Between the Keys with Jed Distler

On this week’s edition of the ASCAP Deems Taylor Virgil Thomson Award winning program Between the Keys, host and producer Jed Distler (who is the Classical Network’s Artist-in-Residence) presents what he calls “a Prelude Panorama.”

“The  prelude genre is wide open and stylistically boundless,” says Distler. “And I’m constantly discovering sets of Preludes by an infinite number of composers. I thought we’d explore both familiar and unfamiliar prelude territory for this week’s episode.”

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 invited his Toronto-based colleague Stephen Cera to curate and co-host a program devoted to the music of Alexander Scriabin. Cera explores the composer's brief, tumultuous life and far-reaching creative journey through recorded performances by with performances by Vladimir Sofronitzky, Vladimir Horowitz, Mikhail Pletnev, Sviatoslav Richter and Vladimir Ashkenazy.

"I can't afford to fly the Vienna Philharmonic in to perform live at my studio for New Year's Day," explains the Classical Network's Artist-in-Residence Jed Distler. "So instead, my program on January 1st will just have to feature traditional New Year's Concert fare on the piano!"

As Christmas Day winds down, The Classical Network’s Artist-in-Residence Jed Distler directs listeners to the piano, with seasonal fare by Dave Brubeck, Bruce Adolphe, Franz Liszt, Claude Debussy, Leroy Anderson and J.S. Bach. The featured work this hour is Godfrey Windham’s large-scale Variations on a Theme by James Pierpoint, performed by Alan Feinberg. Its theme, by the way, is none other than Jingle Bells, James Pierpont’s "greatest hit." And for an encore, Meral Guneyman's lovely arrangement of Mel Tormé's classic Christmas Song tops off a program you won't want to miss.
 

This week’s edition of the ASCAP Deems Taylor Virgil Thomson Award winning Between the Keys celebrates what has become an annual tradition for the show’s host and producer, the Classical Network’s Artist-in-Residence Jed Distler.

Schumann served rare? What is the Classical Network’s Artist-in-Residence Jed Distler cooking up?

“It's a simple explination," Jed says. "I'm merely talking about rare works of Robert Schumann, and rare recordings of Schumann works. This week I hope to draw attention to wonderful performances and works that our listeners may not necessarily not know about.”

This week on the ASCAP Deems Taylor Virgil Thomson Award winning program Between the Keys, The Classical Network's Artist-in-Residence Jed Distler catches up with the internationally acclaimed virtuoso Marc-André Hamelin for conversation and music, in an episode that features a wide and varied selection from the pianist’s large discography, including works by Blanchet, Alkan, Haydn, Charles Trenet, Schumann, Scriabin, Medtner, Liszt and Hamelin himself.

This week on the ASCAP Deems Taylor Virgil Thomson Award winning program Between the Keys, The Classical Network’s Artist-in-Residence Jed Distler presents his third and final program this year to mark the 100th anniversary of Claude Debussy’s death in 1918.

"When I can't think of an overall theme, or I don't have a guest planned, I simply dig into my vast collection of piano recordings, pull out one or two at random, and hope that a nice playlist will eventually evolve," says The Classical Network's Artist-in-Residence Jed Distler, who produces, writes and hosts the ASCAP Deems Taylor Virgil Thomsom Award winning program Between the Keys each Tuesday night.

This week’s episode of the ASCAP Deems Taylor Virgil Thomson Award winning program Between the Keys is devoted to the art of the piano Bagatelle, with music by Beethoven, Ježek, Sibelius, Howard Ferguson, Dvorak, Poulenc, Edison Denisov, Saint-Saëns, Marie Jaëll, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Nikolai Kapustin and Edison Denisov. There’ll also be a Bagatelle by the Classical Network’s Artist-in-Residence Jed Distler, who is the creator, producer and host of Between the Keys.

On Tuesday November 6th at 10 PM, Episode No. 176 of Between the Keys will feature a single, solitary large scale work, the Fantasia by the Swedish composer Claude Loyola Allgén.

"Allgén lived from 1920 until 1990, " says host Jed Distler, who is the Classical Network's Artist-in Residence." He never really got recognition until the end of his life. In a way, it's understandable, because Allgén composed vast amounts of difficult  large-scale pieces, and he lived and worked in isolation from the music community at large. Apparently Allgén was also a rather prickly character."

When The Classical Network's Artist-in-Residence Jed Distler met his wife, the Italian New York-based artist Maria Scarpini, he had no idea that Italy would become a major part of his life. 

"We go at least once a year, and I sometimes play concerts, " says Jed. "Usually we're based in Milan, and I feel so much at home with the city's growing arts scene and the sense of civility that seems to prevail. Milan also is home to my favorite pizza in the universe: S.P.I.B., at Via Legnone 34!".

Unsung piano legends are the topic for 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.

