Beethoven Bad Boy
By Jae Cosmos Lee
Musings, conversations, comparisons, interviews and commentary about the current state of classical music and its inner workings through the lens of sports, food, comedy, films, history and media. Hosted by Jae Cosmos Lee, founding member & violinist of A Far Cry, the Grammy-nominated, Self-Conducted Chamber Orchestra from Boston and Concertmaster of Cape Symphony in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
Beethoven Bad BoyFeb 07, 2022
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11. The String Quartet Special, Ep.3: Kee Kim of the Parker Quartet
My dear friend, Kee-Hyun (Kee) Kim is the founding cellist of the acclaimed, Grammy winning Parker Quartet, founded in 2002 at the New England Conservatory in Boston. Since then the Parkers have gone on to win the Concert Artists Guild Competition, the Grand Prix and Mozart Prize at France’s Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition, and Chamber Music America’s prestigious Cleveland Quartet Award. Alongside those accolades, they are also in their 8th year as the Blodgett Artists-in-Residence at Harvard University, serving as faculty members in the Department of Music. Their 20th anniversary was marked in the 2022-23 season with multiple performances of the complete cycle of Beethoven’s string quartets, highlighted here in this episode, which was recorded in late 2022. Jae and Kee chat about Kee’s upbringing and education in both South Korea & the US, his teachers and influences, and the ins and outs of balancing friendships and professional commitments. In the Secrets of Beethoven segment, they talk about the piano maker, Nanette Streicher, who was a quiet confidant and supporter of Beethoven’s, a loyal friend who not only took care of his instruments, but also went out of her way to take care of the composer’s well being in so many ways. Find the quartet’s upcoming concerts and news at their website, www.parkerquartet.com and watch their performances on www.youtube.com/@ParkerQuartet #BBB #Beethoven #Bad Boy #Jae Cosmos Lee #A Far Cry #Chamber Orchestra #Self Conducted #Cape Symphony #Concertmaster #classical #Chamber Music #String Quartet #Parker Quartet #cellist #Boston #Beethoven String Quartet #Kee Kim #Kee-Hyun Kim #Harvard University #Blodgett Artists #NEC # #violin #viola #cello
Mar 24, 202445:40
10. The String Quartet Special, Ep.2: Károly Schranz of the Takács Quartet
Károly (Karcsi) Schranz was the original second violinist of the Grammy award winning, Takács String Quartet, who were also winners of the Evian and the Portsmouth International String Quartet competitions and annually performs throughout the world’s most prestigious concert halls since its forming at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest, Hungary. Kárcsi, who makes his home in Boulder, Colorado, where the Takács have been in residence at the University of Colorado, retired from the quartet in 2018, after a 43-year storied career. Karcsi and I chat about the struggles of member changes in quartets, his early childhood and starting the violin in the Cold War era Hungary, recording the quartet’s acclaimed Bartók and Beethoven cycles for Decca records to answering the Magnificent Seven Questions. The Secrets of Beethoven segment, Karcsi and I delve into the hilarious story behind the premier of the op.130 string quartet in Vienna, but more importantly the Grosse Fugue, the original final movement of the quartet, which became the biggest musical scandal of that day. #BBB #Beethoven #Bad Boy #Jae Cosmos Lee #A Far Cry #Chamber Orchestra #Self Conducted #Cape Symphony #Concertmaster #classical #Chamber Music #String Quartet #Takàcs Quartet #founding member #second violin #Beethoven String Quartet #Bartók String Quartet #Károly Schranz #Karcsi #University of Colorado #Boulder #Budapest #Musikás #Hungary #Decca #violin #viola #cello
Nov 08, 202352:21
9. The String Quartet Special, Ep.1: Daniel Ching of the Miró Quartet
