From time to time on the ASCAP Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Award winning program Between the Keys, the show's creator, producer and host Jed Distler (who is The Classical Network's Artist-in-Residence) features a cycle of piano pieces such as Chopin's Etudes, Debussy's Preludes, or Tchaikovsky's The Seasons. He then chooses one pianist for each piece, without repeating a pianist.
"When I put these kind of 'ideal' cycles together, I don't mean to suggest that these interpretations represent the 'best' recorded versions," Jed explains. "I try to find a variety of pianists who represent different generations and schools of playing, and with no weak links. Sometimes I'll pick an obvious example, yet I'll also feature a superb interpretation from a relatively unknown pianist, if it's appropriate."
For this week's "ideal" cycle program, Jed has selected the four piano pieces Op. 119 by Johannes Brahms and Ravel's six-movement Le Tombeau de Couperin. The featured pianists are (in no particular order) Audrey Abela, Marcelle Meyer, Charles Owen, Arthur Rubinstein, Bertrand Chamayou, Radu Lupu, Myra Hess, Alexandre Tharaud and Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, along with former Between the Keys guests Jean-Yves Thibaudet and Emanuel Ax,
Tune in to Between the Keys this Tueday night at 10, with the rebroadcast Wednesday at noon, exclusively on The Classical Network and WWFM.org.
