“A musician who plays a work for twenty years has actually had a longer relationship with the piece than the composer had.”

Mark Ainley is a specialist in historical piano recordings and the great pianists of the past. He has written about Dinu Lipatti, Marcelle Meyer, Alfred Cortot, Egon Petri, and other legendary pianists for various magazines and CD booklet notes. His research about Lipatti resulted in the discovery of lost recordings and their 1994 publication won a German Music Critic's Award. (Episode 23)

“For me, life is beginning at ninety.”

Coaxed into public life again by actor Ethan Hawke after a 37-year hiatus, maestro Bernstein plays, in his own words, "better than I ever did." At age 90, Seymour is full of humor, charm, enthusiasm, and fascinating observations about music, psychology, and creativity. (Episode 52)

“Our radio broadcasts sell a lot of orchestra tickets.”

Robert Conrad, a legend in the radio world and "the voice of the Cleveland Orchestra," is the longest-serving announcer for an orchestra in broadcast history. He recounts amusing anecdotes of musicians he witnessed firsthand, including George Szell, Glenn Gould, Aaron Copland, and Benny Goodman, as well as on-air bloopers, near disasters, and extreme audience reactions. (Episode 66)

“I want the audience not to come with preconceived notions but to decide on the evidence of their ears and their hearts what is good.”

Filmed in his home in Cleveland, Christopher O’Riley talks about his multifaceted musical life, from the practicalities of traveling with a keyboard to nurturing the next generation of musicians. He explains and demonstrates how he found his musical voice through a diversification of projects, ranging from his Radiohead arrangements to his Liszt Project. (Episode 11)

“My first experience with music was using it to self-medicate.”

Pulitzer Prize-winning music critic, author, producer, and professor Tim Page recounts how he found music at an early age and went on to write for the New York Times and the Washington Post. He discusses his love of art and music, and what it takes to be a perceptive critic. He also examines his discovery of Asperger’s Syndrome as an adult, and how it has affected his life in often surprising ways, including his friendship with Glenn Gould. (Episode 28)

“Live performance and recording are not even the same art—nobody knows better than me how fake CDs are.”
 
This episode begins with a recording session of Schubert’s A-flat Impromptu D935. Patrych discusses the changing world of recording and the prolific underground world of pirate recordings. He also sets the record straight about a scandal at Carnegie Hall on November 1, 2006 that was reported on in the New York Times. (Episode 2)

“Music criticism will never return to what it used to be.”

American music critic, author, and musician Donald Rosenberg started out as a horn player, trained at Mannes and Yale. He quickly became known for his insightful and accessible music reviews, as well as his book “The Cleveland Orchestra Story.” His 2008 dismissal from his position as principal classical music critic of the Plain Dealer, reportedly for his criticism of the conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra, created a firestorm of controversy in the international musical community. (Episode 65)