Sticky Notes: The Classical Music Podcast

Sticky Notes: The Classical Music Podcast

Author: Joshua Weilerstein Language: English Episodes: 100
There’s a particular kind of curiosity that draws people to classical music, but the sheer scale of the repertoire can feel overwhelming. Sticky Notes: The Classical Music Podcast, hosted by conductor Joshua Weilerstein, meets that curiosity right where it is. Think of it as a series of open conversations about the music itself, designed to be equally engaging for someone hearing a symphony for the first time and for a lifelong devotee. Episodes might feature a thoughtful interview with a performing artist, offering a glimpse behind the curtain, or they could focus entirely on a single piece, peeling back its layers to explore why it resonates. Weilerstein guides these explorations with clarity and enthusiasm, moving seamlessly from foundational concepts to more nuanced details about different musical eras. The entire premise of this podcast is built on a genuine belief that this music belongs to all of us. It’s about replacing any sense of intimidation with connection and understanding. While past seasons are gradually being re-released, each episode stands as its own invitation to listen more deeply.
Episodes
The Life and Music of Grazyna Bacewicz [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:46
The great Polish composer Witold Lutoslawski said this after the premature death of his contemporary Grazyna Bacewicz: "She was born with an incredible wealth of musical talent, which she succeeded to bring to full flour…
Sticky Notes meets You'll Hear It [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:10:04
I had such a wonderful time joining the jazz podcast You'll Hear It! We talked about the meeting of jazz and classical music, a topic I've explored before, but never in this much depth and never with so much input from j…
Impressions in Blue: Ravel & Gershwin [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:34
In the mid-1920s, Maurice Ravel wrote a letter to the legendary composition teacher Nadia Boulanger. Boulanger's class was a mecca for composers, both young and old, and musicians from all over the world vied to study wi…
Weill: The Seven Deadly Sins [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:01
The collaboration between Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht is rightly legendary. The two men could not have been more different from each other, and like the Brahms/Joachim relationship I mentioned in my recent show about t…
The Ravel Sound with Norbert Müllemann and Stefan Knüpfer [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:32
I so enjoyed making this latest episode in my collaboration with G Henle Publishers. I talked with two absolute experts in their fields, Norbert Mülleman and Stefan Knüpfer, all about how to edit Ravel's music, and how t…
Dvorak Violin Concerto [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:16
Admit it: if you're a fan of classical music—or even just a regular concertgoer—you might have glanced at the title of this episode and done a double take. The Dvořák Violin Concerto? Not the Cello Concerto? One of the t…
Brahms Double Concerto [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:17
It's entirely possible that we would not know the name of Johannes Brahms very well if Brahms hadn't met Joseph Joachim as a very young man. Joachim, who was one of the greatest violinists of all time, had already establ…
Copland Clarinet Concerto [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:13
The commission for a new Clarinet Concerto from the great American composer Aaron Copland came from a rather unlikely source: Benny Goodman, the man known as the King of Swing. Goodman was one of the most famous and impo…