Emanuel Ax Interview

Emanuel Ax Interview

Author: Joshua Weilerstein June 20, 2017 Duration: 55:01

Join conductor and host Joshua Weilerstein for a conversation with the world-renowned pianist Emanuel Ax!  We cover crossword puzzles, growing up in the Soviet Union, moving to Canada, and then to New York, selling baloney sandwiches, his first big break, the value and the drawbacks of competitions, his reputation as the nicest guy in classical music, the evolution of conductors, his timpani debut(!), and a lightning round!  I hope you enjoy it!  


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.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 284

Sticky Notes: The Classical Music Podcast
Podcast Episodes
The Connection Between Language and Music w/ Yundu Wang [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:02
I had the great pleasure of speaking with my friend Yundu Wang about her doctoral thesis exploring the connections between language and music. This research gets into thorny questions about the relationship between natio…
A Decidedly Undogmatic Conversation w/ Mahan Esfahani [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:41
Mahan Esfahani is a world-renowned harpsichordist who has said that it is his mission to rehabilitate the harpsichord as an instrument for modern audiences. In this conversation, we talked about Beethoven, playing modern…
Mahler Symphony No. 6, Part 3 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:50
Albert Camus once wrote: "when I describe what the catastrophe of man looks like, music comes into my mind—the music of Gustav Mahler." The last movement of Mahler 6 is a symphony within a symphony. It is a difficult mov…
Mahler Symphony No. 6, Part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:24
There are few controversies like the ones surrounding the order of the inner movements of Mahler 6. Musicologists and conductors battle with each other about what Mahler meant and what his wife knew, and they also are at…
Mahler Symphony No. 6, Part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:40
Mahler's 6th Symphony is one of his most complex and ambitious pieces, though it retains a firmly classical structure throughout. It has notorious performance problems such as the order of the middle movements, and the s…
Founding an Orchestra, w/ Eric and Colin Jacobsen of The Knights [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:33
Eric and Colin Jacobsen are co-founders of the The Knights. The orchestra has claimed a spot over the last 10 years as one of the most dynamic and adventurous orchestras in the world. Colin and Eric are some of the most…
Saint-Saens Symphony No. 3, "Organ" [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:57
Saint-Saens considered his 3rd symphony his greatest work: "I have given all that I had to give. What I have done I shall never do again." Later in his life, Saint-Saens would be known as an arch-conservative, but at the…