“Although the pianists you’ll be hearing this hour are not necessarily household names,” says Distler, “they nevertheless count among the keyboard world’s most distinctive voices, and made significant contributions. Needless to say, hundreds of pianists share their distinction, I hasten to add, and this is only a small sample.”

The topic of composers at the keyboard is near and dear to The Classical Network’s Artist-in-Residence Jed Distler, who not only hosts and produces the ASCAP Deems Taylor Virgil Thomson Award winning program Between the Keys, but is a veteran composer/pianist in his own right.

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 presents a program of piano etudes.

“Yes, I know, we recently did an all-etudes program, I confess,” says Jed. “But the genre is so vast, so diverse and so interesting that one program cannot do it justice. Nor two or three for that matter.”

This week’s episode of the ASCAP Deems Taylor Virgil Thomson Award winning program Between the Keys takes listeners on a global journey of piano music inspired by geographical hotspots, tourist destinations, bustling cities and vast landscapes.

September is a big month for new CD releases and reissues flooding the market and vying for attention. No one knows that more than The Classical Network's Artist-in-Residence Jed Distler, whose activities as radio host and frequent CD reviewer have long put him on the receiving end of the classical CD industry. "It's both a blessing and a curse to find dozens of new releases and reissues in my mail nearly every day," says Jed. "A blessing, because I'm constantly learning about new artists and new repertoire.

Last year the Classical Network’s Artist-in-Residence Jed Distler learned about a CD debut from a pianist named Steven Spooner. What was unusual was that this release contained fifteen CDs and one DVD.

This week's edition of the ASCAP Deems Taylor Virgil Thomson Award winning program Between the Keys commemerates the 17th anniversary of the 2001 September 11th attacks with a unique work by The Classical Network's Artist-in-Residence, composer/pianist Jed Distler, his 50 minute "110 for 911," for speaking pianist and electronics. Mr. Distler is both pianist and speaker in this archival recording from its world premier performance on February 16th 2003 at West-Park Presbyterian Church in New York City.

On Tuesday's edition of the ASCAP Deems Taylor Virgil Thomson Award winning program Between the Keys, The Classical Network's Artist-in-Residence Jed Distler showcases piano etudes that span from the early 19th century up until today.

"The etude genre fascinates me, not just because I have to practice them to keep my hands in shape, but also as a composer. I love to see how composers address specific challeneges of piano technique without constricting their creative urges," says Distler.

Most episodes of the ASCAP Deems Taylor Virgil Thomson Award winning program Between the Keys center around a particular topic, or feature a specific performer, composer, genre or special guest.

This week, however,  the Classical Network's Artist-In Residence Jed Distler couldn't come up with an idea. So what to do?

Two years ago The Classical Network's Artist-in-Residence Jed Distler devoted an episode of his ASCAP Deems Taylor Virgil Thomson Award winning program Between the Keys to Leonard Bernstein's piano artistry. Originally aired on May 2016, Episode 60 "Lenny at the Keyboard" will rerun on Tuesday August 21st, to celebrate what would have been the legendary musician's 100th birthday.

In the midst of an unusually hot summer accompanied by intense rain and humidity, even a more-or-less level headed host like The Classical Network's Artist-in-Residence Jed Distler feels challenged to keep cool. 

The year 2018 marks the 100th anniversary of Claude Debussy’s death in 1918, and The Classical Network’s Artist-in-Residence Jed Distler has been marking this milestone on his ASCAP Deems Taylor Virgil Thomson Award winning program Between the Keys.

“A few months back we played all twelve Debussy Preludes Book I, allotting each Prelude to a different pianist. For this week’s show, however, I thought it would be interesting to compare and contrast  how two pianists approach the same work.

It's been more than three years since the Classical Network's Artist-in-Residence Jed Distler launched Between the Keys. Having written, produced and hosted more than 160 episodes to date, how does he keep the show fresh?

In 2017 The Classical Network's Artist-in-Residence Jed Distler celebrated what would have been Dinu Lipatti's 100th birthday with a special episode on his ASCAP Deems Taylor Virgil Thomson Award Winning program Between the Keys. Fast forward to a years later, and several fresh Lipatti discoveries.

"A small yet important group of previously unknown Lipatti recordings came to light around ten years ago, and have just come out on the Marston label," says Distler. "The story about their discovery and ultimate publication is quite fascinating."

The Classical Network's Artist-in-Residence Jed Distler is attracted to music where opposites attract and merge as one. "Think about the fusion of boldness and beauty, strength and sensitivity, or power and lyricism," says Distler. "These are contradictory elements, yet when they come together, creative sparks can truly fly."

This week's episode of the ASCAP Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Award winning Between the Keys is called "The Bold and the Beautiful," and Distler is particularly excited about its playlist.

The Classical Network's Artist-in-Residence Jed Distler has a special affection for his fellow composer/pianists, and has frequently showcased them on his weekly ASCAP Deems Taylor Virgil Thomson Award winning program Between the Keys, sponsored by Steinway and Sons.