Classical Music Happy Hour

Latest Episodes:

Manny Ax Remembers the Magic of Horowitz Sep 21, 2026

Show notes

What happens when one of the world’s greatest pianists returns to Carnegie Hall after 14 years away? Manny Ax was there as a teenager, and he remembers it all. Manny shares a story about one of classical music's greatest pianists and the actual mark that he left on the floor of Carnegie Hall. We hear Horowitz’s Nails, an episode of Carnegie Hall’s podcast If This Hall Could Talk.

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Manny in the Hot Seat Sep 02, 2026

Show notes

Producer Lauren Purcell-Joiner puts Classical Music Happy Hour host Manny Ax in the hot seat with the tough questions: What’s his favorite drink? The best book about music he’s ever read? And which composer would he most like to grab coffee with?

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Why Manny Loves Aida: A Special from Aria Code Aug 21, 2026

Show notes

Classical Music Happy Hour host Manny Ax and producer Lauren Purcell-Joyner bring you a special episode from Aria Code, diving into Verdi’s Aida, which is one of Manny’s all-time favorite operas. Together, they reflect on what makes this story so timeless, from the beauty of the music to the real-life stories that reveal just how deeply opera can connect to our own lives.

Listen and Subscribe to Classical Music Happy Hour wherever you get your podcasts.

Credits

Classical Music Happy Hour is supported in part by the Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Foundation and by Linda Nelson.

Our production team includes Lauren Purcell-Joiner, Eileen Delahunty, Laura Boyman, Elizabeth Nonamaker, David Norville, Christine Herskovits, and Ed Yim.

Our engineering team includes George Wellington, Irene Trudel, and Chase Culpon.

Classical Music Happy Hour is produced by WQXR in partnership with Carnegie Hall.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A Special Live Edition of Classical Music Happy Hour Aug 05, 2026

Show notes

Host Manny Ax is back for a very special live episode of Classical Music Happy Hour featuring highlights from the sold-out launch party this past March.

Joined on stage by Emmy Award-winning actor David Hyde Pierce, author and New York Times columnist John McWhorter, comedian and violist Isabel Hagen, and one very special surprise guest, Manny brings listeners an evening of unforgettable music, lively conversation, games, delicious food, and of course, cocktails.
Whether you were there in person or are tuning in for the first time, pull up a chair and enjoy this unique live edition of Classical Music Happy Hour.

Listen and Subscribe to Classical Music Happy Hour wherever you get your podcasts.

Credits

Classical Music Happy Hour is supported in part by the Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Foundation and by Linda Nelson.

Our production team includes Lauren Purcell-Joiner, Eileen Delahunty, Laura Boyman, Elizabeth Nonamaker, David Norville, Christine Herskovits, and Ed Yim.

Our engineering team includes George Wellington, Irene Trudel, and Chase Culpon.

Classical Music Happy Hour is produced by WQXR in partnership with Carnegie Hall.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Manny Ax wants to hear from you! Jul 10, 2026

Show notes

Hi Classical Music Happy Hour listeners! I’m your host, Manny Ax. I’ve heard from so many of you over the course of this season and I’m so proud of this show and the community we are creating. We’re working hard on another season with amazing guests, fun games, your listener questions, and of course great music. But in the meantime, we’re going to try something a little different. So, for the next few months, I’ll be introducing you to new shows, sharing some music, dropping a few surprises, and as always, having a bit of fun along the way.

But as we get ready for a new season, we’d also love to hear from you! What were some of your favorite moments from the show? Who would you love to see as a guest? What are some questions you’d like to hear answered? Use this form to submit your questions or send them to us at manny@wqxr.org. We want to hear your thoughts!

Grab a drink and stick around as we continue to celebrate our love for all things classical!

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Ray Chen - superstar violinist wants you to practice May 27, 2026

Show notes

Violinist and social media guru Ray Chen wraps up this season of Classical Music Happy Hour with an in-studio live performance. He chats with Manny about video games, performance anxiety, and his practice app Tonic. In our game, he joins Manny in our game called Is It a Composer or Is it Cheese?

Our theme song is Schumann’s Arabeske in C Major, Op. 18 performed by our host, Emanuel Ax.

Ray Chen performed an excerpt from JS Bach’s Chaconne from Partitat No. 2 for Solo Violin, BWV 1004.

Violin Concerto in E Minor, Op. 64, MWV O14: III. Allegro molto vivace
Felix Mendelssohn
Mariko Honda & Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra & Keith Clark
Courtesy of Naxos of America, Inc.

