Johannes Brahms spent many years attempting to write string quartets. Working under the shadow of Beethoven was too challenging for the young composer and it believed that he discarded as many as twenty quartets before finally publishing his first two in 1873. In this episode, we listen to the acclaimed Jerusalem Quartet perform Brahms String…
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Savannah Music Festival LIVE is a weekly radio series produced for Georgia Public Broadcasting, which is now in its 16th season. The show has been licensed to public radio stations across the country and is available to stream online anytime. GPB Radio's weekly statewide broadcasts are on Sunday nights at 8 p.m. and WUGA on Tuesdays and Saturdays at 9 p.m
Savannah Music Festival LIVE 1648 – Samara Joy 2024
On this episode, we listen to a portion of the 2024 season kickoff concert featuring powerhouse jazz vocalist Samara Joy. In the two year span since her first Savannah Music Festival appearances at house concerts in the surrounding area, Samara Joy has won three Grammy Awards and delighted audiences around the globe, all before reaching 25 years of age. This time, Samara brought an ensemble made up of her musical peers, with a standard trio augmented by trombone, trumpet, and tenor and alto saxophones.
Savannah Music Festival LIVE 706 – Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn
Though they’ve played as a duo since they first met, trying impromptu duets at picking parties, doing a few tunes at benefits and playing occasional radio shows together, that was long before they got married and took the show on the road. With the birth of their little boy in the summer of summer of…
Savannah Music Festival LIVE 705 – Aaron Diehl Quartet plays music of Modern Jazz Quartet
When pianist and composer John Lewis formed the Modern Jazz Quartet in the early 1950s, he established an almost classical sounding chamber music ensemble by devising an approach that evenly distributed improvisation inside of compositions distinctly arranged for piano, vibraphone, bass and drums. In this episode, we listen to pianist Aaron Diehl playing the music…
Savannah Music Festival LIVE 704 – A Day in the Life of Chris Thile
Finish the gig around midnight, meet and greet folks after the show, give a quick lesson to some young fans, then hop on the bus and drive to the next city, in search of a few hours of shuteye on the road. Check into the hotel at 4 a.m., grab a bit more sleep before…
Savannah Music Festival LIVE 703 – Julian Lage & Chris Eldridge
When guitarists Julian Lage and Chris Eldridge formed a collaborative effort using early 20th century Martin Guitars to explore the worlds of improvisation and composition, no one should have been surprised. With Lage’s background in jazz and improvised musical styles, and Eldridge’s relationship with bluegrass and his membership in the acclaimed band Punch Brothers, the…
Savannah Music Festival LIVE 702 – Walter Blanding’s Tick Tock
Many of the most notable achievements in jazz have come through its great composers. Giants such as Jelly Roll Morton, Fats Waller, Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus and many others always kept the music moving forward through the creation and performance of new compositions. In this episode, we listen to the premiere of new…
Savannah Music Festival LIVE 701 – Cécile McLorin Salvant
People who love jazz singing seem to always be hoping to discover the next Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan or Ella Fitzgerald. Until very recently, the only contemporary jazz singer who came close to matching these three giants is the extraordinary Dianne Reeves, that is, until the emergence of Cécile McLorin Salvant. At age 24, this…
Savannah Music Festival LIVE 652 – Daniel Hope & Friends 2014 – Part One
Since 2004, violinist Daniel Hope has served as the Associate Artistic Director for the Savannah Music Festival, where he programs an assortment of chamber music across 17 days. Part of his vision for the festival was to bring together his European colleagues with some of his favorite American musicians, something he believes doesn’t happen nearly…
Savannah Music Festival LIVE 651 – Brahms Masterpieces 2014
Though he is often grouped with Bach and Beethoven as one of the three “B’s” of German musical composers, Johannes Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria, where he was a leader of the musical scene. During his lifetime, Brahms’ popularity and influence were considerable, and he created some of the great…
Savannah Music Festival LIVE 650 – The Given Note
In 2014, SMF hosted the US premiere of a piece that we co-commissioned by composer David Bruce. Entitled “The Given Note” (after a poem by Irish poet Seamus Haney), this Savannah performance of the piece featured Daniel Hope on violin, Julian Lage on guitar, Rodney Jordan on bass, Mike Block on cello and Jose Franch…
Savannah Music Festival LIVE – 2014 WQXR Special feat. Daniel Hope
