Sticky Notes: The Classical Music Podcast
Joshua Weilerstein
Sticky Notes is a classical music podcast for everyone, whether you are just getting interested in classical music for the first time, or if you've been listening to it and loving it all your life. Interviews with great artists, in depth looks at pieces in the repertoire, and both basic and deep dives into every era of music. Classical music is absolutely for everyone, so let's start listening! Note - Seasons 1-5 will be returning over the next year. They have been taken down in order to be re-recorded in improved sound quality!
Episodes
Mentioned books
Nov 5, 2020 • 59min
A Conversation with Composer and Violinist Jesse Montgomery
Jessie Montgomery is an acclaimed composer, violinist, and educator. Her works are performed frequently around the world by leading musicians and ensembles. Her music interweaves classical music with elements of vernacular music, improvisation, language, and social justice, placing her squarely as one of the most relevant interpreters of 21st-century American sound and experience. We had a great conversation touching on her upbringing, improv in classical music, her wide range of works, and much more!
Oct 29, 2020 • 53min
Politics in Classical Music
First of all, if you’re American, I hope you’re listening to this while standing in line to vote! Western Classical Music does not have the reputation for political activism that other kinds of music have, but that doesn’t mean composers haven’t made political statements all throughout history with their music. Today we’ll go through some of the most politically charged pieces in Western Classical Music History, all the way from the music of Joseph Haydn to the music of today. Don't forget to vote!!
Oct 22, 2020 • 48min
Mozart Symphony No. 40
Explore the mysteries surrounding Mozart's Symphony No. 40, from its origins to its emotional impact on listeners. Dive into the contrasting exposition and recapitulation, the ambiguity and rhythmic challenges in the music, and the intense and joyous last movement. Discover the dramatic depth of Mozart's music and its historical context, along with references to Brahms.
Oct 15, 2020 • 1h 1min
"Wagnerism" with Alex Ross
This week I got to cross off a Sticky Notes bucket list item by interviewing the best-selling author and critic Alex Ross. We talked about his incredible new book Wagnerism, discussing Wagner’s influence on just about every artist/thinker of his time and into the future, his anti-semitism, and more. We also talked about how people understood Wagner, and how they understand him today. Talking to Alex Ross allowed me to understand how one composer's music could create so much beauty, and so much destruction.
4 snips
Oct 8, 2020 • 32min
Johannes Brahms and Clara Schumann: A Love Story
Today is the beginning of a new project to re-upload older episodes in new and improved sound quality! First up is a story I can't believe Hollywood hasn't told in decades - the story of Johannes Brahms and Clara Schumann. Perhaps it’s because of its complex, ambiguous, and unsettled ending, but for whatever reason, it has been a story somewhat lost to history. So today we'll look back at the lives of Johannes and Clara, accompanied by pieces they both wrote during the time that they knew one another.
10 snips
Oct 1, 2020 • 49min
Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto
In one of the most famous reviews in this history of Western Classical Music, Eduard Hanslick torched the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto, saying that the violin was "beaten black and blue." This review wounded Tchaikovsky to his core, and he wasn't sure if his concerto would ever see the light of day again. Luckily for him, and for us, the piece continued to get performed, and it is now one of THE most beloved pieces in the whole repertoire. Today we'll talk through this extraordinary concerto - join us!
Sep 24, 2020 • 1h 2min
Bruckner Symphony No. 4
Bruckner's symphonies are a world unto their own. They are epic works that are also full of a trademark humility that is present in the work of no other composer. Bruckner's 4th Symphony, the "Romantic," has remained one of his most popular and beloved works. We'll talk through the "Bruckner Problem" that has plagued this symphony since it's premiere, but mostly we'll talk through this majestic symphony, from the solo Horn that begins it, to an ending that “rises in solemn quiet above all earthly desiring.”
Sep 17, 2020 • 46min
Stravinsky Pulcinella
In 1919, the impresario Sergei Diaghilev came up with the idea of having Stravinsky write a ballet inspired by 18th century music by composers like Pergolesi. The result, Pulcinella, began a transformation of Stravinsky’s music. Stravinsky would later say: “Pulcinella was my discovery of the past, the epiphany through which the whole of my late work became possible." Today we'll talk through Pulcinella - a brilliant and funny piece that shows Stravinsky in a totally new light. Get ready for a fun ride!
Sep 3, 2020 • 46min
The Music of William Grant Still
William Grant Still was a man of firsts. He was the first African American to to conduct a major symphony orchestra in the United States. In 1931, his first symphony became the first complete symphony ever performed by a major orchestra, and until 1950, that symphony was the most performed American symphony by ANY composer. Still’s music reflects a remarkable breadth of styles, structures, and orchestral colors, and it’s a great pleasure to take you through some of his most emblematic works today.
Aug 27, 2020 • 43min
Mozart Symphony No. 36, "Linz"
Discover how Mozart composed the 'Linz' Symphony in just 4 days. Explore the genius of his melodic invention and thematic development. Analyze the use of small interval scales and motifs to create cohesion and tension. Delve into the harmonic realms and contradictions in Mozart's intentions. Learn about the dominance of chromatic scales and the traditional minuet and trio. Uncover the improvisational lines and expressive intervals in the fourth movement. Experience the joyful and brilliant conclusion of Symphony No. 36.