Daniel Ching is the founding first violinist of the celebrated Miró String Quartet, winners of Fischoff and the Banff International String Quartet competitions and have performed throughout the world’s most prestigious concert stages during their 27 years together. The Mirós are the string quartet in residence at the Butler School of music at the University of Texas in Austin, where they coach chamber music and spearhead the graduate string quartet program for aspiring young quartets. The Mirós have recently put out their recording of the complete Beethoven string quartet cycle and presenting them in concerts as a complete cycle now for a few years, Daniel and I talk about that long recording process, his early childhood and upbringing in the Bay Area in Northern California, his favorite sports teams and his fervor for team sports, how to hone one’s chamber music skills in communicating, and to answering the Magnificent Seven Questions. The Secrets of Beethoven segment, Daniel and I delve into Beethoven’s stories of unrequited love, his impetuous temper, humorous quotes and deep humanity. Check out the Miró Quartet’s latest news and shows here at www.miroquartet.com #BBB #Beethoven #Bad Boy #Jae Cosmos Lee #A Far Cry #Chamber Orchestra #Self Conducted #Cape Symphony #Concertmaster #classical #Chamber Music #String Quartet #Miró Quartet #first violin #Beethoven String Quartet #Daniel Ching #University of Texas Austin #Butler School of Music #Oberlin #Cleveland Institute of Music #violin #viola #cello
Nov 01, 202201:03:03
8. Classically Trained Indie Rockers, Part 4: Rachel Grimes of Rachel’s, composer & pianist
Rachel’s was a very important band from my formative years, I would even go out on a limb and say, they were one of the first American instrumental pop bands to make an indelible mark on the 90’s indie scene, using strings and piano as their prominent vehicle to make their artistic statement. Rachel Grimes was the founding keyboardist/pianist of the group and still composes incredible music to this day, the latest being the October 2022 release of the album, Blue Hour, where she was one of the five composers writing for the project. Her humble roots growing up in Louisville, Kentucky, where she came from a strikingly musical household, to the chance beginnings of playing in her first band at the age of 15 and then going on to enroll at the University of Louisville to learn composition and piano. Rachel is an artist of the utmost empathy and integrity, as her love for animals and nature grounds her differently than those of us city dwellers, listen to how Rachel’s got started, her intuitive take on Beethoven’s dyslexia and her refreshing responses to the segment, The Magnificent Seven Questions! Listen to her latest music here at rachelgrimes.bandcamp.com #BBB #Beethoven #Bad Boy #Jae Cosmos Lee #A Far Cry #Chamber Orchestra #Self Conducted #Cape Symphony #Concertmaster #Classical #Bands #Rock Band #Art Rock #Rachel’s #Rachel Grimes #Blue Hour #Music for Egon Schiele #Systems/Layers #Significant Others #Quarterstick Records #The Way Forth #Book of Leaves
Sep 02, 202255:32
7. Classically Trained Indie Rockers, Part 3: Dana Lyn, Irish Fiddler & Composer
Dana Lyn is a modern day renaissance woman, a singular tour-de-force in music. Currently occupying the violin chair at the Tony-Award winning broadway show, Hadestown, she is a band leader, composer, arranger & an accomplished Irish fiddler, who is always striving to find the essence in her music and art. Humble and respectful, articulate yet funny, she is also a brilliant visual artist, who's made her own animation to accompany a handful of her shows, as she’s done in her projects, Aqualude and Coral Suite. And her band Slim Bone Head Volt with actor, Vincent D’Onofrio, is the coolest band you don’t know yet, and need to listen to right now!! On the segment called "Secrets of Beethoven" (S.O.B.), I talk to Dana about the famed portrait of Beethoven, painted by Joseph Karl Stieler, and what it went through to finally be housed at the Beethoven Birth House in Bonn, Germany. Her new album, A Point on a Slow Curve, which was an 8-year labor love, inspired by the painting, The Rose by the Bay Area artist, Jay DeFeo, was just released in February of 2022 on In A Circle Records and it is also available now on Bandcamp: https://danalynmusic.bandcamp.com/album/a-point-on-a-slow-curve
And find out more about Dana here at www.danalynmusic.com
#BBB #Beethoven #Bad Boy #Jae Cosmos Lee #A Far Cry #Chamber Orchestra #Self Conducted #Cape Symphony #Concertmaster #Classical #Bands #Rock Band #Art Rock #Slim Bone Head Volt #Indie Rock #Dana Lyn #A Point on a Slow Curve #In a Circle Records #Vincent D'Onofrio #Irish Fiddle #Aqualude #Coral Suite #Hadestown #Stieler #Portrait #CF Peters #Louis Spohr #Max Reger #King of Bavaria #Jay DeFeo #The Rose #Mother Octopus
Apr 26, 202237:48
6. Classically Trained Indie Rockers, Part 2: Dee Kesler of Thee More Shallows
