The Generation Gap

The young Chiara String Quartet has been making a name for itself over the past decade, whether by performing in residence at the Juilliard School or in the rural community of Grand Forks, North Dakota. The quartet, which takes their name from an Italian term meaning “light, pure or clear,” performs the music of Shostakovich live in the WNYC studio. Also on the show, we visit with author, teacher, and radio personality David Dubal, who joins us to address a very pertinent question: are today’s classical pianists boring? Dubal is the author of The Art of the Piano and is moderating a film series at the Mostly Mozart Festival devoted to rare concert and rehearsal footage of keyboard giants like Maurizio Pollini and Rudolf Serkin. Dubal sheds some light on the Golden Age of the pianist (which lasted from roughly 1830 to 1960) and he looks at living pianists today who may fall under the same rubric.
Additional Resources:
» More about The Art of the Piano
» Chiara String Quartet Web site