KCRW Berlin Amplified: Leitmotifs

Dec 04 2020 2
KCRW Berlin Amplified: Leitmotifs Podcast artwork

A monthly podcast hosted by opera singer Fredrika Brillembourg featuring interviews with musicians and other prominent figures from the world of opera and classical music. The conversations touch on each guest’s original attraction to classical music, talk about their connection to Berlin, and explore each guest’s “leitmotif," or the one thing that brings them back to the refrain over and over again.

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Music critic Tim Page on his life-long obsession (Rebroadcast)

Dec 04 2020 5 mins  
Fredrika Brillembourg reconnects with her old friend, Pulitzer Prize winner and music critic Tim Page. He has worn many hats over the years as an author, editor, radio host and professor of journalism and music at the University of Southern California. (Originally aired Oct. 3, 2020)

Benjamin Hochman: 'In Mozart's music, every note is in the right place'

Nov 02 2020 5 mins  
In this episode of Leitmotifs, host Fredrika Brillembourg talks with pianist and conductor Benjamin Hochman. He has performed in major cities and festivals around the world, both as a soloist and chamber musician. Currently, Hochman is a research associate with Bard College Berlin and concert curator for the American Academy. Fredrika spoke with him about Mozart and Hochman's appro

Music critic Tim Page on his life-long obsession

Oct 02 2020 5 mins  
Fredrika Brillembourg reconnects with her old friend, Pulitzer Prize winner and music critic Tim Page. He has worn many hats over the years as an author, editor, radio host and professor of journalism and music at the University of Southern California.

Michael Naumann on supporting culture – there are ‘euros at the end of the tunnel’

Sep 11 2020 5 mins  
Host Fredrika Brillembourg Opera singer Fredrika Brillembourg talks to Michael Naumann.Opera singer Fredrika Brillembourg is back with another episode of Leitmotifs, this time with Michael Naumann. He served as commissioner for cultural affairs in the German federal government from 1998 to 2001 and since 2012, Naumann has been the director of the Barenboim-Said Academy.

Cellist Eckart Runge — Beyond the Artemis Quartet

Jul 17 2020 5 mins  
In 2019, after 30 years of being a member, cellist Eckart Runge left the world renowned Artemis Quartet to explore solo projects that combine various musical genres, including classical, jazz and rock. In this episode of our monthly series on classical music, he tells Fredrika Brillembourg about his life-long love for the cello and return to the stage.

Conductor without an orchestra – Marc Albrecht on finding a new passion in trying times

Jun 12 2020 5 mins  
Host Fredrika Brillembourg talks with German conductor Marc Albrecht, who was named ‘Conductor of the Year’ at last year’s International Opera Awards.

Donald Runnicles – ‘Music can be with you all the time’

May 15 2020 5 mins  
Host and opera singer Fredrika Brillembourg talks with conductor Donald Runnicles. He is the general music director of the Deutsche Oper Berlin and music director of the Grand Teton Music Festival in Jackson, Wyoming.

‘I’m not an artist, I’m an enabler’ – Deutsche Oper’s Dietmar Schwarz on past productions and future challenges

May 01 2020 5 mins  
Host and opera singer Fredrika Brillembourg talks with Dietmar Schwarz, Intendant of the Deutsche Oper Berlin since 2012. They look back on his career in the world of opera and discuss the challenges ahead.

When the stage falls silent

Apr 10 2020 5 mins  
Every month, opera singer Fredrika Brillembourg hosts “Leitmotifs”, but this month is different: all three opera houses in Berlin are closed and productions are on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic. Producer Monika Mueller-Kroll checked in with Fredrika on how she is spending her time during the outbreak without her colleagues and curtain calls.

All about that bass – Dominic Seldis on musical blessings and theatrical success

Mar 13 2020 5 mins  
Host and opera singer Fredrika Brillembourg speaks with Dominic Seldis. Seldis is the principal double bass player in the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam. He is also a teacher, a conductor, a TV personality and, most recently, the star of the stage show “Music, Maestro!”