In Perfect Harmony

Featuring the "Classical Music Happy Hour" - wherein a world-class pianist (and oenophile) hosts a podcast in conversation with other musical greats

The Classical Music Happy Hour with Emanuel Ax podcast from WNYC Studios and Carnegie Hall opens with the sound of a Champagne cork popping and wine being poured. At least I’ve decided it’s the sound of a Champagne cork since its host, the famed pianist Emanuel Ax, is a Champagne fan and true oenophile.

The charming Mr. Ax (whom his guests call “Manny” so I will too) poses musical questions to his equally charming, equally talented guests who are by turns thought-provoking and playful. Although the podcast debuted only a few months ago, Manny has already amassed a roster of boldface musical talent among his featured guests. Recent guests include superstar cellist Yo Yo Ma (Manny’s dear friend); Nicholas Britell, the award-winning composer who wrote the stunning soundtrack to Succession as well scores for The Big Short and If Beale Street Could Talk; and David Hyde Pierce aka Niles Crane from Frasier with whom Manny plays a game called Animal or Instrument.

The conversation is casual – it feels like you’re eavesdropping on a chat between two friends- if said friends happen to be musical superstars. The duo will play music (the Manny and Yo Yo duet was my favorite) and field questions from listeners with queries such as “How do pianists with small hands like Alicia de la Rocha handle the really big pieces that need big hands?” and “If I like John Williams’s music what concert pieces might I enjoy?” Both host and guest supply answers. To the latter question Britell suggested Elgar and Holst while Manny chose Strauss.

As one might expect of a show with “Happy Hour” in the title Manny asks his guests to name his or her favorite drink. A few cite wine while a surprising number, including composer Gabriela Ortiz, choose Mezcal although Ortiz also likes a “good dry white.” Britell is a fan of “red wine- French reds, Italian reds- Bordeaux, Barolo.”

For his part, Manny loves the wines of John Kongsgaard, the Napa Valley wine producer as famous for his support of the classical music world as for his Chardonnays, Syrahs and Cabernets. When musicians play at the Kongsgaard estate they are paid in wine, Manny noted in an email. “We love his fantastic Chardonnay, and he has made other whites, which we also adore- a Sauvignon Blanc, an Albariño, and a new blend that is just starting out.”

Manny enjoys less expensive wines too (Kongsgaard wines can be pricey) and named a couple highly affordable wines such as La Vieille Ferme rosé, which costs about $10 a bottle and Cava, the sparkling wine of Spain. “We like a lot of Cava,” he said.

Since Manny didn’t name a specific brand, I decided to do a bit of Cava shopping myself to see if I could find a wine worthy of a musical superstar. I stopped by one of my favorite New York stores -the modestly-monikered “Some Good Wine” where proprietor Jeremy Block, a classical music lover, suggested the Amaltea de Loxarel Brut Nature Reserva Cava ($21) a crisp, minerally biodynamic sparkler that was zippy and bright – not unlike Manny himself!

www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/classical-music-happy-hour

Photo: Emanuel Ax photographed by Nigel Parry

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