Intermezzo in A major, Op. 118, No. 2 Andante teneramente
Brahms
Performed live in-studio by our host, Emanuel Ax

Le sorcier: Overture
François-André Danican Philidor
Prague Sinfonia Orchestra & Christian Benda
Courtesy of Naxos of America, Inc.

Listen and Subscribe to Classical Music Happy Hour wherever you get your podcasts.

Credits

Classical Music Happy Hour is supported in part by the Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Foundation and by Linda Nelson.

Our production team includes Lauren Purcell-Joiner, Eileen Delahunty, Laura Boyman, Elizabeth Nonamaker, David Norville, Christine Herskovits, and Ed Yim.

Our engineering team includes George Wellington, Irene Trudel, and Chase Culpon.

Classical Music Happy Hour is produced by WQXR in partnership with Carnegie Hall.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Paquito D’Rivera -Beef, Beans and Benny (Goodman) May 20, 2026

Show notes

Paquito D’Rivera is composer, saxophonist and clarinetist whose work spans classical, jazz and latin music. Born in Havana, Cuba, D’Rivera started his career playing with the National Theater Orchestra at the age of 10 and has been on stage for seven decades. During their chat, Paquito and Manny discuss what beef and beans have to do with Benny Goodman playing Carnegie Hall, what kind of music teacher his father was, and all things clarinet. He also joins Manny for an in-studio performance of one of his compositions. In our game, Manny and Paquito decide if a sound is made by a musical instrument or an animal.

Our theme song is Schumann’s Arabeske in C Major, Op. 18 performed by our host, Emanuel Ax.

The piece Paquito D’Rivera and Emanuel Ax perform is Contradanza for Bb Clarinet and Piano, composed by our guest, Paquito D’Rivera.

3 Movements from Petrushka: No. 3, La Semaine grasse
Stravinsky
Antonii Baryshevskyi, piano
Courtesy of Naxos of America, Inc.

Symphonie Fantastique Op. 14, H.48, Ronde du Sabbat
Berlioz
Orchestre National de Lyon & Leonard Slatkin
Courtesy of Naxos of America, Inc.

Listen and Subscribe to Classical Music Happy Hour wherever you get your podcasts.

Credits

Classical Music Happy Hour is supported in part by the Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Foundation and by Linda Nelson.

Our production team includes Lauren Purcell-Joiner, Eileen Delahunty, Laura Boyman, Elizabeth Nonamaker, David Norville, Christine Herskovits, and Ed Yim.

Our engineering team includes George Wellington, Irene Trudel, and Chase Culpon.

Classical Music Happy Hour is produced by WQXR in partnership with Carnegie Hall.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Yefim Bronfman - master of the keyboard May 13, 2026

Show notes

Pianist Yefim Bronfman, “Fima,” chats with Manny about their decades-long friendship, their love of sports, their surprising anxiety around live broadcast performances. They’ll answer listeners’ questions about recovering from injuries and picking repertoire, even the stuff no one heard of! Fima and Manny work together in our Newly Dead game to identify odd ways composers have died.

Our theme song is Schumann’s Arabeske in C Major, Op. 18 performed by our host, Emanuel Ax.

Piano Sonata No. 1 in C minor, Op. 8: II. Adagio
Szymanowski
Martin Roscoe, piano
Courtesy of Naxos of America, Inc.

Sinfonia avanti il Barcheggio for Trumpet, 2 Violins and Continuo
Stradella
Niklas Eklund & Wasa Baroque Ensemble & Edward Tarr
Courtesy of Naxos of America, Inc.

Armide, Act III Scene 4: Je responds a tes voeux
Lully
Stephanie Houtzeel & William Sharp
Opera Lafayette Chorus & Opera Lafayette Orchestra & Ryan Brown
Courtesy of Naxos of America, Inc.

Solomon, HWV 67: Pt. III: Air. Ev’ry sight these eyes behold
Handel
Nicola Wemyss & Barockorchester Frankfurt & Joachim Carlos Martini
Courtesy of Naxos of America, Inc

Listen and Subscribe to Classical Music Happy Hour wherever you get your podcasts.

Credits

Classical Music Happy Hour is supported in part by the Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Foundation and by Linda Nelson.

Our production team includes Lauren Purcell-Joiner, Eileen Delahunty, Laura Boyman, Elizabeth Nonamaker, David Norville, Christine Herskovits, and Ed Yim.

