On Monday December 16th from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM, WWFM.org The Classical Network will feature "Beethoven Matters," a birthday celebration marking Ludwig van Beethoven's birthday, in anticipation of the composer's 250th anniversary year in 2020.
During these two hours, WWFM program hosts David Dubal and Jed Distler will share their experiences with and insights about Beethoven’s life and art, along with musical examples that characterize many aspects of this composer's creative and expressive scope, as well as the range of Beethoven interpretations on record.
Internationally acclaimed as a prize-winning author, pianist, lecturer and radio personality (as well as a prolific and frequently exhibited visual artist), David Dubal is the longtime host of The Piano Matters. The composer and pianist Jed Distler (who is the Classical Network's Artist-in-Residence) produces and hosts the ASCAP Deems Taylor Virgil Thomson Award winning program Between the Keys.
When The Classical Network's Music Director David Osenberg asked about the possibility of putting together a special program, Distler immediately reached out to Dubal.
“It was the logical choice," explains Distler. "First of all, David and I have been close friends and colleagues for decades. Secondly, there's the convenience factor; we happen to live virtually around the corner from one another!. But most importantly, David communicates his encyplopedic knowledge with vivid enthusiasm and passion, and he wants everyone to love music as deeply as he does himself."
"Since David and I host our own piano shows on WWFM, I thought that it would be interesting for us to collaborate, where we’d work together and interview one another, and, in the process, try to convey to listeners just why Beethoven matters. Last week over espresso, we engaged in a long, free-ranging conversation that touched upon numerous points of interest for Beethoven lovers. Then I edited our talk into a two-hour program, with plenty of music examples, some of which will surprise you. Mainly, however, I hope that David and I will open doors for listeners who are getting started with Beethoven, just as David did for me many years ago when I was a budding music student, and for which I remain grateful.”
Ring in the Beethoven 250th anniversary celebrations by tuning in to "Beethoven Matters," Monday evening December 16th from 8 to 10, exclusively on The Classical Network.