1
00:00:00,000 -->
00:00:02,000
["Pomp and Circumstance"]
2
00:00:30,000 -->
00:00:32,000
["Pomp and Circumstance"]
3
00:00:53,280 -->
00:00:56,960
Happy December and welcome back to another episode of the Piano Pod.
4
00:00:56,960 -->
00:01:01,600
Here, tradition meets innovation. We bridge the timeless beauty of the piano with the
5
00:01:01,600 -->
00:01:07,440
dynamic pulse of today's world. I am your host, Yukimii-san. It's that time of the year when we're
6
00:01:07,440 -->
00:01:13,120
all buzzing with excitement, surrounded by friends and family soaking in the holiday vibes. I hope
7
00:01:13,120 -->
00:01:18,400
you're feeling the festive spirit no matter where you are tuning into this episode. By the way,
8
00:01:18,400 -->
00:01:24,720
this is the Piano Pod's last episode of the year 2023. What a fantastic year I've had as a host of
9
00:01:24,720 -->
00:01:30,640
the show, connecting with you and with incredible guests through this magical medium of podcast.
10
00:01:30,640 -->
00:01:36,720
And I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you for tuning into the
11
00:01:36,720 -->
00:01:43,200
Piano Pod throughout 2023. Your support has been the greatest encouragement that has fueled my
12
00:01:43,200 -->
00:01:48,480
passion for sharing the world of piano with you. Whether you are a dedicated listener or a casual
13
00:01:48,480 -->
00:01:54,000
viewer of the Piano Pod, your presence has made this journey truly remarkable. It's been an
14
00:01:54,000 -->
00:01:58,560
incredible and meaningful year for me and I couldn't have done it without you. So thank you.
15
00:01:59,120 -->
00:02:05,520
As we are ending the year 2023, I want to assure you that that Piano Pod is only getting started.
16
00:02:05,520 -->
00:02:11,920
So stay tuned for the year 2024, where we have an exciting lineup of guests ready to share their
17
00:02:11,920 -->
00:02:17,840
thoughts, ideas, and expertise. And I am thrilled to bring you more inspiring conversations,
18
00:02:17,840 -->
00:02:22,960
captivating performances, and behind the scenes into the world of classical music.
19
00:02:22,960 -->
00:02:30,960
Okay, so to end the year 2023 on a positive note, I want to bring you a love story. It's the story
20
00:02:30,960 -->
00:02:37,600
of two incredible souls who not only found love for one another, but also shared a deep passion
21
00:02:37,600 -->
00:02:42,720
for music. You know those couples that just radiate power and success and we call them power
22
00:02:42,720 -->
00:02:49,440
couples. And we've got our own power couple in our industry. They are Grammy and Latin Grammy
23
00:02:49,440 -->
00:02:56,000
award winners and nominees, Carlos Franzetti and Alison Brewster Franzetti. Carlos and Alison are
24
00:02:56,000 -->
00:03:01,680
partners in life and music, making beautiful melodies together. And I mean it literally.
25
00:03:01,680 -->
00:03:08,160
So let me first introduce Mr. Carlos Franzetti, composer arranger of five Latin Grammy awards and
26
00:03:08,160 -->
00:03:14,960
a Grammy award, a musical virtuoso of unparalleled versatility. His talent spans classical
27
00:03:14,960 -->
00:03:21,360
symphonies, big band jazz, Latin American rhythms, and captivating film scores. His compositions have
28
00:03:21,360 -->
00:03:28,160
graced stages globally from the Boston Pops to Prague, uniting hearts worldwide. In jazz,
29
00:03:28,160 -->
00:03:34,000
he collaborated with celebrities like Arturo Sandoval, crafting unforgettable recordings.
30
00:03:34,000 -->
00:03:40,160
Mr. Franzetti's artistic imprint shines through in beloved films such as the Mambo Kings,
31
00:03:40,160 -->
00:03:46,480
enriching the narrative tapestry of cinema. His ongoing creative journey delights enthusiasts
32
00:03:46,480 -->
00:03:53,040
with recent hits like Legacy and Minotaur in the Labyrinth. Born in Buenos Aires, Mr. Franzetti's
33
00:03:53,040 -->
00:03:58,640
musical journey began at six. Studying at prestigious schools like Julliard, he pursued
34
00:03:58,640 -->
00:04:04,320
his dreams, becoming a global citizen through music. His compositions bridge cultures,
35
00:04:04,320 -->
00:04:08,480
uniting audiences through his extraordinary music and recordings.
36
00:04:08,480 -->
00:04:14,400
Now let me introduce pianist Alison Brewster Franzetti, a renowned artist celebrated for her
37
00:04:14,400 -->
00:04:20,640
exceptional musicality. She's received accolades from prestigious organizations like the Latin
38
00:04:20,640 -->
00:04:26,960
Grammy and Grammy Awards. Ms. Franzetti's career spans solo performances at iconic venues like
39
00:04:26,960 -->
00:04:32,960
Carnegie Hall, collaborations with renowned artists, and orchestral engagements with groups
40
00:04:32,960 -->
00:04:38,720
like the Brooklyn Harmonic. As a prolific recording artist, her latest solo project,
41
00:04:38,720 -->
00:04:44,720
Pianista, earned a silver award from the Global Music Awards. Ms. Franzetti's influence goes
42
00:04:44,720 -->
00:04:50,800
beyond performance. She is an acclaimed author, composer, and editor, contributing to notable
43
00:04:50,800 -->
00:04:56,720
publications and collaborating with esteemed musicians. Her educational background includes
44
00:04:56,720 -->
00:05:01,760
degrees from the Manhattan School and Julliard. In academia, she holds potential
45
00:05:01,760 -->
00:05:07,920
positions at Kean University, Rutgers University, and various music festivals. Ms. Franzetti's
46
00:05:07,920 -->
00:05:14,000
diverse talents and contributions to classical music and the arts have earned her recognitions
47
00:05:14,000 -->
00:05:19,920
from foundations and societies, cementing her status as a distinguished pianist and a globally
48
00:05:19,920 -->
00:05:26,880
respected artist. Before we dive into this special episode featuring Alison and Carlos,
49
00:05:26,880 -->
00:05:33,440
a warm welcome to all newcomers joining the Pianopod today. I am a classical pianist and
50
00:05:33,440 -->
00:05:39,600
educator based in New York City, the creator and executive producer of this show. Whether you are
51
00:05:39,600 -->
00:05:45,920
fully immersed in a piano career, deeply engaged in a classical music scene, or simply drawn to
52
00:05:45,920 -->
00:05:52,400
the beauty of the piano melodies, this podcast grants you an exclusive pass into the captivating
53
00:05:52,400 -->
00:05:59,920
world of the piano. To all our loyal TPP fans and listeners, just a quick reminder to rate
54
00:05:59,920 -->
00:06:05,040
and review the show on your favorite podcasting platform because your ratings and review will
55
00:06:05,040 -->
00:06:11,360
play a crucial role in helping others discover this podcast. So grab your hot cocoa and brace
56
00:06:11,360 -->
00:06:18,320
yourself for the inspiration that awaits from Carlos and Alison's incredible journey. Welcome
57
00:06:18,320 -->
00:06:24,080
to the final episode of 2023. Please enjoy the show.
58
00:06:29,120 -->
00:06:34,400
You are listening to the Pianopod where we talk to the brightest minds in the industry about how
59
00:06:34,400 -->
00:06:42,480
they are bringing the piano into the 21st century. Welcome to the Pianopod, Alison and Carlos. Thank
60
00:06:42,480 -->
00:06:49,040
you so much for being here. Well, we're delighted to be here. Thank you so much for inviting us.
61
00:06:49,040 -->
00:06:55,120
Thank you. So you were both introduced to me by Donna Wang Friedman, who is a producer,
62
00:06:55,120 -->
00:06:59,280
concert pianist, and she was actually on the Pianopod as a guest in season two.
63
00:07:00,000 -->
00:07:07,360
And then I think Donna is your really close friend. She's been my friend for many, many years,
64
00:07:07,360 -->
00:07:14,160
and I'm a huge admirer of her work and all the accolades she's getting for Never Fade Away.