Our engineering team includes George Wellington, Irene Trudel, and Chase Culpon.

Classical Music Happy Hour is produced by WQXR in partnership with Carnegie Hall.

Our theme song is Schumann’s Arabeske in C Major, Op. 18 performed by our host, Emanuel Ax.

The piece Paquito D’Rivera and Emanuel Ax perform is Contradanza for Bb Clarinet and Piano, composed by our guest, Paquito D’Rivera.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Isabel Hagen - likes a good viola joke May 06, 2026

Show notes

Comedian Isabel Hagen is a classically trained violist, and a filmmaker. As a comedian, she has been featured on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and was a New Face of Comedy at the Just for Laughs festival in Montréal. She talks to Manny about how the viola can be funny and make people love classical music by making them laugh!

Our theme song is Schumann’s Arabeske in C Major, Op. 18 performed by our host, Emanuel Ax.

Harold en Italie, S. 472/R. 138: I. Harold aux montagnes
Berlioz
Philip Dukes & Piers Lane
Courtesy of Naxos of America, Inc.

Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-Flat Major, Op. 83: I. Allegro non troppo
Brahms
Jenő Jandó & Brussels Philharmonic & Ali Rahbari
Courtesy of Naxos of America, Inc.

Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67: I. Allegro con brio
Beethoven
Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra & Richard Edlinger
Courtesy of Naxos of America, Inc.

The Star-Spangled Banner
John Stafford Smith
Marine Band of the Royal Netherlands Navy & Keith Brion

Listen and Subscribe to Classical Music Happy Hour wherever you get your podcasts.

Credits

Classical Music Happy Hour is supported in part by the Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Foundation and by Linda Nelson.

Our production team includes Lauren Purcell-Joiner, Eileen Delahunty, Laura Boyman, Elizabeth Nonamaker, David Norville, Christine Herskovits, and Ed Yim.

Our engineering team includes George Wellington, Irene Trudel, and Chase Culpon.

Classical Music Happy Hour is produced by WQXR in partnership with Carnegie Hall.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Nicholas Britell - more than that one viral theme song! Apr 29, 2026

Show notes

The New York Times has called Nicholas Britell: “The composer at the frontier of film music.” Britell has written scores for Hollywood movies including:The Big Short, Moonlight and If Beale Street Could talk. Listeners might best recognize his work from the theme of the HBO series “Succession” for which he’s won the Emmy for the iconic theme song. He’ll talk about writing for the big screen and he’ll play one of his most recognizable pieces live-in studio.

Our theme song is Schumann’s Arabeske in C Major, Op. 18 performed by our host, Emanuel Ax.

Variations on an Original Theme, Op. 36 "Enigma": Var. I (C.A.E.)
Elgar
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra & George Hurst
Courtesy of Naxos of America, Inc.

The Planets, Op. 32: I. Mars, the Bringer of War
Holst
CSR Symphony Orchestra, Bratislava & Adrian Leaper
Courtesy of Naxos of America, Inc.

Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30, TrV 176: Introduction
Strauss
Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra & Zdeněk Košler
Courtesy of Naxos of America, Inc.

Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor Op. 13, Pathetique”
Beethoven
Alessio Bax, piano
Live recording at The Greene Space

Fantasia in C minor, K. 475
Mozart
Péter Nagy, piano
Courtesy of Naxos of America, Inc.

Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune, L. 86
Debussy
The Knights
Live recording at the Naumburg Bandshell

Symphony No. 64 in A Major, Hob. 1:64 (Tempora mutantur)
Haydn
The Knights
Live recording at the Naumburg Bandshell

Le Sacre du Printemps
Stravinsky
Brussels Philharmonic, Ali Rahbari
Courtesy of Naxos of America, Inc.

Symphony No. 7 in E Major, WAB 107; II. Adagio. Sehr feierlich und sehr langsam
Bruckner
Linz Bruckner Orchestra & Mark Poschner
Courtesy of Naxos of America, Inc.

Listen and Subscribe to Classical Music Happy Hour wherever you get your podcasts.

Credits

Classical Music Happy Hour is supported in part by the Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Foundation and by Linda Nelson.

Our production team includes Lauren Purcell-Joiner, Eileen Delahunty, Laura Boyman, Elizabeth Nonamaker, David Norville, Christine Herskovits, and Ed Yim.

Our engineering team includes George Wellington, Irene Trudel, and Chase Culpon.

Classical Music Happy Hour is produced by WQXR in partnership with Carnegie Hall.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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