All Classical Radio host John Pitman recently spoke with Portland violinist and Portland State University Professor of Violin, Tomás Cotik, about his unique approach to performing some of the most challenging works for solo violin: the Caprices of Nicolo Paganini.

On Tomás’ latest album, Paganini: Capriccio, he emphasizes the world in which Paganini lived, which wasn’t just as a virtuoso, but a composer inspired by Bel Canto opera. Dazzling pyrotechnics blend with achingly beautiful lyrical melodies; there’s that demonic quality to be found in such caprices as No. 24, but also angelic voices in the Cantabile and the “Moses Fantasy”, which features Portland pianist, Monica Ohuchi.

Paganini: Capriccio might be a good Halloween soundtrack, and it might also be just what you want to hear the morning after.

John Pitman’s latest conversation is with harpist Emily Levin, and a new group named Ember. They specialize in works for harp, violin and cello. Ember’s new album (on Azica, to be released in September 2025) is titled Birds of Paradise, which echoes one of the pieces on their album.

Levin, who is also principal harpist of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, invited violinist Julia Choi and cellist Christine Lamprea to explore this specialized, though gradually growing, repertoire for their combination of instruments. In her chat, Emily shares the history of the harp and its role in society, including the contrast of how historically the instrument was played by women domestically, but by men in larger forums, such as the symphony orchestra. The music, by Henriette Renié, Angélica Negrón, and Reena Esmail, is stunningly beautiful, and full of invention and variety.

German-British baritone Benjamin Appl’s past recordings and recitals have explored subjects such as the idea of home (Heimat), the consequences of making choices (Forbidden Fruit), and the works of composers such as György Kurtág. Now on his latest album, For Dieter: The Past and the Future, Appl marks the centenary of the birth of arguably the greatest interpreter of Art song, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, born in Berlin on May 28, 1925.

This new release is of personal significance for Appl, who in his mid-twenties was invited to study with the great baritone, during what became the final weeks of the elder singer’s life. The experience had a profound impact on Appl, who has felt his mentor’s presence and influence over the years. For Dieter contains Appl’s personal playlist, inspired by Fischer-Dieskau’s teenage experiences in World War II, through an extraordinary career spanning six decades, dozens of recordings, and a life well-lived.

All Classical Radio’s Director of Programming John Pitman’s latest Arts Blog interview is a timely one, in conjunction with Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and Memorial Day.

Composer, pianist, and vocalist Huang Ruo’s latest recording An American Soldier is a powerful and moving opera based on the true story of a young Chinese American Army solider named Pvt. Danny Chen, who was found dead at his base in Afghanistan in 2011, and the ensuing courts-martial of Chen’s fellow soldiers.

John’s interview is with composer Huang Ruo and his longtime creative partner librettist David Hwang (M. Butterfly, Yellow Face, and the Broadway production of Tarzan among others), who share their interactions with Danny’s mother and father in the musical telling of this tragic but also important American story.

Renowned for his interpretations of the music of Russian composer and mystic, Alexander Scriabin, celebrated pianist Yevgeny Sudbin is host John Pitman’s latest guest for this Arts Blog interview.

On Sudbin’s newest album, Ver La Flamme (Toward the Flame), the pianist shares his deep knowledge and appreciation for the music of the early 20th century composer, and his imaginative and thought-provoking piano pieces. The album includes preludes, études, sonatas, and fantasies.

In his conversation with All Classical Radio’s Director of Programming, John Pitman, Sudbin shares some fascinating stories about Alexander Scriabin’s wild ideas about the direction of his music, and his audiences. Listening to these works reminds us why the composer and his music truly feel “outside of time.”

Cellist Joshua Roman began to experience something beyond a case of Covid, early in the pandemic. It soon became apparent that the virus had advanced to become long Covid, which consists of symptoms that vary widely from one person to the next. While coming to terms with this life-changing condition, Joshua had to learn a new way of approaching the playing of the cello, performing publicly, and collaborating with musicians.

Immunity, Joshua’s first solo album, is a form of document of those experiences, but also functions as a line of communication to his audience, especially as a connector to others with long Covid.

All Classical Radio’s Director of Music and Programming John Pitman recently spoke with John-Henry Crawford. Since the Louisiana-based cellist’s 2021 debut, Dialogo, Crawford has always had “dialogues” with the composers whose music he performs, and his album featuring Dvořák’s Cello Concerto and Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme, is no exception.

John-Henry has known these two works since he was a budding cello student, listening over and over again to the Rostropovich recording. Collaborating with the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra on the new album seems a natural partnership as they are familiar with Tchaikovsky through his ballets, John-Henry’s interpretation gives the music a dance-like quality, and continues his “dialogues” with the composers, as well as his fellow musicians, in this new release.