65
00:07:14,720 -->
00:07:23,120
Very exciting to see what she created and all the recognition she's really truly deserving to get
66
00:07:23,120 -->
00:07:30,000
for such an extraordinary project. Absolutely. So a quick shout out to Donna. Thank you. And if
67
00:07:30,000 -->
00:07:36,240
you are listening, I love the morning of interview session, usually after I make my coffee and I start
68
00:07:36,240 -->
00:07:42,960
my day because I get to listen to the music of the guest of that day that I'm about to interview.
69
00:07:42,960 -->
00:07:48,800
And then this morning I've been listening to your both of your music. So in my YouTube playlist,
70
00:07:48,800 -->
00:07:55,600
I had started out with a Pazza Collier, but the two piano version. Right. I also I realized that
71
00:07:55,600 -->
00:08:03,040
there's a actual version in the CD album, one of the CD albums you have. But this was particularly
72
00:08:03,040 -->
00:08:10,560
the two piano version both of you are playing and which led me to Circle de Alarvada. Yes.
73
00:08:12,560 -->
00:08:19,520
That's a fun video with a small orchestra chamber, a few strings and a couple of woodwinds,
74
00:08:19,520 -->
00:08:24,800
flute and clarinet, and of course, Alison playing piano and Krolls playing piano. And we also have
75
00:08:24,800 -->
00:08:30,720
this Argentine. Well, actually it's a German instrument, the bandoneon, but adopted for
76
00:08:30,720 -->
00:08:38,080
Argentine tango and like the guitar was recorded, what, 10, 12 years ago? It was 2012. It was right
77
00:08:38,080 -->
00:08:45,040
before Hurricane Sandy, actually. And we flew back from Buenos Aires right after Hurricane Sandy.
78
00:08:45,040 -->
00:08:50,400
We were able to see the devastation of the area from the air. And then of course, had a lot of
79
00:08:50,400 -->
00:08:56,000
trouble getting home from Kennedy Airport at the time, but managed it because so many roads were
80
00:08:56,000 -->
00:09:04,640
closed here. And the gas stations weren't giving gas either. But the video itself, that was a really,
81
00:09:04,640 -->
00:09:10,640
really fun project. All the music was composed by Carlos. With the recording, we had forgotten a
82
00:09:10,640 -->
00:09:18,160
baton. And so we used a straw to conduct when we were switching off. But you can't tell that it's
83
00:09:18,160 -->
00:09:24,880
a straw in the video. That's actually what it was. Really? Wow. But I also noticed, Alison,
84
00:09:24,880 -->
00:09:31,040
you were conducting too. So you took turns, like, you know, while Carlos was playing the piano,
85
00:09:31,040 -->
00:09:37,440
Alison conducted and vice versa. And I really enjoyed the video. And at one point, it was like
86
00:09:37,440 -->
00:09:44,080
a 45 minutes of sort of like a documentary where you performed, but also there was like a talk
87
00:09:44,080 -->
00:09:50,560
in between. So I also watched the video clip of your performance of Lamento, which is the orchestral
88
00:09:50,560 -->
00:09:57,760
work by you, Carlos. And of course, the piano part was performed by Alison. Actually, a couple
89
00:09:57,760 -->
00:10:03,920
of days before we went to a recording session in Prague, and I came out with this tune, this
90
00:10:03,920 -->
00:10:10,240
very simple tune. And Alison said, what is that? That's something that came out and, you know,
91
00:10:10,240 -->
00:10:16,960
I'm going to write it down. And I started writing it, but we were leaving in two days. So I wrote
92
00:10:16,960 -->
00:10:23,120
kind of half of it, you know, with orchestration. And then we left. We went to Prague and recorded.
93
00:10:23,840 -->
00:10:29,360
And the contractor, the fixer, they call us over there, of the orchestra, a very good friend of
94
00:10:29,360 -->
00:10:35,360
us, James Fitzpatrick, said, by the way, you know, tomorrow, instead of having half a session, you
95
00:10:35,360 -->
00:10:42,000
have the whole morning. So record whatever you want. And I said, you know, I have this piece,
96
00:10:42,000 -->
00:10:49,440
but I left it in the computer. And I think that I had emailed it to Alison's computer.
97
00:10:49,440 -->
00:10:56,560
You had, I was able to access the file. Carlos and the fixer also had finale.
98
00:10:56,560 -->
00:11:01,120
Right. So then I went and finished the orchestration and we recorded the next day. I mean, she
99
00:11:01,120 -->
00:11:07,200
sirened. It's a very simple piece, but it was nice to do it on the spur of the moment and said, wow,
100
00:11:07,200 -->
00:11:13,760
this is not going to die or live in a drawer. And we were happy to record it. So Carlos finished it
101
00:11:13,760 -->
00:11:20,480
in finale. I extracted all the parts, the fixer printed all the parts and put them together. And
102
00:11:20,480 -->
00:11:26,800
the next day we just went and did it. Oh my goodness. Wow. Yeah. But I noticed that there
103
00:11:26,800 -->
00:11:33,200
were one or two CD albums that you performed with the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. Yeah.
104
00:11:33,200 -->
00:11:38,240
The city of Prague Philharmonic. Actually, we did a lot of work. You know, I was called to do some
105
00:11:38,240 -->
00:11:45,200
arrangements for a very good jazz saxophonist about 20 years ago. And they said the recording
106
00:11:45,200 -->
00:11:49,280
will be in Prague. I said, well, you know, wonderful. We had been there before with Alison
107
00:11:49,280 -->
00:11:56,160
doing some of the projects. So I, then I discovered this wonderful orchestra and I became very good
108
00:11:56,160 -->
00:12:03,040
friends with this person, James Fitzpatrick, who was the producer and contractor. And then I
109
00:12:03,040 -->
00:12:09,040
had other projects and I mentioned this orchestra. So I was going to Prague like twice a year
110
00:12:09,040 -->
00:12:15,200
recording there. And I became very fond of the beautiful city. So that Alison, I mean, we did
111
00:12:15,200 -->
00:12:22,400
many albums of ourselves and then of other people as well, singers and musicians, saxophonists.
112
00:12:22,400 -->
00:12:28,800
Oh, wow. We have to talk more about your compositional genres and styles, Carlos,
113
00:12:28,800 -->
00:12:37,760
because your style ranges from pure classical music to jazz, obviously to Argentine tango.
114
00:12:37,760 -->
00:12:44,720
But before that, I really want to talk about you as a couple. So you each demonstrate individual
115
00:12:44,720 -->
00:12:50,400
achievements and then together with your collaboration, you leave such a huge impact
116
00:12:50,400 -->
00:12:55,680
in our industry and society. And then through your strong partnership, you have inspired so
117
00:12:55,680 -->
00:13:02,400
many musicians and music lovers around the world. So, you know, people call you a call a duo like you
118
00:13:02,400 -->
00:13:10,480
power couple, right? And then like we have been referred to that way, which we find really
119
00:13:10,480 -->
00:13:18,240
fascinating because we really just do what we do. We don't put a label on us like other people would
120
00:13:18,240 -->
00:13:24,320
do at all. And the good thing is that I must say, I mean, she's she's the pianist. She's the concert
121
00:13:24,320 -->
00:13:31,440
pianist. I am not. I am a composer. But we both do things. I mean, she had composed a great number
122
00:13:31,440 -->
00:13:39,440
of music and tunes and for shows and things and in orchestrate. And as I said, conduct the city of
123
00:13:39,440 -->
00:13:45,920
Prakta Lamanic when I was playing. And on the side, I, you know, I did my classical training on piano
124
00:13:45,920 -->
00:13:54,080
and study and whatever I did the basic repertoire. But my love was in composition. So we
125
00:13:54,080 -->
00:14:01,280
share things, but we don't get to the point of competing. You know, like yesterday, I was there
126
00:14:01,280 -->
00:14:07,360
like, I said, why don't you play the Brahms intermezzo that I love so much? Which one is the
127
00:14:07,360 -->
00:14:13,200
Opus 118 number two, the A major. Beautiful piece. And she played it. She said, well, I'm going to
128
00:14:13,200 -->
00:14:18,640
download the music on the right back and started playing. And it was just like a perfect performance,
129
00:14:18,640 -->
00:14:25,680
which I can do. So but I don't improvise like he does. So there you go. That's what I mean about
130
00:14:25,680 -->
00:14:32,080
that. We kind of we it's not that we compensate each other. We compliment. We compliment the
131
00:14:32,080 -->
00:14:38,480
work you're looking for. You know, in as I said, we never got into a competition. You know, look,
132
00:14:38,480 -->
00:14:43,360
I mean, you know, the way you play Chopin. And that's really true. I mean, it's it's we've been
133
00:14:43,360 -->
00:14:50,000
extraordinarily fortunate that way. We're very, very respectful of each other's work very separately,
134
00:14:50,000 -->
00:14:54,880
as well as everything that we've done together. And we started out knowing each other professionally
135
00:14:54,880 -->
00:15:00,560
first. So, you know, people have asked us over the years, well, aren't you prejudiced because you
136
00:15:00,560 -->
00:15:07,520
married? And I said, well, frankly, no, because the first months that I knew Carlos was strictly
137
00:15:07,520 -->
00:15:14,240
professional relationship. And so I think Allison had a tree. I'm sorry. It's OK. Go ahead. A
138
00:15:14,240 -->
00:15:21,520
chamber tree of saxophone, piano and cello and two of the people, I mean, like my music or one of
139
00:15:21,520 -->
00:15:27,520
them, you know, the cellist and approached me and asked me to write for them for this trio called
140
00:15:27,520 -->
00:15:33,760
Urban Birds. I said, fine, I would love to. And so they came to my house and they commissioned me
141
00:15:33,760 -->
00:15:40,560
this music. I always said on the second visit, Allison gave me a check. It's actually true
142
00:15:40,560 -->
00:15:44,320
because, you know, they pay for the I mean, we pay for the arrangement.
