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Friends and Rivals

November 4, 2025, 10:00 pm

George Crumb attends a performance at Alice Tully Hall in New York City (Photo: Peter Matthews, CC BY)

Friends or rivals? The interpersonal relationships between composers throughout history has been fraught with moments of tension as well as brotherhood. From the initially frigid relationship between Brahms and Tchaikovsky, to Joan Tower’s admiration of George Crumb, learn more about these friends (and rivals) through some of their beautiful, intimate chamber works.

Playlist

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Les saisons for Piano, Op. 37b
Inon Barnatan, Piano

George Crumb: Three Early Songs for Voice and Piano
Tony Arnold, Soprano; Gilbert Kalish, Piano

Joan Tower: Red Maple for Bassoon, Two Violins, Viola, and Cello
Peter Kolkay, Bassoon; Jeffrey Myers, Violin; Ryan Meehan,
Violin; Jeremy Berry, Viola; Estelle Choi, Cello

Johannes Brahms: Sonata in E-flat major for Viola and Piano, Op. 120, No. 2
Paul Neubauer, Viola; Inon Barnatan, Piano

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Meet the Host

Elliott Forrest is a Peabody Award winning broadcaster & producer. He is heard on New York’s Classical Music Radio Station 105.9FM – WQXR, WQXR.org and on WNYC. He’s been on the radio in New York City for 30 years. Elliott is the host and producer of the national radio concerts of The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. He regularly produces and designs large-scale symphonic concerts include those with the Houston Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, The New York Philharmonic, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony, New Haven Symphony, Pasadena Pops and the Little Orchestra Society in a variety of venues, including the Hollywood Bowl, Philadelphia’s Mann Center and Lincoln Center. For 3 years he curated and hosted a chamber music series at The Rubin Museum in NYC. He’s hosted more the 60 concerts at Carnegie Hall including all 4 years of the original SPRING FOR MUSIC concerts. He directs the annual radio drama of A CHRISTMAS CAROL for NY Public Radio, past cast members include: Jefferson Mays, Mark Linn-Baker, Brian Cox, F. Murray Abraham, David Hyde Pierce and Tony Roberts. As a popular orchestra narrator, he’s been featured in Saint-Saens’ Carnival of the Animals, Stravinsky’s Soldier’s Tale and Oedipus Rex, Britten’s Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra and Noah’s Flood. He’s Artistic Director of ArtsRock, in Rockland County, NY presenting concerts, conversations and family programming. He was a “Voice” of CNN and LIVE FROM LINCOLN CENTER and regularly hosts shows on PBS. For 12 years he was on the A&E Television Network as host of Breakfast with the Arts & Biography. Featured on the Grammy Award winning comedy album WTWP Classical Talkity-Talk Radio with Peter Schickele. As a teenager, he appeared on THE GONG SHOW on NBC. BA in Theater from the University of Texas, Austin.

Through the Night with Peter van de Graaff

Through the Night with Peter van de Graaff

Friends and Rivals

Playlist