Between the Keys with Jed Distler

Episode 344 of the ASCAP Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Award winning program Between the Keys goes to Broadway, with virtuoso piano arrangements of selections by Stephen Sondheim, Leonard Bernstein, Lerner & Loewe, Dietz & Schwartz, the Gershwins and Hoagy Carmichael. The program also sneaks into the opera house by way of Gaetano Donizetti/FranzLiszt, Richard Strauss/Percy Grainger and Johann Strauss, Jr./Georges Cziffra.

Featured pianists include Jenny Lin, James Adler, Andrew Gentile, Leslie Howard, Cy Walter, Percy Grainger and Geroges Cziffra.

Episode 343 of the ASCAP Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Award winning program Between the Keys celebrates the recent centenary of legendary Hungarian pianist Geza Anda (1921-1976), with special guest Mark Ainley.

This week, the Classical Network’s Artist-in-Residence Jed DIstler welcomes the acclaimed Ukrainian/American pianist Inna Faliks for an hour of conversation and music on Episode 342 of the ASCAP Deems Taylor Virgil Thomson Award winning program Between the Keys.

On this week’s episode (No. 341) of the ASCAP Deems Taylor Virgil Thomson Award winning program Between the Keys, The Classical Network’s Artist-in-Residence Jed DIstler presents performances recorded live during the 18th International Chopin Competition, held this past October in Warsaw.

All of the in-person events were streamed online via the Chopin Institute’s YouTube Channel. Gramophone magazine engaged Distler to write a daily blog covering each day’s proceedings as they unfolded, from the first round concerts to the concerto finals.

On this week’s episode of the ASCAP Deems Taylor Virgil Thomson Award winning program Between the Keys, The Classical Network’s Artist-in-Residence Jed DIstler devotes the hour to the music of J.S. Bach, and not just with pianists.

On this week’s episode of the ASCAP Deems Taylor Virgil Thomson Award winning program Between the Keys, The Classical Network’s Artist-in-Residence Jed DIstler welcomes pianist and educator Ben Laude, head of piano at tonebase.co.

The year 2021 marks the sixtieth anniversary of the death of Percy Grainger (1882-1961), one of the most fascinating and original composers and pianists of his time. The Australian musician is the topic of this week’s episode of the ASCAP Deems Taylor Virgil Thomson Award winning program Between the Keys, hosted by the Classical Network’s Artost-in Residence Jed Distler.

As live performances continue to come back, The Classical Network’s Artist-in-Residence Jed Distler devotes this week’s episode of the ASCAP Deems Taylor Virgil Thomson Award winning program Between the Keys to previewing an upcoming concert event.

Distler will join fellow pianists and Steinway artists Meral Guneyman and Christopher O’Riley for “Fearless,” an evening of piano transcriptions, Saturday December 4th at 7:30 PM at the Times Center, 242 West 41st Street, New York, NY.

“Although we recently had a Between the Keys episode devoted to new releases, there’ve been so many terrific discs coming out this fall that I simply had to do another program on the topic,” says the Classical Network’s Artist-in-Residence, and the creator, producer and host of the ASCAP Deems Taylor Virgil Thomson Award winning program Between the Keys. 

Internationally acclaimed pianist Craig Sheppard joins The Classical Network’s Artst-in-Residence Jed Distler this week on the ASCAP Deems Taylor Virgil Thomson Award winning program Between the Keys, for music and conversation.

Episode 333 of the ASCAP Deems Taylor Virgil Thomson Award winning program Between the Keys, hosted by the Classical Network’s Artist-in-Residence Jed Distler, features the artistry of the 53-year-old Swedish pianist, composer and improviser Niklas Sivelöv.

This week's episode of the ASCAP Deems Taylor Virgil Thomson Award winning program Between the Keys, hosted by the Classical Network’s Artist-in-Residence Jed Distler, is called Piano Media.

The title stems from an iconic piano work by Toshi Ichiyanagi, where the right hand persistently repeats a rapid ostinato figure while all kinds of different things occur in the left hand.

On this week’s episode of the ASCAP Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Award winning program Between the Keys, The Classical Newtwork’s Artist-in-Residence Jed Distler presents a varied playlist consisting of rare and hard-to-find piano recordings from his vast personal collection.

For this week's episode of the ASCAP Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Award winning program Between the Keys, the Classical Network’s Artist-in-Residence Jed Distler explores new piano releases, plus “newish” releases in the form of rare archival material featuring relatively unknown yet important pianists such as Claudette Sorel and Pietro Scarpini.

However, the lion’s share of tonight’s lineup is given over prominent keyboard practitioners of today, like Kit Armstrong, Fanny Azzuro, Cathy Krier, Isata Kanneh-Mason, Igor Levit, Nathalia Milstein and Jeroen van Veen.

From Russia With Love. Isn’t that a James Bond movie?