143
00:15:45,200 -->
00:15:51,040
This is what you gave here. Here I'm paying you for it. And then they played it. And then I brought
144
00:15:51,040 -->
00:15:55,200
some music for them and they played some other music. And then we started seeing each other.
145
00:15:55,200 -->
00:16:01,120
I mean, but this happened like six months after that. So and since then, Allison had performed a
146
00:16:01,120 -->
00:16:06,880
lot of my music, I've written a lot of music for Allison. I had a piano concerto that time,
147
00:16:06,880 -->
00:16:11,440
but then I got a commission from the Philharmonic of Buenos Aires to write a piece. And I said,
148
00:16:11,440 -->
00:16:17,040
well, you know, I'd like to write the piece, a new piano concerto. What about if Allison plays it?
149
00:16:17,040 -->
00:16:22,720
Said fine. So we did it at the Teatro Colon in Argentina. And then I got some other music that
150
00:16:22,720 -->
00:16:29,680
I, you know, I wrote for you. I mean, from for the Abunalma and you've written all sorts of music.
151
00:16:29,680 -->
00:16:36,320
A lot of music. And this suite, you know, the suite for the Minotaur for three pianos. But
152
00:16:36,320 -->
00:16:43,120
Allison was initially was going to be played by three pianos and then COVID. And the problem of
153
00:16:43,120 -->
00:16:49,760
getting people together and one of the pianos lived in Europe. The other one was someplace else. And
154
00:16:49,760 -->
00:16:56,160
we could never get not even a rehearsal. And three pianos, you need a place with three pianos. So we
155
00:16:56,160 -->
00:17:03,280
went over and over this. And finally we decided to record it ourselves overdubbing. And Allison did
156
00:17:03,280 -->
00:17:10,160
it at the Scott Walker Studio in San Francisco. So that recording we had done December of 2021.
157
00:17:10,160 -->
00:17:15,840
And that's what came out in March. And that's the record called Pianista. And that's on Navona
158
00:17:15,840 -->
00:17:22,720
Records, which is part of Parma recordings. Yeah. So I basically, so I overdubbed. And when I was
159
00:17:22,720 -->
00:17:27,360
learning the other parts, cause I was originally playing piano too, which was really the motor
160
00:17:27,360 -->
00:17:33,200
behind the whole thing in many ways. I had to learn the other parts. So I was practicing to a
161
00:17:33,200 -->
00:17:39,040
click, which is how I recorded to a click track, which made it of course much easier. So would
162
00:17:39,040 -->
00:17:44,560
record one part and then I could hear the part I already recorded with click when I recorded the
163
00:17:44,560 -->
00:17:52,240
next part. And so the little editing that had to be done was done right then and there as I recorded
164
00:17:52,240 -->
00:17:58,800
each part. So that when, when we finished all the recording, the suite was already edited. All we
165
00:17:58,800 -->
00:18:04,960
had to do when we got back here was to have it mixed and mastered. And the other pieces that I
166
00:18:04,960 -->
00:18:12,720
recorded required very little editing. So it was a pretty quick process to be able to turn it around
167
00:18:12,720 -->
00:18:19,200
from the raw recording to actually the finished product. Wow. That's amazing. That's the album
168
00:18:19,200 -->
00:18:27,200
Pianista, which was released this March, March, 20, 23. And you already received an award, a
169
00:18:27,200 -->
00:18:33,200
silver award for outstanding achievement from the global music awards. Correct. Correct.
170
00:18:33,200 -->
00:18:37,840
Congratulations. And so I was wondering about the three piano part. It's like, how in the world did
171
00:18:37,840 -->
00:18:45,440
it happen? But it was the dubbing, putting the recording to it was over for the people who done,
172
00:18:45,440 -->
00:18:51,280
I mean, you record one track and then on a multi-track recording room in the past, now on
173
00:18:51,280 -->
00:18:56,720
computers or whatever, you record the second track as if you were listening to the first track played
174
00:18:56,720 -->
00:19:04,000
by another person, another pianist, and then you add the third and final track. So it is multi-tracking.
175
00:19:04,720 -->
00:19:11,440
We will be doing this live, but with three pianists when in February 11th at Clavier House in New York.
176
00:19:11,440 -->
00:19:18,240
And so what I did for the other pianists is I took MIDI files at the tempo, which I actually
177
00:19:18,240 -->
00:19:24,560
recorded everything and I made music minus one. Right. So that they can hear the parts that they're
178
00:19:24,560 -->
00:19:30,080
not playing and practice their part with it. So they know how things work ahead of time, which
179
00:19:30,080 -->
00:19:36,720
is going to save us an awful lot of rehearsal. I did that myself. Well, so that I would even record
180
00:19:36,720 -->
00:19:43,040
myself playing to click, play a part and then practice with that too. So I got used to what
181
00:19:43,040 -->
00:19:49,200
the process was actually going to be when we recorded it. So I was really prepared at the time.
182
00:19:49,200 -->
00:19:56,160
Wow. So at the Clavier House you'll be performing, but after a performance, you will perform.
183
00:19:58,800 -->
00:20:02,880
Young women who have both studied with me are going to play piano two and three,
184
00:20:02,880 -->
00:20:09,360
respectively. And the other music actually, Carlos is going to play with me on the three
185
00:20:09,360 -->
00:20:18,480
pieces that are online, the Pase Calla, the Tango Fatal and Argentum. And then there's a
186
00:20:18,480 -->
00:20:24,160
suite by Amanda Harburg, who's an excellent composer, two piano suite that I'm doing.
187
00:20:24,160 -->
00:20:29,440
And then there's one piano four hands by Alan Sean, whose music I recently performed up in
188
00:20:29,440 -->
00:20:34,720
Beddington and a piece of his that I'm going to do with one of the other pianists. One piano,
189
00:20:34,720 -->
00:20:41,200
two piano, three piano is basically the idea of the concert. Oh, wonderful. That is exciting.
190
00:20:41,200 -->
00:20:47,200
I have to be there. Yes, I'll be definitely. I'll be. I'll let you know. No, great. Thank you. Wow.
191
00:20:47,200 -->
00:20:53,120
But three piano is a very unique idea. You know, usually it's two. And so I was wondering how
192
00:20:53,120 -->
00:21:00,000
this would work. But it sounds like it was a commission from somebody from San Francisco.
193
00:21:00,000 -->
00:21:06,800
The name is Ted Viviani. And he had commissioned me before a two piano concerto. Not for me.
