Talking “Improvising” with the Break It Down Show
January
26th,
2015
I recently joined the “Break It Down Show” podcast to talk about Scandalous Overtures, the Bay Area, technology and why certain artists' work endures. Listen to the show at the Break It Down Show website! Listen Now! [caption id="attachment_1444" align="aligncenter" width="752"] Recording the “Break It Down Show” podcast.[/caption]
Scandalous Overtures — Giuseppe Verdi: The Conspiracy to Get Him Back To Work
January
20th,
2015
Early retirement; who doesn’t dream of it, or at least think about it now and then? But for the vast majority of us, early retirement is like winning the lottery: a fantasy never to be realized. Now, if you are one of the lucky few that genuinely like what you do for a living, retirement…
Scandalous Overtures — Franz Schubert: One Too Many Nights Out
January
13th,
2015
A bunch of years ago I got a call from a non-musician friend who had a question for me. His pastor had given a sermon in which he ascribed Beethoven’s death to syphilis, and never having heard this, my friend wanted to know if Beethoven had indeed died from that dreaded STD. “Heck no,” said…
Scandalous Overtures — Jean-Baptiste Lully: The Gnarly Demise of a Nasty Man
January
13th,
2015
Lists, lists, lists: top tens; the greatest this, the most insignificant that; the best dressed, the worst hair, whatever — we love ‘em all. And thanks to the internet – that great purveyor of useless, bite-sized bits of info — lists have become an omnipresent cultural fetish. Among the most interesting such lists — for…
Scandalous Overtures — Carlo Gesualdo, Prince Of Venosa: Murderer At Large
December
23rd,
2014
Carlo Gesualdo, Prince of Venosa and Count of Conza (1560-1613), was one of the richest men in Italy and among the most original composers of his time.He was also a very, very bad man.He murdered his older brother in order to inherit the family fortune and titles.He murdered his wife Maria and her lover the…
Robert Greenberg on WXXI Connections With Evan Dawson
December
22nd,
2014
WXXI Connections welcomed Robert Greenberg to the program December 12th to talk about The Great Courses and Scandalous Overtures: We welcome one of the most dynamic music educators in the country, professor Robert Greenberg. He’s hosting a new online show on Ora TV and has taught dozens of classes on music for The Great Courses…
Reddit AMA — December 19th
December
18th,
2014
I’m so looking forward to my Reddit AMA on December 19! I will do my level best to answer - politely and accurately - all questions, up to and including whether (or not) one should kiss on a first date (although I still have yet to determine why you drive on a parkway and park…
Scandalous Overtures: Beethoven’s Death Wish
December
16th,
2014
The Fine Line Between Depression and Genius Where have we heard this before? A beloved, supremely gifted performing artist appears to be at the top of his game and on top of the world. However, unbeknownst to all but a few friends and relatives, he harbors a great darkness within him, a despair that motivates…
Scandalous Overtures: Mozart: How Did Mozart Really Die?
December
9th,
2014
[caption id="attachment_2211" align="alignright" width="231"] Mozart circa 1780, detail from portrait by Johann Nepomuk della Croce[/caption]Conspiracy Theories Pssst! Did you know that Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld knowingly allowed Mossad to blow up the World Trade Towers and the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001? Did you know that the fluoridation of our water is a communist…
Robert Greenberg with Larry King and William Shatner
December
8th,
2014
Robert Greenberg discusses his new OraTV show “Scandalous Overtures” on Larry King's “King's Things” and William Shatner's “Brown Bag Wine Tasting.” Watch both of the interviews with these highly engaging hosts below: King's Things: Brown Bag Wine Tasting: Scandalous Overtures