Nikhil Hogan Show

Professor Job IJzerman, known for his book 'Harmony, Counterpoint, Partimento', discusses the need for harmony pedagogy reform, the introduction of partimento, the reception among students, the impact on conservatory method instruction, and the global response to his new method.

Professor Thomas Christensen, a music theory scholar, discusses the history and significance of thorough bass in music composition and training. He challenges the perception of Rameau as solely a fundamental bass advocate and explores his practicality. The podcast also explores the origins of court invertibility in music theory, the need for a system to categorize new harmonies, and the life and work of Francois Joseph Fettisse. The criticism of Roman numerals in music is explored, and Professor Christensen's latest book on tonality is discussed.

Giorgio Sanguinetti, author of 'The Art of Partimento', discusses his new book on Beethoven's piano sonatas. Topics range from Beethoven's performances, paradigm shift in music, pianos in Beethoven's time, sight-reading techniques, and different theories on music forms. The podcast also explores hermeneutics, historical performance practices, and the interpretation of Beethoven's music in the modern age.

Professor of Music L. Poundie Burstein discusses his book 'Journeys Through Galant Expositions' and the shift towards an interest in musical form in the 18th century. Topics include the influence of Joseph Riepel, the change in interest in form, the relationship between form and rhetoric, and the conception of form in the 18th century compared to today.

I’m extremely pleased to introduce my guest today, Emmy Award Winning TV and Film Composer, Bruce Broughton. He is the composer for films such as Silverado, Tombstone, The Rescuers Down Under, and written memorable TV themes including The Orville, JAG, Spielberg’s Tiny Toon adventures and Dinosaurs. He has been nominated 24 times for the Emmy and has won a record 10 times. His score to the movie Silverado was nominated for an Academy Award and his score to Young Sherlock Holmes was nominated for a Grammy.

Enrico Baiano, an award-winning international performer, discusses his musical journey and challenges in studying the harpsichord. He explores the influence of Italian music on contemporary compositions and shares his experience of learning partimento and counterpoint. Baiano emphasizes the importance of practical application and talks about playing Bach's music and non-classical music. He also mentions working with talented artists and upcoming events.

My guest today is the famed virtuoso concert pianist and composer, Cyprien Katsaris. One of the most renowned concert pianists of both the 20th and 21st centuries, Katsaris has performed with the world’s greatest orchestras and recorded extensively over his storied career. We talk about his transcriptions, compositions, playing the Cziffra Flight of Bumblee live in front of Cziffra on TV, being told by the world's most powerful classical music agent not to play transcriptions, his famed sightreading prowess, and much more! 0:41 Did you always improvise, even when you were young? 2:32 Are you saying anyone can learn to improvise? 4:05 Chick Corea finding it harder to play his written music vs improvising 4:56 Studying at the Paris Conservatory 7:09 His teacher Monique de la Bruchollerie being the first western female to play Rach 3 in 1945 8:56 Would you consider yourself a musical great-grandchild of Alkan and Liszt? 11:26 Did you study with György Cziffra? 11:59 Cziffra being a great jazz improviser 16:22 Did you meet Cziffra personally? 19:45 Recording Cziffra’s transcription of the Flight of the Bumblebee 24:05 What did Cziffra think of your playing? 26:06 What motivated you to become a concert pianist who created your own transcriptions? 28:17 Did you ever face any pushback from attempting to play transcriptions? 32:13 The most powerful classical music agent in the world telling you not to play transcriptions 34:17 Why was there such a negative attitude towards transcriptions in the 20th century? 35:59 What is the difference between the modern, academic way of playing vs the traditional, older way? 39:39 Why do you dislike piano competitions? 44:19 Koji Attwood’s anecdote of your incredible sight-reading feat 48:23 How important is the metronome in practice? 49:47 How do you think about music theory? 52:04 What is your compositional process? 54:43 Does your ability to play any style come from absorbing it from playing repertoire? 55:50 What is your proudest musical moment? 56:22 If you could step into a time machine and meet any great composer from history, who would it be? 56:46 What are the 3 hardest things you’ve ever had to play? 57:03 What are the hardest concertos for you to play? 57:18 Do you play any other instruments apart from the piano? 57:33 Have you ever dabbled on the harpsichord, organ or electric keyboard? 57:57 If you could have done it all over again, what would you have changed about your career? 58:31 At what age did you feel that you had your mature conception as an artist? 59:25 Who are the top 3 greatest composers? 59:36 Name me your top 3 recordings that you feel most proud of 59:48 If someone wanted to hear your music, which 3 albums would you recommend? 1:01:32 Name me your 3 most important compositions 1:02:57 Do you listen to or play jazz? 1:03:47 How does Scientology influence your music or life? 1:05:15 Who are the top 3 pianists of the 20th century? 1:05:28 Wrapping Up

Pianist and researcher Philipp Teriete discusses the 19th-century improvisation and partimento, the influence of Pierre-Joseph-Guillaume Zimmerman, Chopin's music education, the role of harmony for virtuoso pianists, the evolution of concert stage piano performance, the influence of formal music education on ragtime musicians, and upcoming research projects in jazz and music education.

My guest today is Concert Pianist, Composer, and Music Educator Rami Bar-Niv. Rami Bar-Niv made history by being the first, and so far the only, Israeli artist to perform in Egypt following the Begin/Sadat Peace Treaty. Praised as “Effective and Flamboyant” by the New York Times and “An Original major talent” by the Boston Globe, Bar-Niv is an international concert performer who has written two books, the first is the “Art of Piano Fingering” and the second his autobiography “Blood, Sweat, and Tours: Notes from the Diary of a Concert Pianist”. 0:55 Playing by ear, Improvising, and composing from age 5 3:38 What music did you listen to growing up? 5:46 Parents teaching their own children vs having a stranger 6:43 Were you a good practicer? 7:47 Studying harmony, counterpoint and theory at the conservatory 8:37 What is your theoretical approach to composition? 9:55 What was your education in counterpoint? 10:21 Did you use Hindemith’s textbook? 11:14 Did you take ideas from repertoire and absorb them into your compositional process? 12:22 Theoretical studies with Carl Schachter 13:06 How long did you study with Schachter and what’s your perspective on Schenkerian analysis? 14:11 Do you think of theory when composing? 16:05 Does your pianistic ability inform your composing? 18:27 What was your personal relationship with Carl Schachter? 19:04 Did you always improvise? 21:31 Improvisation vs Interpretation 23:59 Do hum when you play? 24:56 Do you have an interested in Jazz? 25:48 What the names of jazz pianists that you enjoy? 26:06 How would you teach improvisation to someone? 30:04 What is your method of teaching composition? 32:57 What do you mean by “knowing” a piece of music? 33:28 Did you face any professional or cultural pressure not to improvise in your career? 35:45 What is your position on cadenzas in piano concertos? 38:54 How did you come to creating your compositional voice? 40:40 The Art of Piano Fingering 43:12 Do you distinguishing between old fingering and new modern fingering systems? 45:06 Do some great composers like Beethoven write bad, non-idiomatic piano music despite being great composers? 47:38 Why is Opera the height of everything? 48:26 Would you consider yourself a self-taught composer? 49:44 How important is family to you? 50:45 Wrapping Up

Professor Peter Schubert, musicology Ph.D. holder, discusses diverse music experiences, importance of playing piano and choir, harmony vs. counterpoint, Joscan Dupree's music, Mozart and Renaissance comparisons, simplicity of cannons, parallels between Renaissance and later eras, and the value of improvisation in music education.