194
00:21:07,840 -->
00:21:12,720
For two other pianos. And it was recorded in Prague, as a matter of fact. And he was
195
00:21:12,720 -->
00:21:18,160
commissioning other composers to do music for two pianos. And then all of a sudden he came with this
196
00:21:18,160 -->
00:21:23,840
idea of three piano. I said, with orchestra? No, no, just the three piano. That's fine. And
197
00:21:24,480 -->
00:21:29,600
it's challenging. It's very challenging to write that. Obviously, there's a lot of counterpoint
198
00:21:29,600 -->
00:21:34,560
involved. And there are not too many pieces for three pianos. And I mean, there are pieces written
199
00:21:34,560 -->
00:21:42,160
for four pianos like Linus, but that's, you know, Stravinsky. Carla, so you also produced and
200
00:21:42,160 -->
00:21:48,880
released your album this year. It's called Legacy, correct? Legacy is a companion of different 30
201
00:21:48,880 -->
00:21:55,680
years of music that I wanted to put together. Thinking about what I consider to be most important,
202
00:21:55,680 -->
00:22:02,560
but the music that I prefer of all the hundreds of pieces that I have composed. And this includes
203
00:22:02,560 -->
00:22:08,800
a full symphony, my first symphony, and also pieces from a piano concerto number two that I
204
00:22:08,800 -->
00:22:17,200
wrote for Alison. A piece for violin and orchestra, which I wrote right after September 11. It's an
205
00:22:17,200 -->
00:22:27,120
homage to the victims. And also an intermezzo from my opera Corpus Evita, which is an opera that
206
00:22:27,120 -->
00:22:33,280
I recorded also in San Francisco. And it was performed there. And now it's opening again
207
00:22:33,280 -->
00:22:40,720
next year in February in Palo Alto, California. And Carla's got a Grammy nomination for the
208
00:22:40,720 -->
00:22:47,840
composition of that opera. Oh, wow. I lost to William Balkam, which he deserved to win. I mean,
209
00:22:47,840 -->
00:22:56,000
he wrote beautiful music, so I'm not sorry. Both of you are such incredible musicians. Like,
210
00:22:56,000 -->
00:23:04,240
you know, both are nominated for Grammy, Latin Grammy, both. And Carla, so you won five awards,
211
00:23:04,240 -->
00:23:11,920
correct? Six Grammys, yes. Two in composition, two in tango, and one with an album that I did,
212
00:23:11,920 -->
00:23:21,520
duets with a fabulous jazz bass player, Eddie Gomez. And the Grammy was producing, that was Rubens.
213
00:23:21,520 -->
00:23:27,200
Ruben Blades, yeah, Ruben Blades. So yeah, yeah, I got, I was very fortunate to.
214
00:23:27,920 -->
00:23:32,320
Wow. And then Alison, you are also nominated.
215
00:23:32,320 -->
00:23:39,040
Yeah, I've been nominated twice for Grammys and three for Latins. And my name is on one of his
216
00:23:39,040 -->
00:23:44,320
wins. Carlos won for composition. It was a piece that I recorded, but I'm not the winner,
217
00:23:44,880 -->
00:23:47,440
because the piece won, not the recording itself.
218
00:23:47,440 -->
00:23:48,880
In my book you are.
219
00:23:48,880 -->
00:23:52,800
Oh, that's, that's so sweet.
220
00:23:53,840 -->
00:23:57,040
So sweet. Just about 30 years married.
221
00:24:00,800 -->
00:24:08,800
That's so cute. Wow. But this is a huge thing. You know, any musician would dream
222
00:24:08,800 -->
00:24:15,360
just to be even nominated. It's a huge deal. I know I wanted to talk more about you as a couple,
223
00:24:15,360 -->
00:24:21,040
but we'll get back to it. But how did you start your musical journey? I mean, to get to the
224
00:24:21,040 -->
00:24:25,840
Grammy nominee, Grammy award winner. Where is the start for you?
225
00:24:25,840 -->
00:24:32,480
I mean, I've been doing music. You know, I never, I'm my age. I'm 75. I was born in 1948 in Buenos
226
00:24:32,480 -->
00:24:38,720
Aires, Argentina. And music was always something that I wanted to be musician. I mean, from the
227
00:24:39,360 -->
00:24:44,480
time that I started playing piano at six and later on, I got more and more involved in music
228
00:24:44,480 -->
00:24:50,560
to the dismay of my parents. They wanted me to be a doctor or whatever. And, but music prevailed.
229
00:24:50,560 -->
00:24:56,880
And I was a professional musician when I was 18, playing, writing my first arrangements.
230
00:24:56,880 -->
00:25:02,800
And, and then I was earlier than that. Well, you can say, well, when you're 10 or 11, but I mean,
231
00:25:02,800 -->
00:25:06,640
well, he had his own television show. He's not telling me yet.
232
00:25:06,640 -->
00:25:09,200
It wasn't mine. I sang in there. I used to sing.
233
00:25:09,840 -->
00:25:10,720
Really?
234
00:25:10,720 -->
00:25:14,800
Yes. And that's one of the reasons I became an arranger, because I was in a show,
235
00:25:14,800 -->
00:25:19,520
the big orchestra and everything. And I needed arrangements every week and I had to pay for my
236
00:25:19,520 -->
00:25:25,520
own pocket. So I was spending a lot of my money in arrangements and I couldn't repeat the same songs
237
00:25:26,080 -->
00:25:33,440
on the second show or the third, whatever. So I said, well, how difficult can this be? So
238
00:25:33,440 -->
00:25:37,840
I started and said, well, I'm going to write an arrangement. And I wrote the very simple
239
00:25:37,840 -->
00:25:45,120
arrangement for strings and, and I would win. And, and, uh, you went fine. And all the singers from
240
00:25:45,120 -->
00:25:49,680
the show said, who wrote that chart for you? I said, I did. And I said, well, can you write for me?
241
00:25:49,680 -->
00:25:56,160
I said, sure. And then I started writing for other people. And I found that's what I wanted to do.
242
00:25:56,160 -->
00:26:00,320
I didn't want to be a singer. I didn't want to be a pianist. I wanted to be a composer,
243
00:26:00,320 -->
00:26:07,840
arranger. And by the time I was 21, I left Argentina, I went to Mexico, where I also studied in,
244
00:26:07,840 -->
00:26:14,720
in Mexico. I studied with a very good composer, Umberto Hernandez, Medrano. And I lived there for
245
00:26:14,720 -->
00:26:20,080
three years. And that was really my school because I was writing all kinds of arrangements from
246
00:26:20,080 -->
00:26:29,040
classical to mariachi to Latin music. And my dream was to be in New York, to be in, in, uh,
247
00:26:29,040 -->
00:26:36,720
you know, United States to live in New York and to play in New York. And by 1974, I had been here
248
00:26:36,720 -->
00:26:43,840
as a tourist. By 1974, I moved here. Very happy with it. Now, so, you know, Carlos, as a composer,
249
00:26:43,840 -->
00:26:50,800
you compose for orchestra, you classical style jazz and Argentine tango. Where was the beginning?
250
00:26:50,800 -->
00:26:56,000
Did you start as a classical musician, classical training? Well, the classical training helped
251
00:26:56,000 -->
00:27:02,640
tremendously because I had the know-how of writing for orchestra, you know, the instrumentation,
252
00:27:03,600 -->
00:27:08,560
the range of instruments and things like that. But when I first came to New York, I mean, I wasn't
253
00:27:08,560 -->
00:27:13,680
going to get an offer to, uh, to write symphonies or anything like that. So I have to play with
254
00:27:13,680 -->
00:27:19,600
whatever was available. I could play piano, I could write. So I started playing for Latin bands,
255
00:27:19,600 -->
00:27:26,400
for salsa bands. That was the New York, the big productions of Latin music by Fania Records
256
00:27:26,400 -->
00:27:32,080
with people like Tito Puente and Celia Cruz and Ruben Blades and Willie Colon. And I started
257
00:27:32,080 -->
00:27:37,280
learning that those styles of, uh, you know, what they call the Montunos and things like that.
