@ the Symphony

Pittsburgh Symphony Pops presents “The Sounds of New Orleans” September 30th through October 2nd at Heinz Hall. Principal Conductor Byron Stripling stopped by the QED Morning Show to tell Jim Cunningham all about the concerts this weekend.

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra President and CEO Melia Tourangeau recognizes and honors Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Associate Concertmaster Mark Huggins, who is retiring from the orchestra at the end of September. From the PSO Opening Night concert on Friday September 23, 2022.

Violinist Joshua Bell tells Jim Cunningham the Tchaikovsky Concerto never gets old having recorded it as a teenager with several re- recordings since and a previous performance with the Pittsburgh Symphony and Manfred Honeck. He estimates 1000 times he’s played the Tchaikovsky and he always hears something new. Joshua thinks the classical music scene is in good shape and will never decline in spite of the pandemic and concern about audiences returning. He’s just back from a tour with the Academy of Saint Martin in the Fields to Brazil and other stops in South America plus visits to Italian concert halls where the vibrancy of classical music was strong. Pittsburgh and his thirty years of music making here is always a highlight he suggests in the dressing room conversation after rehearsal on Friday afternoon before the Saturday gala.

Emanuel Ax sat down with Jim Cunningham on Saturday afternoon after the live broadcast of opening night Friday June 17 to talk about Mozart’s 20th concerto, Chopin for an encore, his long association with the Pittsburgh Symphony, friendship with Andre Previn, the war in Ukraine and it’s effect on Lviv where Emanuel Ax was born, his recent Beethoven Trios cd Beethoven for Three with Yo Yo Ma and Leonidas Kavakos, and the answer to the question are there too many good musicians today– recorded upstairs at Heinz Hall in the rehearsal room on the fourth floor with help from Adam Kilburn engineer and videographer.

Former Pittsburgh Symphony Music Director Andre Previn premieres his Concerto for Trumpet, Horn, and Tuba, commissioned by the PSO. He talks about the composition, his impressions of the orchestra, and memories of composers he’s worked with in Hollywood (he recalls playing ping pong with Schoenberg) and on the PBS Previn and the Pittsburgh series.