Pianist Simone Dinnerstein used the lockdown to record an album of music by Philip Glass and Franz Schubert. We discuss how she built her career, how she recorded this album, and talk about Schubert's wonderful last piano sonata.

Is stereo the right way to listen to music? After all, it is an artificial attempt to reproduce the sound of live music. Perhaps we should revolt against the tyranny of the sweet spot.

Following our discussion of CDs in episode #190, we continue our discussion about these plastic discs, mainly because Doug bought some new audio gear and is now CD-obsessed.

We begin an irregular series of key albums that stand out in the history of music. For our first foray into this type of discussion, we talk about The Rolling Stones' Exile on Main Street.

We wax nostalgic about CDs, those plastic (and partly metal) discs that changed the music industry starting in the mid-1980s, and whose popularity has waned since the rise of streaming. Help support The Next Track by making regular donations via Patreon

A reviewer suggested that we mentioned John Cage in this podcast as a "cheap marketing ploy." That made use think about taste: highbrow, lowbrow, and unibrow. We reflect on whether we are really the "Renaissance men of music."

Kathryn Williams plays the flute, and, because of some health issues, has a unique approach to the breath. In addition to being a free diver, she has been commissioning pieces of music for one single breath. And she's going to try to break the Guinness wo

John Wyver's company Illuminations produces films of live performances: theater, dance, opera, and music. He joins us to discuss the future of live performances in what he calls The After, that period when Covid-19 is just a memory. Will live performances

We meet harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani, who is showing how the harpsichord is no longer an instrument just for "old" music. His latest recording features contemporary music for harpsichord and electronics. Help support The Next Track by making regular do

Plex is a great way to manage your media library. Doug and Kirk discuss how they use it. Note: we recorded this episode before the lockdown began, but held off publishing it because we had a number of interviews with musicians in lockdown.