Living the Classical Life

“Life... music and what I do... has to be intermixed, has to be together... or else I feel like I’m not alive.”

In an unusually intimate portrait, young piano superstar Yuja Wang speaks of her life and work, demonstrating by musical examples throughout—including a staggering and delightful rendition of an Art Tatum arrangement of “Tea for Two.” She describes her musical aspirations in contrast with audience perceptions, the value of practicing and not practicing, learning and relearning a piece, and the importance of struggle for musical results. She ends the interview with a touching tribute to the late Claudio Abbado. (Episode 14)

“The fire you have to walk through will be one of the greatest strengths you ever have.”

Two-time Grammy Award winner Joyce DiDonato has been proclaimed “perhaps the most potent female singer of her generation." Her many other honors include the Gramophone Artist of the Year and Recital of the Year awards. In this portrait, she recounts the trajectory of her musical and life journey, describing how she developed from an immature “caricature of an opera singer” into one of the most important musicians on the stages today. (Episode 55)

“You really cannot make any progress if you’re not okay with yourself. You can’t make progress until you let yourself sound like you.”

Grammy-winning singer Nathan Gunn has made a reputation around the world as one of the most exciting and in-demand baritones of the day and has appeared with the world's major opera houses and orchestras. He opens up about the world and magic of stage, the psychology and survival of the performer, the musician's breaking free financially, and breaking down barriers in every sense. (Episode 20)

“I never let anybody put me down.”

The 50th episode of LTCL follows the life, career, and art of tenor Robert White, who was a child star on NBC radio during the medium’s golden age. With archival audio and photos throughout, this special episode is a very personal look at a unique musician. In his lifelong singing career, White has sung for five U.S. Presidents, Britain’s Queen Mother and Prince Charles, Monaco’s Royal Family, and Pope John Paul II. He has recorded extensively for RCA, EMI, Virgin, Sony, Arabesque and Hyperion with such colleagues as Yo-Yo Ma, Placido Domingo, and Stephen Hough, in music ranging from Beethoven to Richard Rodgers and Edouard Lalo. His classical career began in earnest in 1959 when he was soloist at Carnegie Hall with Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic, and he maintains a highly successful singing and teaching career. (Episode 50)

“I don’t try to reel my audience in — I try to reel myself in.”

In one of our most emotionally revealing interviews, American operatic soprano Deborah Voigt opens up about her long and acclaimed career. She discusses performance psychology, acting, the difficulty of maintaining relationships while on the road, and speaks candidly about her struggle with addiction and weight loss. (Episode 39)

“I attracted what I was looking for. I exuded what I wanted to happen.”

Zuill Bailey is a soloist, chamber musician, recording artist, professor, artistic director, and sometime actor (as seen on the HBO series Oz and NBC's Homicide). He talks with us about taking up the cello as a child; a transcendent and life-changing moment on stage; making a living as a musician; finding an instrument and artistic voice; and what he's learned from the recording process. (Episode 22)

“Entering a competition is like going to a 7-11 and buying a lottery ticket.”

Distinguished pianist Emanuel Ax won the first Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Competition, the Avery Fisher Prize, and several Grammy awards, and has been a Sony Classical exclusive recording artist since 1987. He has had works written for him by John Adams, Christopher Rouse, Krzysztof Penderecki, Bright Sheng, and Melinda Wagner, and as teacher, performer, and recording artist receives uniform praise throughout the world. During a visit to Zsolt's Cleveland home, the irresistibly charming maestro chats about competitions, practicing, and finding a zone for balanced living. (Episode 56)

"Historically, violinists have been gamblers... My mother, my sisters, and I, we all have the gambling bug."

Joshua Bell is one of the most celebrated violinists of his era. His restless curiosity, passion, and multi-faceted musical interests have earned him the rare title of "classical music superstar." Recently named the Music Director of the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields, Bell is the first person to hold this post since Sir Neville Marriner formed the orchestra in 1958. (Episode 16)

“Establishing closer connection to the music... your fingers go directly from your heart.”

Extraordinary young piano phenomenon Daniil Trifonov describes his workday and methods while demonstrating from his repertoire. He discusses the importance of isolation in musical discovery, his experiments with sound and emotional impulse in practice, and shares some unusual methods of practice to illuminate the creation of authentic musical performances. (Episode 10)

“My career didn’t really start to take off until I was thirty. I was by no means a prodigy.”

Acclaimed worldwide for his profound musicianship and technical mastery, British cellist Steven Isserlis enjoys a distinguished career as a soloist, chamber musician, educator, author and broadcaster. The recipient of many awards, Steven Isserlis’s honors include a CBE in recognition of his services to music, and the Schumann Prize of the City of Zwickau. He is also one of only two living cellists featured in Gramophone’s Hall of Fame. (Episode 36)

“Composing is a battle for me.”

Winner of four Grammy Awards, an Oscar, and the Pulitzer Prize, American composer John Corigliano has one of the most diverse and prolific musical outputs of his generation. In an exclusive and emotionally revealing feature, John Corigliano opens up about his influences and inspirations, his difficult relationship with his father who was concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic, the loss of over 100 friends to the AIDS epidemic and its influence on his works, and the tortured nature of his compositional process. He discusses whether composers endure a specific type of stage fright, and if student composers can be taught an individual voice. (Episode 60)