Second episode of the four part mini-series, "Classically Trained Indie Rockers", Jae talks to the indie band, Thee More Shallows's singer and song writer, Dee Kesler, who was originally based in San Francisco, CA, but now residing in Minneapolis, MN with his wife and two boys. 2021's "Dad Jams", which is Thee More Shallows's fourth full-length album, and the first full album Dee has released since 2007's "Book of Bad Breaks". The two chat about what Dee's been doing between the albums, family life and staying creative, while being a parent. Dee begins by sharing his days learning to play the violin through the Suzuki method as a youngster to the trials of touring with TMS, while being on the road. During the segment called "Secrets of Beethoven", the two get into the reason why it became a tradition in Japan, that every orchestra in the country performs Beethoven's Ninth Symphony on New Year's Eve. If you like the episode, please give a Five Star rating and subscribe to the pod! https://theemoreshallows.bandcamp.com/
#BBB #Beethoven #Bad Boy #Jae Cosmos Lee #A Far Cry #Chamber Orchestra #Self Conducted #Cape Symphony #Concertmaster #Classical #Bands #Rock Band #Thee More Shallows #Indie Rock #Indie Pop #Dee Kesler #Dad Jams #Monotreme Records #Anticon Records #Jingles #Suzuki Method #Touring #Tears For Fears #Simple Minds #Depeche Mode #SOB
Mar 03, 202238:25
5. Classically Trained Indie Rockers, Part 1: Tom Hagerman of DeVotchKa
Beethoven Bad Boy is finally back! Jae has decided enough is enough, and make some episodes without a co-pilot, at least for now. This long awaited 2nd season will be split into two different, 4 episode mini series, first of which are interviews with his friends who play in rock and folk bands but came to that place from having trained in classical music. This first episode back, he chats to Tom Hagerman of DeVotchKa, the award-winning, 4 person multi-instrumental, indie-gypsy-rock band from Denver, Colorado, who's mellifluous and hypnotic songs like "How it Ends" and "New World" have been heard not only in rock venues and festivals, but also on major motion picture soundtracks such as 2006's "Little Miss Sunshine" (which garnered an Oscar and a Grammy nomination that year) and 2010's "I Love You, Phillip Morris". Jae & Tom talk about everything from his early violin lessons in Colorado Springs to, what it’s really like to be on the road touring for 6 weeks, and discuss their most impressionistic classical albums from their teens. This round of "Secrets of Beethoven" harkens back to Beethoven's books of conversations, where the people he was having a conversation with, would write their questions for the composer to read as he could not hear them. If you like the episode, please give a Five Star rating and subscribe to the podcast!
www.devotchka.net
#BBB #Beethoven #Bad Boy #Jae Cosmos Lee #A Far Cry #Chamber Orchestra #Self Conducted #Cape Symphony #Concertmaster #Classical #Bands #Rock Band #DeVotchKa #Indie Rock #Gypsy Rock #Tom Hagerman #Multi Instrumental #Denver #Colorado #Symphony #Little Miss Sunshine #String Arranger #Orchestra #Violin #Viola #Cello #Bass #Classical Training #Music Education #String Quartet #Touring #She and Him #Flaming Lips #Fusion #SOB
Feb 07, 202240:02
4. Is Classical Music Elitist??
Jae & Paul ponder about whether classical music is taken as “elitist”, then pontificate about the Beatles and burgers from Five Guys. In a new SOB segment, we discuss the mis-dedication of Beethoven’s Violin Sonata no.9, op.47 “the Kreutzer”. If it makes you laugh and/or learn, then my job is done. Thanks for listening 🤘
Feb 22, 202039:59
3. Asian Interpretation?
The Asians are multiplying in the string sections of orchestras. It’s really happening! How and why are they becoming the torch bearers of the art form? Or is it just another fad, like the pregnant mother’s listening to Mozart’s music thinking, her baby in the womb will be smarter for it? Esteemed violinist & pedagogue, Lynn Chang joins Jae & Paul to explore these boundaries. SOB segment features, Beethoven denying that he ever wrote his chamber music masterpiece, the Septet in E-flat major.
Feb 07, 202054:36
2. WHY Pachelbel?!!
You mean the wedding song?!! Yes, “The Canon” by Johann Pachelbel is widely known as one of the most requested bridal processional music for the modern matrimony. Jae & Paul dissect, and talk about when it was discovered, how it came about, who made it popular, taking examples from different eras to examine how it has changed over the years. In this episode’s SOB (“Secrets of Beethoven) segment, we try to empathize with the composer’s troubles when he gets thrown in jail at the age of 50.
Jan 24, 202034:59
1. Musicians need to eat, too!
Jae and Paul chat with Charles Kelsey, chef and proprietor of Boston’s wickedly tasty sandwich shop, Cutty’s. We talk about where the similarities are in cooking and in making music, along with the segment, SOB, which stands for Secrets of Beethoven. Beethoven’s eating habits and his favorite foods.
Jan 11, 202050:28