The Piano Puzzler

In the early 1800s, clarinetist Heinrich Baermann begged Carl Maria von Weber for a new piece. Weber wrote the first movement in a single day—then procrastinated for four years. Tired of waiting, Baermann forced Weber’s hand by programming the unfinished work for a public concert. Faced with a deadline, Weber finished the score the day before the premiere! On today’s show, we’ll hear clarinetist Jörg Widmann lead a chamber orchestra arrangement of Weber’s Clarinet Quintet at a concert presented by Chamber Music Northwest.

Philip Glass's "Mad Rush" often divides listeners—is it meditative or merely repetitive? Pianist Simone Dinnerstein calls it an amazing piece that keeps her grounded in the present moment. Today’s show features her compelling performance from a recent concert at Spivey Hall, just outside Atlanta in Morrow, Georgia.

French composer Louise Farrenc grew up in Paris in the early 1800s. She had a distinguished career as a pianist and composer and was hired as a professor... but paid half of what men earned for the same work. Louise Farrenc fought for equal pay and GOT it. Today’s episode features a ROCO performance of Louise Farrenc’s Symphony No. 1.

Commissioned by the Gilmore Piano Festival, Clarice Assad composed a series of distinct vignettes in which resting instruments hand off the musical baton to fill the void. Written for the Chicago-based ensemble Eighth Blackbird, the work explores creative continuity through clever structural transitions. We'll hear Eighth Blackbird give the world premiere of Clarice Assad's The Spaces Between, recorded live at the Gilmore International Piano Festival in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Sometimes it's less about the content than the packaging—and Sergei Prokofiev was a master at repackaging his own material. In the late 1920s, he took a fiery opera destined for obscurity and turned it into a mighty symphony he dearly loved. On today's show, we'll take you to a concert in Minneapolis to hear the Minnesota Orchestra perform Prokofiev's Symphony No. 3.

For composer Jennifer Higdon, a commission isn't just about who pays for the piece; she views commissioning music as a way to empower people to share their voices and celebrate their communities. We'll learn more and hear the Merian Ensemble play Higdon's "The Sound of Light" on today's show.

Inspired by a sunrise in Qatar that coincided with checking her social media feed, composer Clarice Assad wrote a piece that captures two opposing realities unfolding at the same moment. The first movement indulges in a six-minute sunrise reverie, while the second relives those same six minutes through a chaotic stream of digital updates. Both movements share an identical conclusion. Join us today to hear a live performance of Assad's Synchronous, presented by the Society for Chamber Music in Rochester, New York.

As a teenager, composer Kian Ravaei loved listening to his iPod on shuffle, letting his favorite artists and styles blend without context—it was all just music. In 2025, Ravaei set out to replicate that sense of eclectic, high-contrast surprise with an inventive work for flute, violin, and electronics. On today's program, we'll hear Tara Helen O'Connor and Alexi Kenney play the world premiere performance of Kian Ravaei's iPod Variations.

Commissioned by the Gilmore Piano Festival, Clarice Assad composed a series of distinct vignettes in which resting instruments hand off the musical baton to fill the void. Written for the Chicago-based ensemble Eighth Blackbird, the work explores creative continuity through clever structural transitions. We'll hear Eighth Blackbird give the world premiere of Clarice Assad's The Spaces Between, recorded live at the Gilmore International Piano Festival in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

In 2023, composer Gabriel Kahane collaborated with clarinetist Anthony McGill to create a clarinet concerto titled "if love will not swing wide the gates" (after a quote from James Baldwin). The work draws on Kahane's songwriting background while showcasing McGill's lyrical playing. On today's program, we'll hear a live performance from the 2026 BBC Proms at London's Royal Albert Hall, featuring soloist Anthony McGill, conductor Ryan Bancroft, and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.