Épisodes

  • Danny Elfman Crosses Over

    Danny Elfman Crosses Over
    Mar 11 2026
    Richie has often told us that Danny Elfman’s score to “Batman” was what inspired him to pursue music as his vocation. Stratton on the other hand discovered Danny Elfman not just as another very good film composer, but as a composer of what Stratton would call concert pieces in the best tradition of classical music. After reviewing Elfman’s unlikely journey as a music maker, Richie and Stratton discuss Stratton’s belief that Elfman has become a composer who is forging the future of classical music.
    Voir plus Voir moins
    18 min
  • Brothers

    Brothers
    Mar 11 2026
    Stratton noticed that Richie has a brother who is a working musician. He began to wonder about other brothers who both have made music their livelihood. In the classical period there were the Haydn brothers, Joseph and Michael. Then in the full bloom of musical romanticism two young pianists became the toast of Russia, the brothers Anton and Nicolai Rubinstein. In our time at least two successful “bands” were built around brothers; The Kinks featuring Dave and Ray Davies, and the British band with the warring brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher.
    Voir plus Voir moins
    16 min
  • Jazz Fusion

    Jazz Fusion
    Mar 11 2026
    JAZZ FUSION is a distinct strain of American musical practice; one that Stratton has largely ignored over a lifetime of music listening. Can Richie really catch him up by, once again, making Stratton apply his considerable skills as a listener to a genre of music that has enriched Richie’s own life?
    Voir plus Voir moins
    16 min
  • Oceans

    Oceans
    Mar 11 2026
    Stratton’s plan was to talk about pieces that reference “the sea”, except Richie wants to talk about pieces that he describes as “oceanic” instead. It’s all about what lurks below the surface.
    Voir plus Voir moins
    16 min
  • Jangle Pop

    Jangle Pop
    Jan 16 2026
    Richie introduces Stratton to jangle pop through three songs by the Scottish Band, Teenage Fanclub. To his own surprise, Stratton becomes a fast fan which prompts conversation about melody, craftsmanship, and the joy of the unexpected.
    Voir plus Voir moins
    17 min
  • Hardcore

    Hardcore
    Jan 16 2026
    Richie pushes Stratton far outside his comfort zone with "Fix Your Face" by the Dillinger Escape Plan, using it as an entry point into the genre of hardcore. The result is a surprising discussion about musical intensity, expression, and whether Beethoven might be classical music's original hardcore composer.
    Voir plus Voir moins
    15 min
  • Light in a Time of Darkness

    Light in a Time of Darkness
    Jan 16 2026
    What makes a piece of music feel like hope? Stratton and Richie explore works that shine as a "light in a time of darkness," drawing from music by Shostakovich, Rachmaninoff, Haydn, Handel, and Brahms.
    Voir plus Voir moins
    17 min
  • Might Be Right

    Might Be Right
    Jan 15 2026
    Richie claims that "Might Be Right" by White Reaper is a good example of what Mozart would be writing today if he were still alive and composing — and Stratton demands proof. Their debate leads to the exploration of the power pop genre and how great music transcends time and genre.
    Voir plus Voir moins
    15 min