© 2024 Interlochen
CLASSICAL IPR | 88.7 FM Interlochen | 94.7 FM Traverse City | 88.5 FM Mackinaw City IPR NEWS | 91.5 FM Traverse City | 90.1 FM Harbor Springs/Petoskey | 89.7 FM Manistee/Ludington
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Aaron Pilsan and Kevin Kleinmann talk Bach, Bernstein and marathon concerts

Aaron Pilsan (L) and Kevin Kleinmann (R)

Kevin Kleinmann has spent a lifetime in the classical music industry, working with Leonard Bernstein, Jessye Norman, Rosalyn Tureck and many others. He came to IPR with pianist Aaron Pilsan during their visit to Interlochen Center for the Arts.

In December 1990, legendary soprano Jessye Norman was supposed to sing in a concert at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. The weather was unseasonably cold, and Norman wasn't sure she could sing in the chilly cathedral.

Kevin Kleinmann was part of the Philips Classics team that leapt into action.

"We quickly had to arrange for floor heaters that wouldn't make noise during the concert," Kleinman explained. Norman and her voice were warm enough to continue with the concert.

Jessye Norman and Kevin Kleinmann

Over the course of his career, Kevin Kleinmann has held senior positions at major classical labels including CBS Records/Sony, Philips, PolyGram and Deutsche Grammophon.

He has worked with everyone from Vladimir Horowitz to Leonard Bernstein.

For instance, he worked with Bernstein during what would end up being the final album the conductor ever recorded, a performance of Anton Bruckner's Symphony no. 9 with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.

"This recording has great significance to me," Kleinmann said. "The music pushed Bernstein to such limits. You could see he was pushing himself so hard to give everything. And I think he knew this would be his last statement on record."

Leonard Bernstein (center) with Kevin Kleinmann (right)

Kleinmann is also the former president of the Tureck Bach Research Institute and a longtime friend and colleague of pianist and polymath Rosalyn Tureck.

He also produced Tureck's third and final recording of Johann Sebastian Bach's Goldberg Variations.

"I feel a lot of emotional attachment to this recording because I worked with her to make it possible," Kleinmann said. "Like the Bernstein recording, this was Rosalyn Tureck's final statement on record."

In 2022, Kleinmann transferred the Tureck Bach Research Institute to Interlochen Center for the Arts.

The Tureck Bach Research Institute holds materials from nearly eight decades of Tureck's career, including manuscripts of essays, books, correspondence and other documents. It also includes recordings of her live performances, lectures and master classes.

Kleinmann and pianist Aaron Pilsan are in northern Michigan this week, promoting the legacy of Rosalyn Tureck and the music of Johann Sebastian Bach.

The two connected five years ago, and Pilsan caught Kleinmann's attention as an up-and-coming star.

"We connected, and it's a bit friendship and a bit mentorship because I encourage him to follow his path," Kleinmann said. "He's exceptional, not just in his musicianship but in his embrace of modern media."

IPR listeners met Pilsan in 2022 when he played both books of Johann Sebastian Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier (more than five hours in total) during a marathon concert benefiting relief efforts in Ukraine.

"At Kevin's suggestion, I drank a lot of green tea before the concert," Pilsan said, "but by 2 a.m., I couldn't help but have a Red Bull."

That 2022 concert was broadcast exclusively in the United States on Classical IPR.

"I first discovered the Well-Tempered Clavier when I was eight years old," Pilsan said. "At that moment, I knew I wanted to make music — because of Bach."

Pilsan will again perform both books of Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier at Interlochen Center for the Arts this weekend, although in two different recitals.

Friday night's recital will feature Book 1 of the Well-Tempered Clavier, with a performance of Book 2 on Saturday afternoon. Both recitals take place in the Dendrinos Chapel and Recital Hall and are free and open to the public. Learn more here.

Hear IPR's conversation with Kleinmann and Pilsan, along with recordings they selected, on demand in this post.

L to R: Aaron Pilsan, IPR's Scott Clemens, Kevin Kleinmann, IPR's Amanda Sewell
L to R: Aaron Pilsan, IPR's Scott Clemens, Kevin Kleinmann, IPR's Amanda Sewell

Scott Clemens is IPR's digital content producer.

Karin Willman, John Bogley, Melanie Coon and Kara Huber provided additional support for this interview.

Updated: October 26, 2024 at 8:29 AM EDT
Due to technical issues, Aaron Pilsan's Friday evening recital was suspended, and Saturday's recital was canceled. Both Interlochen Center for the Arts and Aaron Pilsan expressed their regrets for these concerts could not go on as planned
Dr. Amanda Sewell is IPR's music director.