258
00:27:37,280 -->
00:27:42,400
So I started writing and playing, and then eventually I started playing and writing for
259
00:27:42,400 -->
00:27:50,160
other people. Then, um, I started writing music for commercials for TV and radio, what they call
260
00:27:50,160 -->
00:27:56,800
jingles, which is very lucrative and kind of a secret world because you have some of the best
261
00:27:56,800 -->
00:28:01,760
musicians in the world playing there for you. Nobody knows who's playing on a clay roll or
262
00:28:01,760 -->
00:28:06,720
whatever. I shouldn't mention any of the products that I was writing for, but you have people,
263
00:28:06,720 -->
00:28:10,480
they come from Master from the New York Philharmonic and you have some of the best,
264
00:28:10,480 -->
00:28:18,240
I mean, at the time, my Brecker, Randy Brecker, Luz Soloff, and the, I mean, all the best musicians
265
00:28:18,240 -->
00:28:24,080
in the world were playing in, uh, you know, in those orchestras to do the jingles. And I think
266
00:28:24,080 -->
00:28:31,680
I did that for about 25, 26 years. Unless you are in the business, unless you're part of this
267
00:28:31,680 -->
00:28:36,880
commercial advertising world, you don't know who's doing what. Because, you know, I mean,
268
00:28:36,880 -->
00:28:41,040
they played on TV and say, well, you know, this is a nice, nice jingle or this is horrible,
269
00:28:41,040 -->
00:28:47,200
whatever. You never know who wrote it, who's playing there and who's singing. So, um, as I
270
00:28:47,200 -->
00:28:54,000
said, this was a very lucrative career, but also kind of a secret. And it gave me time to write
271
00:28:54,000 -->
00:28:59,040
other types of music that I wanted to write. It also gave me access to other musicians who were
272
00:28:59,040 -->
00:29:03,600
fine musicians. I said, would you like to play this? Would you like to record it? Yeah, absolutely.
273
00:29:03,600 -->
00:29:09,760
So, and that's why I said that my commercial in record career started later than that. And,
274
00:29:09,760 -->
00:29:14,320
and that's why the Grammys and all that. For some things, that's true, but then,
275
00:29:14,320 -->
00:29:21,120
no, because I was, you know, basically involved in writing music or commercials. And well, yeah,
276
00:29:21,120 -->
00:29:28,560
but what he's not telling you is there's a record of his that has become the super cult classic.
277
00:29:28,560 -->
00:29:36,320
That this is a really cool story and it's your story. So you know, graffiti is your story. You
278
00:29:36,320 -->
00:29:43,680
get to tell it briefly. It's a recording that I did in 1977. It was called graffiti. I did it in
279
00:29:43,680 -->
00:29:49,760
one day and the record was never released properly. Nothing happened with this recording. I totally
280
00:29:49,760 -->
00:29:56,560
forgot about that. I gave one copy to my mother and friends, but understand what's on it is that
281
00:29:56,560 -->
00:30:04,000
it's wool stuff. Plus he's playing on it and he's singing on it. And he's got these amazing
282
00:30:04,000 -->
00:30:11,200
musicians on it. And at the time it was really a groundbreaking kind of musical event to do what
283
00:30:12,400 -->
00:30:17,760
20 years after that, I got a call from London that they wanted to put one of the tracks of graffiti
284
00:30:17,760 -->
00:30:22,960
on a compilation. And I said, fine, you know, I mean, how do you know this tune? I went, well,
285
00:30:22,960 -->
00:30:28,880
you know, we heard it in a disco. I gave them the rights. They put it out. And 10 years after that,
286
00:30:28,880 -->
00:30:35,360
I got a call from Germany. They wanted to put out the whole album. Last year, another call from
287
00:30:35,360 -->
00:30:40,560
England. They put out the album in England. But the thing is that at one point with Google and
288
00:30:40,560 -->
00:30:45,840
everything, I started looking for graffiti and I found my album going in an auction for $500.
289
00:30:45,840 -->
00:30:53,440
Oh, wow. And I said, but I don't even have an album. I don't think I want to spend $500 on an
290
00:30:53,440 -->
00:31:02,160
old album. It became kind of a hit on the discotheques. Yeah. In London, this particular track called
291
00:31:02,160 -->
00:31:09,920
Cocofunk. Cocofunk. And as a result of that last year, no, this year, we went to, last year I was
292
00:31:09,920 -->
00:31:17,840
in London. I saw the people and I did an interview for the BBC with Giles Peterson. Last year, I
293
00:31:17,840 -->
00:31:22,960
thought I was going to be there for 10 minutes. I was there for two hours. And this year they invited
294
00:31:22,960 -->
00:31:30,720
me. We went back to England. This time we sailed on the Queen Mary too. And I was invited to this
295
00:31:30,720 -->
00:31:37,680
record release party where they had my albums as well. And to sign some copies. I said, fine,
296
00:31:37,680 -->
00:31:42,640
maybe sign one copy, whatever. No, I was there. There was a lot of people bringing me not only
297
00:31:42,640 -->
00:31:48,720
that album, but also other albums that I have done. First pressings though, understand. The
298
00:31:48,720 -->
00:31:54,000
original pressing of all these records, some of which we don't have either. Right. And all these
299
00:31:54,000 -->
00:31:59,760
people were like, Hosanna, hosanna. We're so excited to meet you. You are a legend to us.
300
00:32:00,320 -->
00:32:06,160
It was really fun to watch that. It really was. DJs from all over the UK
301
00:32:06,160 -->
00:32:12,960
converged on this bookstore on the East end of London. I mean, it was such a gas.
302
00:32:12,960 -->
00:32:20,400
So that kind of answers your question. It was an accumulation of things during the years. And then,
303
00:32:20,400 -->
00:32:27,120
as I said, when I quit the business of doing music for shampoos and airlines, I started writing more
304
00:32:27,120 -->
00:32:32,960
music and releasing more music. And I was lucky to be on a label like Sonic Side Records and
305
00:32:32,960 -->
00:32:38,720
also Chesky Records where Alison also recorded. Some of those products were out and I was amazed
306
00:32:38,720 -->
00:32:46,000
when I first got my first nomination. We were in Argentina with Alison doing concerts in Chaco.
307
00:32:46,000 -->
00:32:52,320
Yeah, we were in the right, which is the North of Argentina. You know, it was a festival and
308
00:32:52,320 -->
00:32:58,240
we were going to play, but we did play. Anyway, and I had submitted this recording. I'd submitted.
309
00:32:58,240 -->
00:33:06,480
It closed like he's like, forget it. And it's like, I have a feeling I'm submitting it.
310
00:33:06,480 -->
00:33:11,760
It was Tango Fatal. And we were in a hotel. I got a phone call from a friend and said,
311
00:33:11,760 -->
00:33:18,160
oh, you got a Grammy nomination. You got a what? What is in the papers? So I bought the newspaper
312
00:33:18,160 -->
00:33:24,640
and there I was. Yeah. Thanks to her. Yeah. And we forgot about it. I mean, you know, we went,
313
00:33:24,640 -->
00:33:30,320
we did our concert, we came back, we decided to go to the ceremony and the ceremony was going to
314
00:33:30,320 -->
00:33:37,280
be on September 11, 2001. We got there the day before we flew the day before. And I originally
315
00:33:37,280 -->
00:33:44,320
had planned to fly the day off and Carlos was like, no, you're coming with me the day before. So I did.
316
00:33:44,320 -->
00:33:48,000
Well, the worst that could happen. I mean, you know, just imagine, but I mean, you could have been
317
00:33:48,000 -->
00:33:54,960
strapped. Anyway, everything was was canceled, of course, you know, and this is on a Tuesday.
318
00:33:54,960 -->
00:34:02,080
And on Friday, we rented a car and drove back from Los Angeles to New Jersey. We couldn't get
319
00:34:02,080 -->
00:34:08,320
any other way. We tried to get on trains to Chicago, buses to Chicago, anywhere. We couldn't get
320
00:34:08,320 -->
00:34:13,520
anything. And so I started calling rental car companies. We got one of the last cars out,
321
00:34:13,520 -->
00:34:20,000
in fact, that we could get. And yeah, we drove home. Oh, my goodness. What a story.
