Classical Californians: Jake Heggie

Our new weekly segment, Classical Californians begins with composer/pianist Jake Heggie taking over the microphone to introduce a few recordings that are particularly meaningful to him, and that he wants to share with our Classical California audience… This is a busy fall for him – the Metropolitan Opera is opening its season with the work that established his career, Dead Man Walking (2000) starring Joyce DiDonato as Sister Helen Prejean, the nun who tries to reach a convicted murderer on death row. Then just weeks after that, Houston Grand Opera will open with his new work, Intelligence, based on the true story of two women who infiltrated the Confederate White House during the American Civil War.

Jake’s first selection is a performance by his dear friend, mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade, whose friends call her “Flicka”… Press the play button to hear his introduction:

The second work he introduces is Mason Bates’ Philharmonia Fantastique, a work that fuses traditional classical styles, electronica, and animated and live action film into a fun introduction to the instruments of the orchestra:

And he ends with a movement of a work called Joan and the Bells by Gordon Getty, who might be more widely known as a philanthropist, but whose style, Jake Heggie says, is truly his own.