Leonard Slatkin
Conductor
In a leisurely conversation with GPB’s Sarah Zaslaw, Leonard Slatkin describes conducting Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings after September 11, 2001 and his relationship to the music of Barber generally; his family background in musical Hollywood; his decision to lead the Detroit Symphony and the community work that awaits him there; new pieces he’s written for young pianists and strings; and the book he’s planning on the profession of conducting.
Conductor
In a leisurely conversation with GPB’s Sarah Zaslaw, Leonard Slatkin describes conducting Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings after September 11, 2001 and his relationship to the music of Barber generally; his family background in musical Hollywood; his decision to lead the Detroit Symphony and the community work that awaits him there; new pieces he’s written for young pianists and strings; and the book he’s planning on the profession of conducting.
Robert McDuffie
Violinist
Georgia native Robert McDuffie recalls his childhood violin teacher in Macon (Hungarian emigre Henrik Schwarzenberger) and the life-altering day his parents made him miss a basketball game to go hear Itzhak Perlman. On the phone with GPB’s Sarah Zaslaw, McDuffie also discusses the new violin concerto by Philip Glass, the old concerto by Tchaikovsky, his violin and…his neck. The chat finally turns to pet projects: the new Robert McDuffie Center for Strings at Mercer University, Macon, and the chamber music festival he runs in Rome, Italy.