322
00:34:21,120 -->
00:34:26,800
And then three months after that, they call me on the phone, the president of the Recording Academy
323
00:34:26,800 -->
00:34:32,080
and said, we would like you to come to Los Angeles. There's going to be this presentation
324
00:34:32,080 -->
00:34:37,120
of the Grammys that we couldn't do. And it's going to be in December. And then I said, well,
325
00:34:37,120 -->
00:34:41,920
I don't know if I want to fly. I don't know if I want to go to 3000 miles to Los Angeles.
326
00:34:41,920 -->
00:34:46,880
And this person said, I understand. But you have to understand why I call you. And then
327
00:34:47,680 -->
00:34:53,120
a couple of days after that, I, you know, it was in the newspapers that I have won my my first
328
00:34:53,120 -->
00:34:59,520
Latin Grammy. That was a Latin Grammy for tango. And then the other ones came. I was a name there
329
00:34:59,520 -->
00:35:04,800
that people would look at when they see, you know, the list. And some people, I think some
330
00:35:04,800 -->
00:35:10,640
people just voted for out of sympathy for me or whatever. Some people like what I don't know.
331
00:35:10,640 -->
00:35:16,880
I don't know. I don't think so. I think when you have somebody, you know, and have won a Grammy or
332
00:35:17,840 -->
00:35:23,120
an award or whatever, you know, and you're not too sure about certain categories,
333
00:35:23,120 -->
00:35:27,280
you know, being in classical music, you don't expect 10,000 people to vote for you.
334
00:35:28,160 -->
00:35:34,080
Or like a fraction of that. So it happens also in jazz and other categories that are not so
335
00:35:34,080 -->
00:35:41,040
it's not pop or or Latin or anything like that rock. It's more selective. And, you know, but I,
336
00:35:41,040 -->
00:35:48,160
you know, I got very lucky. No, you deserve to. Yeah. But you know, you you have the five awards
337
00:35:48,160 -->
00:35:55,200
to or six, six awards to prove that that's not out of sympathy that you got the notes.
338
00:35:55,200 -->
00:36:03,280
So I would. But I think I'd like to think that the vast majority voted because of the,
339
00:36:03,280 -->
00:36:09,920
you know, the music. Of course. Yes. Incredible. Now, then, Allison, so how about you?
340
00:36:10,480 -->
00:36:16,160
When how did you discover the love for music and get to where you are right now, especially,
341
00:36:16,160 -->
00:36:21,680
you know, you have such an interesting experiences, you know, Grammy Award, classical music tribute
342
00:36:21,680 -->
00:36:27,600
to Earl Wilde and Lang Lang at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in L.A. And yeah, many other things.
343
00:36:27,600 -->
00:36:36,960
But where was the beginning? I don't remember. I and I kid you not. I am told that when I was two,
344
00:36:36,960 -->
00:36:41,840
my parents got their first piano was a spin it. Now, my grandmother taught piano locally for like
345
00:36:41,840 -->
00:36:48,560
55 years. And I evidently started really figuring out how to play the piano. I didn't do the baby
346
00:36:48,560 -->
00:36:53,920
bang, bang, bang. I actually figured out how to play. What I can tell you is that I can remember
347
00:36:53,920 -->
00:36:58,960
by the time I was four, I could play whatever I wanted. If I heard it, I could figure out how
348
00:36:58,960 -->
00:37:04,000
to play it. I could play it. Whatever key I can make it major, I can make it minor. If I heard
349
00:37:04,000 -->
00:37:10,160
stuff, I could sing it. I have perfect pitch so I could sing it so I could sing all sorts of scores
350
00:37:10,160 -->
00:37:16,160
of Broadway shows, because that's a lot of what was played in my house and Harry Belafonte records
351
00:37:16,160 -->
00:37:23,440
and stuff like that. So when I was sick, my mother and my grandmother took me for a consultation to
352
00:37:23,440 -->
00:37:30,640
Juilliard because my grandmother said I was beyond anything that she could teach. And I got assigned
353
00:37:30,640 -->
00:37:36,080
a Juilliard pre-college teacher at the time. Started actually at Juilliard when I was either
354
00:37:36,080 -->
00:37:42,800
eight or nine. And then when Juilliard moved, I ended up at Manhattan School of Music. So I
355
00:37:43,360 -->
00:37:49,040
then did pre-college there, got my bachelor's at Manhattan, my master's at Juilliard. And then
356
00:37:49,040 -->
00:37:55,600
way later, I got my doctorate at Rutgers. So that was, and I had not planned on that,
357
00:37:55,600 -->
00:38:02,160
but I was already teaching at King University and a whole bunch of people from completely different
358
00:38:02,160 -->
00:38:06,080
parts of my life. I had nothing to do with each other since when are you going to get a doctorate?
359
00:38:06,080 -->
00:38:12,480
And when you hear enough of that, you start thinking, hmm. So I looked into various programs
360
00:38:12,480 -->
00:38:19,440
and Rutgers was really happy to have me. And I was an older candidate for a doctorate, which is not
361
00:38:19,440 -->
00:38:25,760
unusual at Rutgers at all. So I finished my doctorate when our daughter finished high school. It was
362
00:38:25,760 -->
00:38:30,960
like at the same time. So I kind of sailed through, I was very fortunate. Two years and seven months
363
00:38:30,960 -->
00:38:35,920
from the time I started in the classroom, my doctorate, I finished all my exams and I was done.
364
00:38:35,920 -->
00:38:41,280
Yeah, I really blazed my way through that one. And while I was also not only teaching at King,
365
00:38:41,280 -->
00:38:46,560
but I was teaching at Rutgers. I was an active performer and our daughter was also in the midst
366
00:38:46,560 -->
00:38:54,160
of college application. Oh, wow. And my dad passed in the midst of all that. No, no, he died right
367
00:38:54,160 -->
00:39:02,640
after I finished. So it was, it was quite a time. And my doctorate was based on a Polish composer
368
00:39:03,280 -->
00:39:09,360
named Mieściciel Weinberg. A lot of his music at the time that I did was not published yet. It now
369
00:39:09,360 -->
00:39:16,800
all is. And so I was the first person to record a lot of that music too. So there's a four record set
370
00:39:16,800 -->
00:39:23,840
that Noxos put out and then they combined it into one complete set that they released in 2015.
371
00:39:23,840 -->
00:39:30,400
And I had very little time to learn all of it. So initially I'd done two records worth then I was
372
00:39:30,400 -->
00:39:36,480
offered first crack in all these archives. And so I got in touch with Noxos and said, are you willing
373
00:39:36,480 -->
00:39:42,480
to suspend my deadlines? Because I have now lucked out. I have access to all this music. If you're
374
00:39:42,480 -->
00:39:48,320
willing to play ball with me, you will have it too. And that's pretty much what happened. So
375
00:39:49,120 -->
00:39:54,800
four records worth of music, basically recording about a five day period, but not all at the same
376
00:39:54,800 -->
00:40:01,440
time. So some of it was recording 2009, some of it was recording 2010. And then the rest happened
377
00:40:01,440 -->
00:40:10,400
from there. And which albums did you receive the nomination? Okay. So the first one was No,
378
00:40:10,400 -->
00:40:16,480
that was later. The very first record I received the nomination for was the Latin Grammys for Tango.
379
00:40:16,480 -->
00:40:23,120
Year after Carlos won, I didn't, but that was a record called Tango Bar. And Tango Bar, I wasn't
380
00:40:23,120 -->
00:40:29,680
even originally supposed to play on it. I was supposed to do something else. And then I said,
381
00:40:29,680 -->
00:40:34,960
well, you were adjudicating for the Eskia. Right. Allison should play this. And I produced kind of
382
00:40:34,960 -->
00:40:40,480
produced after it was recorded because I would go to the sessions when they would finish in
383
00:40:40,480 -->
00:40:47,760
basically the driver back to New Jersey. But I was actually the one who then put things in order
384
00:40:47,760 -->
00:40:52,720
and any edits that got done and stuff. I actually was the one to do that. So anyway, that was the
385
00:40:52,720 -->
00:40:58,720
first one. That was the first one was when we were nominated together for the Grammy. And that was
386
00:40:58,720 -->
00:41:06,080
Poet Adadabal. That was for best classical. It was crossover. And Carlos was nominated
387
00:41:06,080 -->
00:41:12,160
for an arrangement of a piece that actually I mostly wrote. Right. Which was, I hadn't composed
388
00:41:12,160 -->
00:41:17,840
for a while. And Carlos kind of was like, would you write something for this? And to humor him,
389
00:41:18,400 -->
00:41:25,760
I wrote most of this particular tango that then he got nominated for the arrangement, which is
390
00:41:25,760 -->
00:41:34,240
simply gorgeous. Then I was nominated for a solo record that was on Naxos. That was
391
00:41:36,320 -->
00:41:42,320
that was 20th Century Piano Sonatas. So I was nominated for that. I lost to Garrett Goulson.
