Wolf-Dieter Seiffert
May 2022
"The Henle Company was formed in 1948 with the permission of the
American military government."
Ever wonder what goes into your musical score, from deciding which notes the composer actually meant to indicate, to deciding ways to increase readability? What does "Urtext" mean, and why should we care? Does Marc-André Hamelin put in the fingerings for Rachmaninoff, when he doesn't perform any of his music? Dr. Wolf-Dieter Seiffert, born in Frankfurt, studied musicology, modern German literature, and philosophy. In 1990 Seiffert started work at G. Henle Publishers as an editor, where he became managing director of G. Henle Verlag in 2000.
Emmanuel Pahud
May 2022
"Music is greater than us--it plays us."
Emmanuel Pahud, principal flute of the Berlin Philharmonic, joins Living the Classical Life in Berlin for a conversation about his life and work, and how he prepares for concerts and zeroes in on his musical voice. With anecdotes and reflections about the late violinist Ivry Gitlis, he shares advice for young performers.
Zlata Chochieva
May 2022
"Music is born from silence."
PIanist Zlata Chochieva, of Ossetian descent, is winner of numerous awards, over a dozen competitions and has five highly-praised albums to her name. She appeared at the Miami International Piano Festival, the Gilmore Keyboard Festival, the festival «Progetto Martha Argerich» in Lugano, the Lucerne Festival, and the Berliner Klavierfestival.
Alena Baeva
May 2022
"Beauty is everywhere around you."
Violinist Alena Baeva joins Living the Classical Life in Tokyo, where she performed the Schumann Concerto, after which she invited the audience to join a prayer for peace. Winner of the Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition, the Sendai Competition, the Moscow Paganini Competition, and the International T. Wronski Competition, she reflects on the artist's role in the changeable world today, and examines the obligations that may come with the spotlight. With discussions about competitions and the fostering of vulnerability for artistic growth, this conversation is a deeply introspective look at the musician's world.
Board of Advisors
Sergei Babayan
Following his first trip outside of the USSR in 1989, Sergei Babayan won consecutive first prizes in several major international competitions, and he has since performed at the world's preeminent concert venues. As a Deutsche Grammophon artist, he has released albums with his most frequent piano duo partners, Martha Argerich and Daniil Trifonov, which will be followed by recordings of Bach and Rachmaninoff. He teaches at the Cleveland Institute of Music and Juilliard.
Stephen Hough
One of the most distinctive and multifaceted artists of his generation, Stephen Hough combines a distinguished career as a pianist with those of composer and writer. Named by The Economist as one of Twenty Living Polymaths, Hough was the first classical performer to be awarded a MacArthur Fellowship and was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the Queen’s Honours List 2014. His recorded output includes over 50 albums, now exclusively for Hyperion Records.
Daniil Trifonov
During the 2010-11 season Daniil Trifonov won medals at three of the music world’s most prestigious competitions. He has since made a spectacular ascent as solo artist, champion of the concerto repertoire, chamber and vocal collaborator, and composer; released four albums as a Deutsche Grammophon recording artist; received a Grammy award; and was Gramophone’s 2016 Artist of the Year.
Yuja Wang
Yuja Wang is an Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient, winner of the Gilmore Young Artist Award, the Echo Classic Young Artist of the Year, and Musical America Artist of the Year. Her international breakthrough came in 2007 when she replaced Martha Argerich as soloist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Two years later she signed an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon and has since established her place among the world’s leading artists. In 2017, she was named Musical America’s Artist of the Year.
Robert White
Robert White has sung for five U.S. Presidents, Britain’s Queen Mother and Prince Charles, Monaco’s Royal Family, and Pope John Paul II. He has recorded extensively for RCA, EMI, Virgin, Sony, Arabesque and Hyperion with such colleagues as Yo-Yo Ma, Placido Domingo, and Stephen Hough, in music ranging from Beethoven to Richard Rodgers and Edouard Lalo, and is currently on faculty at Juilliard while maintaining an active performing career.