piano

It turns out that Ludwig van Beethoven was having a bit of fun during and following the harried premiere of his third piano concerto. Co-hosts Dan Margolies and Michael Stern recount that story and sing the praises of soloist Emanuel Ax. We'll also hear Felix Mendelssohn's puffin-inspired "Hebrides Overture," Frederick Delius' beautiful and foreboding "Walk to the Paradise Garden" and the inner struggle of Peter Tchaikovsky's "Symphony No. 4."

The premiere of Aaron Copland's piano concerto was his mother's proudest moment and — as she said — "made all those music lessons worthwhile!" We'll hear that work, plus Copland's "Three Latin-American Sketches," a "Chacony" by Henry Purcell (as arranged by Benjamin Britten), Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's suite from his ballet "Hiawatha" and Stravinsky's timeline altering "Rite of Spring."

On Philanthropy, the artist's 14th studio album, Volker Bertelmann, also known as Hauschka, returns to his signature prepared piano sound in music he hopes will strengthen connections between people.

In the 45 year history of the Minería Symphony Orchestra of Mexico City, the group has never toured the United States. Ahead of their debut performance in Kansas City, Brooke Knoll speaks with conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto and pianist/composer Gabriela Montero about the classical and folkloric sounds of Mexico and Venezuela, and what it means to bring this large group of musicians to KC. We'll hear works by Montero, Carlos Chávez and Silvestre Revueltas.

With his eclectic repertoire and world travels, pianist Thomas Rosenkranz is charting a unique path as a performer and an educator. Christy L'Esperance talks with Thomas about his early days, his current work and what's next — including a two year journey into the music of Olivier Messiaen.

A piano phenom from Overland Park is making waves in the world's most prestigious competitions, and he's still in middle school. Plus: The Kansas City Ballet is getting into the spooky mood with the North American premiere of "Jekyll and Hyde," bringing the 1886 gothic horror classic to life through dance.

Overland Park native Eddison Chen, who just turned 14, is racking up awards at some of the most elite national and international piano competitions. Classical KC speaks with Chen and his mother about competitions, his first exposure to the piano, having perfect pitch and performing on NPR's prestigious From the Top program.

This week we'll hear the Kansas City Symphony in a recent performance of George Gershwin's perennial favorite, "Rhapsody in Blue," alongside a 21st century Saxophone Concerto written by composer and jazz pianist Billy Childs. We'll also hear a fanfare by Paul Dukás and two works from the under-appreciated Austrian composer Alexander Zemlinsky: his setting of Psalm 23 and a massive symphonic tone poem based on Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid."

At the cross section of classical piano, environmental activism, arts education and the remote South Pacific island of Rapa Nui — also known as Easter Island — you’ll find the award-winning pianist and humanitarian Mahani Teave. Christy L'Esperance talks with Teave about her work and coming to Kansas City to perform. We'll hear her play traditional melodies from Rapa Nui as well as solo piano works by Bach, Liszt, Scriabin and Rachmaninoff.

Brooke Knoll speaks with pianists Jessica Koebbe, Kowoon Lee and Karen Savage about their work with the Puerto Rico Center for Collaborative Piano, as well as fostering a musical and cultural exchange between Puerto Rico and Kansas City. We'll hear performances from all three guests, including works by Gabriela Ortiz, Miguel del Aguila, Valeria Coleman and more.

This weekend, Opus 76 will join the Kansas City Symphony and Kansas City Ballet for a performance that challenges preconceived notions about the artform — and involves a fair number of cacti.

This week on the Kansas City Local Feature, we get to know Classical KC's new Community Engagement Specialist and On-Air Host, Christy L'Esperance. We'll learn about her background as a pianist, her large family, and enjoy her quirky sense of humor. Christy has curated a varied program of music that includes works by Maurice Ravel, Anna Clyne, Henry Purcell and Sergei Prokofiev.