In anticipation of SMF’s 25th Anniversary Season, we produced a special radio program featuring Associate Artistic Director Daniel Hope as host. The episode includes highlights from past years of SMF chamber music, with artists such as Daniel Hope, Sebastian Knauer, Anne Sofie von Otter, Mark Padmore & Kristian Bezuidenhout, the Ebene Quartet, the Emerson String…
Savannah Music Festival LIVE 649 – Sebastian Knauer 2014
In the ten festivals since 2005, one of our favorite and regularly featured artists has been pianist Sebastian Knauer, who plays in our chamber music series curated by his friend and colleague Daniel Hope. In this episode we listen to Mr. Knauer’s opening day recital at Savannah Music Festival 2014, recorded live at the Trinity…
Savannah Music Festival LIVE 648 – KLR Trio and Miami String Quartet
If you ever wondered when the last time a work was written for a piano trio and a string quartet together, well, it’s only happened once. In 2009, composer Ellen Taffe Zwilich wrote a work entitled “Septet” especially for the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio and the Miami String Quartet, two groups with strong personalities. Tune in to…
Savannah Music Festival LIVE 647 – Robert Sadin: Messina
Composer, arranger and conductor Robert Sadin has produced some of the most interesting recordings of the past decade. Working with a diverse array of musicians including Sting, Herbie Hancock, Kathleen Battle, Stevie Wonder, and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, his musical palette often sounds ancient but is always modern. In this episode, we listen to a…
Director’s Choice 2014
For many people, the term “music festival” implies a large, outdoor gathering held over the course of a few days featuring numerous bands on multiple stages. Though there are several such festivals that I regularly visit (WOMAD and Festival International are two favorites), attending outdoor concerts is a very different experience, demanding important decisions related to…
Savannah Music Festival LIVE 627 – Steep Canyon Rangers
Original air date: week of November 24, 2013 For many people, college is a place to study subjects that will prepare you for the next step in life, as well as a time to create new friendships. Such was the case for Woody Platt, Mike Guggino, Graham Sharp and Charles Humphrey, who began playing music…
Savannah Music Festival LIVE 626 – Della Mae
Original air date: November 17, 2014 In the musical movement known as roots revivalism, there are musicians indebted to and enamored of their form and its forebears, who occasionally succumb to simple imitation. Other times, there are artists fearful of being mere imitators, who sometimes produce forced and gimmicky musical hybrids. And then there are…
Savannah Music Festival LIVE 620 – Julian Lage
The general definition of a prodigy is “a child with a skill set or an ability that is incredibly accomplished, far beyond their years.” Often times, such individuals are found in more quantitative fields, such as chess, music and math. One such prodigy is Julian Lage, who was born in 1987 and acclaimed as a…
Savannah Music Festival LIVE 617 – Jeb Patton Solo
When you study jazz under Sir Roland Hanna and Jimmy Heath, earn your Master of Arts degree Summa Cum Laude from the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College, and receive the Louis Armstrong Award for Composition from the ASCAP Foundation all while in your young twenties, the serious of your intent is not…
Savannah Music Festival LIVE 616 – Mike Marshall & Darol Anger
More than 25 years ago, two of the most original string players in the community of American vernacular instrumental music joined forces, setting in motion a partnership that continues today. Beginning as members of the David Grisman Quintet while in their young twenties, they have continued to stretch their musical boundaries through recordings, performances and…
Savannah Music Festival LIVE 615 – David Grisman Folk-Jazz Trio
Though his artistic pursuits are difficult to categorize stylistically, there is no doubt that mandolinist, composer, producer, educator and historian David Grisman has an insatiable appetite for music. Hist idiosyncratic artistic journey has been one of elaboration and refinement, so when he formed a trio in 2011 to explore the common musical roots of folk,…
Savannah Music Festival LIVE 613 – Marcus Roberts Solo 2013
When you survey the history of the piano in 20th century American music, there are several individuals, composers and standards, particularly within jazz and popular songs. Performing a recital that traverses these figures and movements, while ensuring that your renditions remain original, is quite a challenge. In the spring of 2013, pianist Marcus Roberts played…
Savannah Music Festival LIVE 612 – Jerry Douglas Solo
