

In the meantime, enjoy a few spooky classics from the Disney archives!

Lugansky Plays Rach 3

Sat, 20 Oct 2012 09:25 AM +0000

Nikolai Lugansky is the soloist in Rachmaninoff's towering Piano Concerto No. 3, and Charles Dutoit conducts rarely heard works by Debussy and Frank Martin.

On-demand at Classical New England

Guitarist Jason Vieaux and Bandone�nist Julien Labro

Wed, 17 Oct 2012 20:27 PM +0000

The duo visits our Fraser Performance Studio with music by Astor Piazzolla, Leo Brouwer, Pat Metheny, and more.

On-demand at Classical New England

Joshua Bell Plays Bernstein

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 13:36 PM +0000

Bell performs Bernstein's Serenade (after Plato's Symposium), and Marcelo Lehninger conducts Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet and Dvorak's Symphony No. 8.

Tonight at 7pm on Classical New England

Pianist Daniil Trifonov at CNE

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 23:23 PM +0000

The Gold Medal winner of the Tchaikovsky International Competition visits our Fraser Performance Studio.

On-demand at Classical New England

Harpist Jessica Zhou Plays Debussy

Sat, 29 Sep 2012 17:23 PM +0000

The BSO's Principal Harpist is joined by colleagues from New England Conservatory's First Monday Concert Series.

On-demand at Classical New England

A Front Row Seat to Classical New England Performances

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 16:04 PM +0000

Classical New England's Fraser Performance Studio isn't just a place of beautiful sounds. It's also a beautiful space. Now you can hear and see music performed in the Fraser Studio.

Watch some of the latest videos below, and for the complete archive, visit the WGBH Music channel at YouTube.

Visit WGBH Music on YouTube

Clarinetist David Krakauer and Pianist Kathleen Tagg

Tue, 11 Sep 2012 20:47 PM +0000

The New York-based duo perform a sonata by Brahms, a Hassidic dance, and more in our Fraser Performance Studio.

On-demand at Classical New England

Chopin, Liszt and Szymanowski

Fri, 03 Aug 2012 16:59 PM +0000

Chopin's influence comes through as tenor Eric Cutler sings music by Liszt, and soprano Iwona Sobotka sings Szymanowski's Songs of a Fairy-Tale Princess.

On-demand at Classical New England

Remembering Shirley Verrett

Mon, 23 Jul 2012 12:53 PM +0000

Host Cathy Fuller pays tribute to a great American soprano, with music by Verdi, Bizet, and more.

On-demand at Classical New England

Evelyn Lear Sings Strauss

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 21:06 PM +0000

Host Cathy Fuller pays tribute to the great American soprano, who passed away on July 1.

On-demand at Classical New England

Voices from Canada

Fri, 29 Jun 2012 17:59 PM +0000

Host Cathy Fuller celebrates Canada Day with spectacular singers from north of the border, including contralto Marie-Nicole Lemieux.

Sunday at 6pm on Classical New England

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau's Winter Journey

Sat, 26 May 2012 11:17 AM +0000

When Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau died on May 18, the world lost a towering figure who changed his artform forever. While he sang in larger forms (including the world premiere of Benjamin Britten's War Requiem) and opera, it was in the art of lieder that Fischer-Dieskau had his greatest impact.

Art songs challenge performers in the same way the short story form challenges writers: the juxtapositions of character and dramatic arc demand attention to the subtlest of details. But unlike literature, and as with all forms of music, that attention has to be executed in real time. This is where Fischer-Dieskau was in a class of his own.

His ability wasn't just special in its quality, though. Because of the age in which he lived, technological advancements in recording allowed him to reach a wider audience than any lieder singer ever had before. His body of recordings no doubt changed the musical landscape forever.

He recorded Winterreise (Winter's Journey), one of Franz Schubert's most heart-wrenching and powerful pieces, numerous times, and it's my pleasure to bring you his 1972 account with pianist Gerald Moore. You can listen to each episode of Arias and Barcarolles below (with translation of the text, if you like). I invite you to also watch the video of the final song from Winterreise, from a performance with pianist Alfred Brendel:

Hear Part 1

Hear Part 2

Hear Part 3

Violinist Soovin Kim Plays Bach

Mon, 21 May 2012 12:49 PM +0000

The Artistic Director of the Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival performs one of the pinnacles of violin music by Bach.

On-demand at Classical new England