392
00:41:42,320 -->
00:41:47,760
I thought I was going to lose to Mark Andre Hamlin. And I remember thinking at the time
393
00:41:48,400 -->
00:41:55,120
that I'm so honored to whom I'm going to lose to because I knew I wouldn't win given
394
00:41:55,120 -->
00:41:59,920
that. Well, you never know. You never know. But I was pretty sure I wasn't going to win. But I was
395
00:41:59,920 -->
00:42:05,440
very excited to nominate. Tell us about the repertoire that you played on. So the repertoire on that was the Berk
396
00:42:05,440 -->
00:42:12,400
Sonata. Then these pieces by Schoenberg, which at the time were not being performed. And they were
397
00:42:12,400 -->
00:42:19,280
very early pieces from 1894. Then the Hindemith Second Piano Sonata. But then I did the complete
398
00:42:19,280 -->
00:42:29,440
Carl Amadeus Sonata 25 April, 24 or whatever, 27 April 1945. The whole Sonata had not been recorded
399
00:42:29,440 -->
00:42:36,000
at that point. Parts of it had been. So it's actually it although there are four movements,
400
00:42:36,000 -->
00:42:42,160
the last movement has two different versions. One of the most difficult pieces I have ever,
401
00:42:42,160 -->
00:42:49,040
ever attempted to do. And Carlos actually told me about this composer because Carlos was familiar
402
00:42:49,040 -->
00:42:56,640
with his symphonies, which are not done in this country, but they're fabulous pieces. So Harman
403
00:42:56,640 -->
00:43:04,240
was German and he did not allow his music to be performed during the war. And this particular
404
00:43:04,240 -->
00:43:12,240
piece was based on seeing prisoners march to Dachau at the very end of the war. And that's why it's
405
00:43:12,240 -->
00:43:21,680
called 27 April 1945. That's what it's about. So it was it was extraordinary getting to actually
406
00:43:21,680 -->
00:43:29,200
do this record, which we did at Skywalker. And before the ceremony, you play for Lang Lang and
407
00:43:30,320 -->
00:43:37,680
in a while. I mean, it was a tribute to both of them and to the music of the Rekhmaninov,
408
00:43:37,680 -->
00:43:42,960
the transcriptions of Rekhmaninov that Earl Wilde had done. So I was asked to do O Cease Thy
409
00:43:42,960 -->
00:43:48,960
Singing, the Earl Wilde transcription. And I have to say that Lang Lang was very, very impressed
410
00:43:48,960 -->
00:43:57,200
and complimentary of you and your playing. She won't pay that, but I was there. He was very nice.
411
00:43:57,200 -->
00:44:01,840
He really was nice. So was Earl Wilde, who I've known for my Juilliard days, although I had not
412
00:44:01,840 -->
00:44:08,400
studied with him. And so Earl at this point was blind and wasn't performing in public anymore.
413
00:44:08,400 -->
00:44:14,320
But he did. He played a fantasy impromptu that was just beautiful. It was really beautiful and very
414
00:44:14,320 -->
00:44:21,920
touching to hear him play at that point. So then after that, I was nominated for a Latin Grammy for
415
00:44:21,920 -->
00:44:28,240
Alma Piano Music of Argentina. And then we were nominated together for a record called Buenos
416
00:44:28,240 -->
00:44:34,400
Aires and more. And so those are the nominations. I think I've thought of all of them. So those are
417
00:44:34,400 -->
00:44:41,040
mine. His I lost track of. There's so many. Carlson's nominated a grand total between the two, I think,
418
00:44:41,040 -->
00:44:48,960
16 times, something like that. Oh my goodness. Hey there, TPP family. The Piano Pod is now into
419
00:44:48,960 -->
00:44:56,320
our fourth season and it's all thanks to you. Since 2020, you've been with my journey with the TPP,
420
00:44:56,320 -->
00:45:02,240
exploring this burning question. How do we make classical music resonate with today's audience in
421
00:45:02,240 -->
00:45:08,720
fresh and captivating ways? Four years in and the journey has been nothing short of magical. The
422
00:45:08,720 -->
00:45:15,520
Piano Pod isn't just a podcast. It's a movement, a space where pianists, composers and educators
423
00:45:15,520 -->
00:45:22,720
brainstorm, debate and reimagine classical music's place in our fast paced world. We're together on a
424
00:45:22,720 -->
00:45:29,200
mission to ensure classical music doesn't just survive, but thrives in our modern age. But here's
425
00:45:29,200 -->
00:45:35,760
the thing to keep bringing you these insightful biweekly episodes. I need your help. Every bit of
426
00:45:35,760 -->
00:45:42,320
support goes into the podcast essentials from hosting to high quality recording tech and the
427
00:45:42,320 -->
00:45:48,320
countless hours behind the scenes. So do you want to be part of this journey? Click the PayPal link
428
00:45:48,320 -->
00:45:54,160
in the show notes or head to the pianopod.com to donate. And as a token of appreciation,
429
00:45:54,720 -->
00:46:02,480
I will personally mail you the Piano Pod's snazzy logo sticker. So hit the subscribe button,
430
00:46:02,480 -->
00:46:08,480
spread the word and let's continue our mission and journey as classical musicians. Now let's
431
00:46:08,480 -->
00:46:14,960
continue with the show. Yeah, you both have individually has this incredible career,
432
00:46:14,960 -->
00:46:21,760
but then now let's talk about you together. You know, you're basically finishing sentences
433
00:46:21,760 -->
00:46:34,560
to each other. We look like an old couple. So sweet. That's so sweet. Now, you maybe mentioned
434
00:46:34,560 -->
00:46:39,280
already, but what was the like a sort of a defining moment you realized you wanted to build a,
435
00:46:39,280 -->
00:46:45,520
not only the life, but also career together? Or is it did it happen like, sort of because you started
436
00:46:45,520 -->
00:46:49,680
your relationship as a professional relationship. So maybe that was a natural thing.
437
00:46:50,560 -->
00:46:56,640
We continue that. We don't have to be Laurel and Hardy. We don't work together all the time,
438
00:46:56,640 -->
00:47:03,520
but it's wonderful to work together. So sometimes I have like, I have a project now to this suite,
439
00:47:03,520 -->
00:47:09,680
the three piano suite. I want to orchestrate that for one piano and orchestra. So it will be
440
00:47:09,680 -->
00:47:17,120
available for Alison and other pianists to play it without having to go and give to other pianists.
441
00:47:17,680 -->
00:47:25,040
You know, and it's something that I just finished composing a piece and something that I will do
442
00:47:25,040 -->
00:47:31,760
during the winter to orchestrate this and to create a suite for piano and orchestra. And obviously
443
00:47:31,760 -->
00:47:35,120
Alison will be the first one. She'll have the first refusal.
444
00:47:36,720 -->
00:47:43,200
Yeah. So yeah, working together for us is really very organic. And it was fun.
445
00:47:43,200 -->
00:47:48,640
We really do. And we have fun traveling together and working together. So yeah.
446
00:47:48,640 -->
00:47:53,840
And you know, the only, the only difficulty I have with Carl's music is sometimes he'll write
447
00:47:53,840 -->
00:47:58,720
these 10s in the left hand and I really can't reach him and he has an 11th and it's just not.
448
00:47:58,720 -->
00:48:01,520
Oh my goodness. Yeah, he really does.
449
00:48:01,520 -->
00:48:05,440
But no, but I said, no, I understand. You know, you can roll them.
450
00:48:05,440 -->
00:48:11,920
Right. Yeah. So in tango that doesn't work really well. So sometimes occasionally I'll do a re-voicing
451
00:48:11,920 -->
00:48:16,800
or ask Carlos, can I do this or can I do this? He's, and he's done some really challenging
452
00:48:16,800 -->
00:48:22,000
stuff. His piano concerti are very challenging to play, but super rewarding.
