On a given weekend, you might find Gabriel Kahane performing a piano sonata in a concert hall … or stumble upon him at a bar, playing with a rock band. He composes classical music for chamber groups and orchestras — but he also writes and sings his own indie pop songs.
These days, those two worlds are overlapping more and more, and young musicians like Kahane thrive in both environments. He tells Kurt Andersen, “I’m trying to create a dialogue between my pop songs and my concert music. It’s taking very often the same genetic material and just treating it differently.” Kahane’s latest project brings his music to New York's Public Theater: February House is a 1940s era musical which combines elements of classical operetta, jazz, and modern folk-pop.
Kahane performs songs from his album Where are the Arms it live in the studio, with a full band and a string quartet.
(Originally aired: September 23, 2011)
Bonus Track: “Icebox” live in Studio 360
Video: "Charming Disease"
Video: "Where Are the Arms"