Podcast / Writing

Podcast

Hello. This is Jeremy Menuhin, composer and pianist. I wish, in this series, to share my reflections about some, mainly musical, subjects that have preoccupied me for a long time. After introducing myself in a first podcast, consisting of a short talk with my wife, Mookie Menuhin, I will discuss Linearity in Music, What we mean by the word Contemporary, the Question of Legato, What we mean by Technique, to mention a few subjects. The discussion occasionally raises philosophical issues, but I hope that might interest you, dear listener, as music touches us on many levels.

I consider myself rebellious, as I am against the sonic experiments that masquerade as serious music, but in favour of resurrecting the disciplines we have abandoned and which lie at the core of the great European tradition.

The biggest musical influences in my life were Nadia Boulanger, with whom I studied composition, and Yehudi Menuhin, with whom I played and recorded many works. He happened to be my father, too.

I hope this series will engage you and allow you to find common ground with my ideas and convictions.

Concluding Segment for each episode:

Thank you for listening. If you’d like to leave a comment you’re welcome to do so on iTunes.

If you would like to stay in touch with me, I invite you to visit my website at jeremymenuhin.com and join my newsletter.

On legato

The Italian word for ‘tied’, ‘linked’, ‘related’, is the principal way in which one note relates to another.

Writing

A musician’s journey

A musician’s journey is an interior one, and requires isolation. A place that is inaccessible to vehicles and remote from other people and buildings allows this to happen. The sense of solitude is enhanced by putting on skis with sealskins underneath, climbing the...