Jerry Douglas has received thirteen Grammy Awards, won the Country Music Association’s “Musician of the Year” award three times, been awarded a National Heritage Fellowship by the National Endowment for the Arts, and was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011 by the Americana Music Association. He is the most famous and arguably the…
Savannah Music Festival LIVE 611 – Richard Goode Early & Late – Part Two
Though pianist Richard Goode’s repertoire ranges from the 18th to the 20th centuries, it is the Classical period, and specifically Beethoven, with whom he is inescapably identified. It was Mr. Goode’s recordings of the Beethoven sonatas in the early 1990s that created his international reputation. In this episode, we listen to the second half of…
Savannah Music Festival LIVE 609 – Late Night Jazz Jam 2013
In its most simple definition, a jam session is a musical event where musicians play by improvising without extensive preparation. Jazz jam sessions are an old tradition that allow players to test their skills in front of an audience, usually playing well known standards yet ones that require a common vocabulary. In this episode, we…
Savannah Music Festival LIVE 608 – Bach Meets Mozart 2013
Mozart’s lifelong admiration for Johann Christian Bach, the son of Johann Sebastian Bach, began during the family’s first trip to London when Mozart was only eight years old. The young prodigy was then in the midst of a concert tour of Europe, and when he met Johann Christian, he sat in his lap and they…
Savannah Music Festival LIVE 607 – Mozart 1787
The year 1787 was a bountiful one for Mozart. While his major project during that year was his opera, Don Giovanni, Mozart completed several more works. These included a rondo for piano, two string quintets, an orchestral work, his serenade for strings known as “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik,” a sonata for violin and keyboard, a sonata…
Savannah Music Festival LIVE 606 – Martin Taylor
The late Chet Atkins called Martin Taylor “one of the greatest and most impressive guitar players in the world.” Pat Metheny stated that Mr. Taylor “is one of the most awesome solo guitar players in the history of the instrument.” Although completely self-taught, guitarist and composer Martin Taylor continues to enjoy a remarkable musical career…
Savannah Music Festival LIVE 605 – Jeremy Denk
At this point in his career, 42-year-old pianist Jeremy Denk is nearly as well-known in music circles for his writings about music as he is for his piano playing. His blog, entitled “Think Denk: the Glamorous Life of a Concert Pianist,” chronicles the hilarious and frustrating minutia of the tedious, not-so-glamorous concert life. It has…
Savannah Music Festival LIVE 604 – Richard Goode, Early & Late
Pianist Richard Goode has been described as a non-specialist, in the sense that he’s a virtuoso soloist, a compelling recitalist, a committed chamber music performer and a sensitive accompanist, all in one. In this episode we listen to a 2013 Savannah Music Festival appearance by Mr. Goode entitled “Early and Late,” and featuring works Haydn,…
Savannah Music Festival LIVE 603 – Miami String Quartet
Some historians believe that the origins of the string quartet can be traced back to the Baroque trio sonata, in which two solo instruments performed with a continuo section consisting of a bass instrument and a keyboard. Others suggest that the widespread practice of playing works written for string orchestra with just four players, covering…
Savannah Music Festival LIVE 601 – David Finckel & Wu Han 2013
As Musical America‘s 2012 “Musicians of the Year,” cellist David Finckel and pianist Wu Han rank among the most respected and influential classical musicians in the world today. Their repertoire as a duo spans virtually the entire literature for cello and piano. However is is the combination of talent, energy, imagination and dedication that they…
Savannah Music Festival LIVE 555 – Ruthie Foster 2012
As a singer whose live performances are a musical patchwork of contemporary Americana styles, Texas born Ruthie Foster is a unique artist in our time. She has created a repertoire that is seamlessly evocative of the life she lives, which comes out of the Baptist Church and the soul of southern Texas. Tune in to…
Savannah Music Festival LIVE 554 – As Beethoven Went Deaf
By 1801 at the age of 30, Beethoven had been experiencing ringing in his ears for three years, and was well on his way to deafness. By 1815, Beethoven’s condition had become “intolerable” and with the addition of other problems, he could no longer perform in public (though he continued to compose). The final eleven…
Savannah Music Festival LIVE 547 – Schumann & Brahms
The Romantic Period contains numerous chamber music masterworks by both Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms. Though he was born 23 years after Schumann, Brahms began to compose early in his life, and it was through the violinist Joseph Joachim that he was introduced to Schumann. In this episode, we listen to Daniel Hope & Friends…