“Classical music has been surprisingly slow to embrace podcasting, a medium ideally suited to illuminate its sounds and stories,” writes Joshua Barone in Wednesday’s (4/21) New York Times. “But … with live performances on hold because of the pandemic and the music industry belatedly exploring new platforms… classical and opera podcasts have begun to flourish…. ‘Aria Code,’ hosted by the cross-genre luminary Rhiannon Giddens, has found new depths of poetry and resonance, and the conductor Joshua Weilerstein’s ‘Sticky Notes’ is experimenting with approaches to score analysis…. The Cleveland Orchestra’s ‘On a Personal Note’ … debuted last April with Franz Welser-Möst wistfully reflecting on the ensemble’s final gathering before the pandemic closed its hall…. ‘Mission: Commission,’ presented by the Miller Theater at Columbia University … follows three composers over the course of six weeks as they create short pieces that will premiere on the finale, May 18…. ‘Trilloquy’ has always cast an eye on classical music that’s both critical and caring. But its mission was freshly urgent as the field was forced by the killing of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement to face its failings in racial representation.” Read Symphony magazine’s Winter 2020 article about classical-music podcasts here.
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