piano

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.

This week, we'll discover more fascinating music from the incredible pianist and composer Percy Grainger. We’ll hear works for piano, orchestra, chorus, and band that explore every emotion. And we get a peek into Grainger’s compositional process via his love for folksong.

Australian/American composer and pianist Percy Grainger was an eccentric genius, and a true original. We’ll hear his music and Grainger himself at the piano for a performance of Edvard Grieg's concerto.

Guest host Dan Margolies speaks with the Lyric Arts Trio about commissioning new work, taking their music to smaller underserved communities and the group's musical and personal bonds. We'll hear performances of works by local composers Jean Belmont Ford, Ian Coleman and Robert Pherigo.

Three contrasting works by Beethoven make up this week’s show: a Romance for violin and orchestra arranged for cello, a stunning recording of his Fourth Piano Concerto with legendary pianist Robert Casadesus and the Concertgebouw Orchestra, then a world-shaking fugue that shocked listeners at its premiere. We’ll hear Beethoven at his most intimate, his most virtuostic, and – being the innovator he was – his most thundering and brilliant.

This week we feature two of the greatest compositional prodigies and piano virtuosi the world has ever known. While both Mendelssohn and Mozart died in their 30s, they each created a lifetime of incredible music. We’ll hear a stunning concerto by Mendelssohn, and a chamber version of a Mozart concerto that was a particular favorite of Beethoven, and one he frequently performed.

The Paycheck Protection Program was meant for underserved communities, but in Kansas City its allocation mirrored the city's history of redlining, and the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra performs a new arrangement of Mary Lou Williams' 'Zodiac Suite'.

This week pianist Alon Goldstein joins hosts Michael Stern and Dan Margolies for a program of concertos by Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky and Avner Dorman — a world premiere — that starts with Alon sneaking on stage in darkness. We'll also learn about the personal connection between Alon and the Stern family via the America Israel Cultural Foundation.

We are proud to once again share a recent Harriman-Jewell Series Livestream Discovery Concert. This time, we’ll hear a performance by pianist Zhu Wang, winner of the 2020 Harriman-Jewell Series prize, as well as First Prize in the 2020 Young Concert Artists International Auditions.

Michael Stern and Dan Margolies lead you on a musical journey to Spain, France and Finland with music from Debussy, De Falla, Salonen, and Sibelius. Conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto and pianist Alessio Bax join the orchestra for a nighttime exploration of the Gardens of Spain.

Classical KC welcomes award winning pianists Stanislav Ioudenitch and Kenny Broberg for a discussion about life at Park University's International Center for Music, their teacher and student relationship, musical competitions, and winning awards. We'll hear performances from Kenny and other award winning Park ICM students.

Guest host Robert McNichols Jr. speaks with pianist and composer Evangelos Spanos about growing up in Larissa, Greece, his versatility and compositional style, and some Greek composers we need to know about.