Five Guests And The Five B's

By Dan Margolies,

Published September 8, 2021 at 4:43 PM CDT

Guest conductor Cristian Măcelaru with the Kansas City Symphony - January 2017

Bach, Beethoven and Brahms are known as "The Three B's," but this week we'll hear music from five other B's: Borodin, Bartók, Barber, Busoni and Johann Christian Bach. These performances are led by five guest conductors and include solo turns from pianist Alessio Bax and then-Kansas City Symphony concertmaster Noah Geller.

Are you curious to know what it's like for a member of the orchestra to play a concerto in front of their colleagues? What is Michael Stern looking for in a new concertmaster? Scroll down and listen to this week's bonus content to find out.

Hosts

Michael Stern
Dan Margolies

Program

Overture to Prince Igor
by Alexander Borodin
Yoav Talmi, guest conductor
Live performance, November 2017

Violin Concerto No. 2
by Béla Bartók
Cristian Măcelaru, guest conductor
Noah Geller, violin
Live performance, January 2017

Sinfonia In G Minor, Op 6 No. 6
by Johann Christian Bach
Bernard Labadie, guest conductor
Live performance, May 2017

Piano Concerto Op. 38
by Samuel Barber
David Lockington, guest conductor
Alessio Bax, piano
Live performance, March 2019

Suite from Turandot Op. 41
by Ferruccio Busoni
Roberto Minczuk, guest conductor
Live performance, October 2010 (Lyric Theatre)

Bonus Content

Michael Stern talks about violinist Noah Geller as both the former concertmaster of the Kansas City Symphony, and soloist in the Bartók. Plus, what is he looking for in a new concertmaster?