Actually, it’s the title of this week’s episode of the ASCAP Deems Taylor Virgil Thomson Award winning program Between the Keys, hosted by the Classical Network’s Artist-in-Reisdence Jed Distler.

“I really get inspired putting this program together when I mix and match piano music of many genres and styles,” says Jed Distler, who is The Classical Network’s Artist-in-Residence and the creator, producer and host of the ASCAP Deems Taylor Virgil Thomson Award winning weekly program Between the Keys.

Indeed, this week’s episode runs the gamut from Schubert to Rachmaninov, from Louise Farrenc to Luiz Costa, from Roque Cordero to Garreth Farr, and from Mendelssohn to Bill Evans and Clara Schumann.

For this week’s edition of the ASCAP Deems Taylor Virgil Thomson Award winning program Between the Keys,  The Classical Network’s Artist-in-Residence Jed Distler explores works by 20th and 21st century composers that are based upon or inspired by the rich, diverse and intensely expressive American blues tradition.

Featured composers include William Grant Still, Misha Mengelberg, Jacob TV, Samuel Barber, Conlon Nancarrow, W.C. Handy , Constant Lambert, Patrick Beckman and Aaron Copland.

On this week’s episode of the ASCAP Deems Taylor Virgil Thomson Award winning program Between the Keys, the Classical Network’s Artist-in-Residence Jed Distler features composer/pianists Eduardo Bruni, Niklas Sivelov  and Michael Brown, along with music of Clementi and Schubert performed by pianist Helene Boschi

Tune in this Tuesday night August 31st at 10 with a rebroadcast Wednesday September 1st at noon on Between the Keys, an exclusive production of The Classical Network and WWFM.org.

On this week’s episode of the ASCAP Deems Taylor Virgil Thomson Award winning program Between the Keys, the Classical Network’s Artist-in-Residence Jed Distler takes listeners on a musical journey that ranged from Frescobaldi and Nielsen to Betsy Jolas, Percy Grainger, Grieg, Massenet, Mussorgsky and Chopin.

On this week’s episode of the ASCAP Deems Taylor Virgil Thomson Award winning program Between the Keys, the Classical Network’s Artist-in-Residence Jed Distler presents music by Franz Liszt, showcasing the seminal composer’s multi-faceted creativity, from lyric poet and fiery virtuoso to unabashed showman.

A wide range of Lisztian keyboard masters will be featured, including Cecile Ousset, Jerome Rose, Claudio Arrau, France Clidat, Mykola Suk, Judith Jáuregui and the late Natalia Strenchenko, whose short life was tragically and violently foreshortened in 2015.

For this week’s episode of the ASCAP Deems Taylor Virgil Thomson Award winning program Between the Keys, the Classical Network’s Artist-in-Residence Jed Distler compiles an “ideal” cycle of Rachmaninov’s Preludes Op. 32.

The Classical Network’s Artist-in-Residence Jed Distler shares rare and musically worthy recordings from his extensive collection this week on the ASCAP Deems Taylor Virgil Thomson Award winning program Between the Keys.

Pianists featured include Muza Rubackyte, Lazare-Levy, Gina Bachauer, José Eduardo Martins, Mihaela Ursuleasa, Benita Meshulam, Vladimir Selivokin, Rudolf Firkusny and Felicja Blumenthal.

The Classical Network’s Artist-in-Residence presents his annual all-Domenico Scarlatti episode on Episode 317 of  the ASCAP Deems Taylor Virgil Thomson Award winning program Between the Keys this Tuesday night July 27th at 10, with a rebroadcast Wednesday July 28th at noon.

Featured pianists include, in order of appearance: Sergei Babayan, Barbora Krištofová Sejáková, Maria Tipo, Dinu Lipatti, Andrew Tyson, Christoph Ullrich, Olivier Cavé, Christian Zacharias, Alberto Urroz, Alice Ader, Heidi Kommerell and Shiz'ka.

Is there any truth to the old adage “Like Father, Like Son?” Especially when father and son each play the piano professionally, have distinctive careers, and also share certain repertoire preferences?

The Classical Network’s Artist-in-Residence attempts to answer these questions, as he showcases fathers and sons in the same piano repertoire, on Episode 317 of the ASCAP Deems Taylor Virgil Thomson Award winning program Between the Keys.  Indeed, in one case, Distler presents three generations of pianists from the same family in the same work. How often does one hear that?

“Whenever I put together a ‘New Old & Unexpected’ episode for Between the Keys, I imagine myself going on a journey without a map, and just my two feet in front of me.  One piece of music suggests another, or perhaps throws me into an unrelated area. Who knows?”

On this week’s episode of the ASCAP Deems Taylor Virgil Thomson Award winning program Between the Keys,  The Classical Network’s Artist-in-Residence Jed DIstler creates musical diptychs, in which he creates improbable yet very plausible pairings of piano pieces.