453
00:48:22,000 -->
00:48:28,880
And it's beautiful. I enjoyed listening to. Yeah, really. So Carlos, when you compose music for the
454
00:48:28,880 -->
00:48:33,760
piano, does Alison's influence shape your creative process? Can you?
455
00:48:34,560 -->
00:48:41,520
Yeah, I learned a great deal from, you know, I mean, I could write the piece that will be played,
456
00:48:42,320 -->
00:48:47,360
you know, but, but she would give me some certain points about, you know, do this, this way I think
457
00:48:47,360 -->
00:48:54,640
is, you know, we voice this or whatever, not only because of her hand, but because it practical sense
458
00:48:54,640 -->
00:49:01,600
of writing something that is much more playable for other pianists. But I asked her, I mean, you
459
00:49:01,600 -->
00:49:07,280
know, I just finished a symphony. I wanted to write a fourth symphony and I just finished it,
460
00:49:07,280 -->
00:49:14,160
you know, like a couple of days ago. And I call Alison and say, what do you think of this? Oh,
461
00:49:14,160 -->
00:49:19,440
yeah, I like it. I think you're close. I think you're, you know, I kind of, because at this point,
462
00:49:19,440 -->
00:49:26,720
I am so immersed in the music. I work sometimes six, eight hours a day. And at one point I lose
463
00:49:27,360 -->
00:49:33,280
the concept of, you know, being objective and not so subjected to, well, I like it. But I mean,
464
00:49:33,280 -->
00:49:37,840
is this resignation that I accept this thing? I have to play for somebody else who better than
465
00:49:37,840 -->
00:49:44,560
Alison. So I do this and I can see her reactions to all the music. Like yesterday I told her,
466
00:49:44,560 -->
00:49:48,960
you know, the last movement of this symphony, you know what it's based on? Give me three composers.
467
00:49:48,960 -->
00:49:59,520
She said, Shostakovich, Mother, I said, no, Rossini. And I went, what? And then he showed me what?
468
00:49:59,520 -->
00:50:09,520
And he said, and I went, okay, I see that. But you liked it, right? I did. I did. And,
469
00:50:09,520 -->
00:50:15,280
and in fact, you know, Carlos had worked on several different versions of a particular section,
470
00:50:15,280 -->
00:50:22,000
right? He's been working on it, working on it, working on it. And he played a version for me
471
00:50:22,000 -->
00:50:27,120
last night and said, that's the one, you know, I knew immediately I went, that's the one. And,
472
00:50:27,120 -->
00:50:34,000
and I could tell also that he felt the same way. I agonize over the ending. One of the
473
00:50:34,000 -->
00:50:40,640
difficult things to do is to stop the piece, to bring it to a conclusion. And, you know,
474
00:50:40,640 -->
00:50:46,160
I found it so difficult after four movements and I did it kind of chronological order.
475
00:50:46,720 -->
00:50:52,720
So I kept the last movement, this kind of Rossini for the end. And I found that it was so difficult,
476
00:50:52,720 -->
00:50:59,200
I could end the piece, but the ending wasn't to, wasn't going to be what the piece required,
477
00:50:59,840 -->
00:51:05,040
not that particular movement, but the other three movements, you know, I have to think from the
478
00:51:05,040 -->
00:51:10,880
beginning of it to the end, it's 45 minutes long, it's a long symphony. That's what I can, you know,
479
00:51:10,880 -->
00:51:16,960
I can, I can develop this and develop and keep going and going and going. And then at the end,
480
00:51:16,960 -->
00:51:24,000
eventually this has to, you know, it cannot just stop, you know, so I was trying to end
481
00:51:24,000 -->
00:51:29,360
not toying with the idea, well, it has to be a brilliant ending, like a Star Wars kind of thing.
482
00:51:29,360 -->
00:51:39,200
So, and, you know, it made me stop for a week, right? I mean, basically, and kind of retreat and
483
00:51:39,200 -->
00:51:44,880
start thinking the music away from the medium, away from the piano. I don't use the piano to
484
00:51:44,880 -->
00:51:49,920
compose, but I use a keyboard because I enter the notes to the computer with a keyboard. But
485
00:51:51,120 -->
00:51:56,320
it's good sometimes to take distance, you know, and so this is not going anywhere.
486
00:51:56,320 -->
00:52:01,440
And then the music comes back to you and it keeps you awake at night. And then it's the
487
00:52:01,440 -->
00:52:08,640
time to dive in and write in things. And when I do compose, which is only for very select kinds
488
00:52:08,640 -->
00:52:13,840
of things that I do, I'll turn to Carlos for advice, especially if I have to do an arrangement
489
00:52:13,840 -->
00:52:20,320
of something. So a few months ago, I co-wrote a song that came out very differently than the
490
00:52:20,320 -->
00:52:26,160
lyricist thought it was going to. And it turned out really, really well. So he asked me, could I
491
00:52:26,160 -->
00:52:33,520
could I do an arrangement, add winds and harp and strings to it? So I did. I turned to Carlos a
492
00:52:33,520 -->
00:52:39,280
couple of times and said, what do you think would work here in a particular spot? And he said,
493
00:52:39,280 -->
00:52:45,680
well, try this, try this, try this, which I did. And then she played it for me. Then I played the
494
00:52:45,680 -->
00:52:51,600
full arrangement. And he, when I was done with it, he said, sounds like me. And I said, it sounds
495
00:52:51,600 -->
00:52:58,880
like, it looks like I wrote it. Which he didn't. But I made the voicing and everything. And it's
496
00:52:58,880 -->
00:53:03,040
just a couple of suggestions he'd made. But he said, it sounds like I wrote it. And I said,
497
00:53:03,680 -->
00:53:09,840
well, I take that as an extreme compliment, because I don't think of myself that way. And
498
00:53:10,400 -->
00:53:16,000
I used to, you know, in teaching, I would have to rewrite pieces for students all the time.
499
00:53:16,000 -->
00:53:20,000
Well, there is good and bad. It sounds like I wrote it. I don't want to say that. If I write it,
500
00:53:20,000 -->
00:53:27,600
it's, you know, it's bad. No, no, I took it as an extreme compliment. Yeah. And there are some
501
00:53:27,600 -->
00:53:33,360
other, a couple of times where Carlos entrusted me to write a couple of arrangements for things
502
00:53:33,360 -->
00:53:39,920
for projects. In fact, where people had no idea that I'd done it, but it was because I know how
503
00:53:39,920 -->
00:53:44,960
he writes, you know, and so, but he would make suggestions about how to voice certain things that
504
00:53:44,960 -->
00:53:49,920
I hadn't thought of that I just went, oh, that texture is this way cooler than what I thought to
505
00:53:49,920 -->
00:53:55,040
do. And then all of a sudden she decides to call me and said, let's play. Let's do this thing. And
506
00:53:55,040 -->
00:54:02,960
then I have to go back to. So now he's going to have to practice. To practice. Wow. So you both
507
00:54:02,960 -->
00:54:08,800
are the good influence and good impact for one another. That's that. Oh, I know. Absolutely.
508
00:54:08,800 -->
00:54:14,080
Yeah. That's for sure. We really do bring out the best in each other constantly.
509
00:54:14,640 -->
00:54:18,080
And it's really great to have that kind of support.
510
00:54:20,560 -->
00:54:25,440
And that's a wrap for the first part of this engaging episode on the piano pod with Grammy
511
00:54:25,440 -->
00:54:30,480
and Latin Grammy award winning artists, Carlos Franzetti and Alison Brewster Franzetti.
512
00:54:31,200 -->
00:54:36,400
If you've been enjoying our episodes, please rate and review us on your favorite podcast platform.
513
00:54:36,400 -->
00:54:41,440
You can also watch this episode on the piano pods YouTube channel. Please find us on social
514
00:54:41,440 -->
00:54:47,440
media to get the latest piano news via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. All the links
515
00:54:47,440 -->
00:54:53,680
are in the description. Tuning next Tuesday, December 19th at 8 p.m. for the rest of the
516
00:54:53,680 -->
00:55:06,960
interview with Carlos Franzetti and Alison Brewster Franzetti.
