Tempo, Cassadó and the Meaning of Music | Benjamin Zander

Welcome to the Euterpean Podcast, this is your host Zachary Davies. For this episode, I had the privilege of speaking to a remarkable guest – conductor, teacher, and founder of both the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra and the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra – Mr. Benjamin Zander. When writing this introduction, it was really hard to know where to start because Ben’s influence on my own music-making began years ago, probably when I was entering my teens. So, needless to say, I haven’t the words to sufficiently express my gratitude for this having taken place. Indeed, we cover many topics: from the use of tempo in Elgar and Beethoven, to the inherent spirituality of music, as well as the inexhaustible influence that Ben’s teacher, Gaspar Cassadó, continues to have on his interpretations. Such musical understanding is audible not only in Ben’s recordings, however, but also in his incredibly popular classes which are broadcast on YouTube, namely “interpretations of music: lessons for life.” It’s also apparent from the popularity of his TED talk, which as I record this approaches 15 million views, that classical music isn’t just for musicians or a small group of cognoscenti – it is for everyone – and this certainly comes across. In addition to the maestro’s spontaneous playing of examples on his piano in Boston, he has allowed me to close our conversation with a short excerpt of his recording of the second movement of Mahler’s second symphony, as played by the Philharmonia Orchestra.