Podcast

Daniel and Isabel Save Classical Music

Arts, Music, Music Commentary, Performing Arts

Classical musician-turned-stand up comedian Isabel Hagen and classical pianist Daniel Anastasio explore their favorite classical pieces while discussing the creative life. Listen along for live musical excerpts paired with banter between two best friends. New episodes every Tuesday.

For video episodes: http://www.youtube.com/@saveclassicalpod

Follow the show on social media at linktr.ee/saveclassicalpod

Follow Daniel on Instagram @daniel_anastasio_piano

Follow Isabel at https://linktr.ee/isabelhagen

Music Commentary chart
#186
Episodes
17
Releases
Weekly
Typical length
48 min
On air since
2026
Latest episode
2 months ago

Episodes

17 episodes, newest first

  1. Daniel and Isabel take a break

    Show notes

    Daniel and Isabel are taking September and October off from the podcast. New episodes coming in November! With Daniel's tour of his solo show and Isabel's movie release, they aren't able to be in the same city as each other enough to produce quality episodes right now. We (this is actually Isabel typing, hi!) are so moved by everyone who's been listening, writing to us, and enjoying the show. We are so excited to dive back in come November when our other projects settle down a bit. Thank you everyone for listening!

    To see Daniel on tour, check out his website.
    For cities/dates/tickets to see Isabel's film 'On a String' click here. And check out the trailer here.

    • YouTubefor full video episodes
    • Follow Isabel HERE.
    • Follow Daniel HERE
    • Follow the podcast everywhere at @saveclassicalpod

    8 min
  2. Rachmaninoff Rests

    Episode 15

    Show notes

    Daniel and Isabel talk about slowing down, the balance between hard work and rest, and the power of musical rests, repetition, and rhythmic variation in Sergei Rachmaninoff's Moments Musicaux No. 3 in B Minor. Isabel brings her viola and they try an arrangement.

    • YouTubefor full video episodes
    • Follow Isabel HERE.
    • Follow Daniel HERE
    • Follow the podcast everywhere at @saveclassicalpod

    42 min
  3. Chasing Ideas

    Episode 14

    Show notes

    Daniel and Isabel talk about reading Rick Rubin's "The Creative Act," getting ideas, and Debussy's Arabesque No. 1 in E major.

    • YouTubefor full video episodes
    • Follow Isabel HERE.
    • Follow Daniel HERE
    • Follow the podcast everywhere at @saveclassicalpod

    43 min
  4. Depression and Schubert

    Episode 13

    Show notes

    Daniel and Isabel talk about depression, the difference between depression and sadness, and whether great artists need to feel an intense emotional state like depression in order to create. Daniel plays the second movement of Schubert's Piano Sonata in B-flat Major, D. 960 and they discuss its cathartic power.

    • YouTubefor full video episodes
    • Follow Isabel HERE.
    • Follow Daniel HERE
    • Follow the podcast everywhere at @saveclassicalpod

    43 min
  5. Chopin's Dark Chorale

    Episode 12

    Show notes

    Daniel and Isabel analyze Chopin's short yet powerful Prelude in C Minor, and Isabel explains her unfortunate association with the piece. They also reference Chopin's 1st and 4th Ballades, Rachmaninoff's Prelude in c-sharp minor, and Francois Couperin's Le Tic Toc Choc.

    • YouTubefor full video episodes
    • Follow Isabel HERE.
    • Follow Daniel HERE
    • Follow the podcast everywhere at @saveclassicalpod

    42 min
  6. Pleasure in Melancholy

    Episode 11

    Show notes

    Daniel and Isabel talk about Brahms' Intermezzo op. 119 no. 1, which begins his final set of small works for the piano. They discuss Brahms' letter to Clara Schumann about the opening of the piece, the painful desire of the Romantics, and Brahms' organic writing. We also talk about teaching, and why it's not for Isabel.

    • YouTubefor full video episodes
    • Follow Isabel HERE.
    • Follow Daniel HERE
    • Follow the podcast everywhere at @saveclassicalpod

    46 min
  7. Shostakovich Goes Baroque

    Episode 10

    Show notes

    Daniel and Isabel dive into Fugue in A Major, op. 87 by Dmitri Shostakovich.

    • YouTubefor full video episodes
    • Follow Isabel HERE.
    • Follow Daniel HERE
    • Follow the podcast everywhere at @saveclassicalpod

    36 min
  8. Chopin's Darkest Prelude

    Episode 9

    Show notes

    Daniel and Isabel dive into Chopin’s E Minor Prelude (and Isabel joins on a special viola rendition of it), and they briefly touch on Chopin’s E-flat Major Nocturne, Chopin’s A Minor Mazurka, op. 59 no. 1, Earl Wild’s arrangement of Gershwin’s Embraceable You, and the first movement of Bach’s Italian Concerto.

    • YouTubefor full video episodes
    • Follow Isabel HERE.
    • Follow Daniel HERE
    • Follow the podcast everywhere at @saveclassicalpod

    1 hr 2 min
  9. Dr. Gradus

    Episode 8

    Show notes

    Daniel and Isabel dive into Claude Debussy’s Dr. Gradus ad Parnassum and the first movement of Leoš Janáček’s In The Mists.

    • YouTubefor full video episodes
    • Follow Isabel HERE.
    • Follow Daniel HERE
    • Follow the podcast everywhere at @saveclassicalpod

    57 min
  10. Getting Romantic with Brahms

    Episode 7

    Show notes

    Daniel and Isabel dive into Brahms' Intermezzo Op. 118 No. 2, and also touch on Brahms’ Piano Trio in B Major and the 3rd movement of Beethoven’s Piano Sonata in E Major, Op. 109.

    • YouTubefor full video episodes
    • Follow Isabel HERE.
    • Follow Daniel HERE
    • Follow the podcast everywhere at @saveclassicalpod

    49 min
  11. Clair de Lune

    Episode 6

    Show notes

    Daniel and Isabel dive into Debussy's Clair de Lune.

    • YouTubefor full video episodes
    • Follow Isabel HERE.
    • Follow Daniel HERE
    • Follow the podcast everywhere at @saveclassicalpod

    59 min
  12. Couperin and Memory

    Episode 5

    Show notes

    Daniel and Isabel dive into François Couperin's Les Barricades Mystérieuses, memory, and more.

    • YouTubefor full video episodes
    • Follow Isabel HERE.
    • Follow Daniel HERE
    • Follow the podcast everywhere at @saveclassicalpod

    1 hr 3 min
  13. Special Chords

    Episode 4

    Show notes

    Daniel and Isabel dive into Beethoven's Appassionata Sonata and Schubert's A-flat Major Impromptu, and Isabel joins Daniel on viola for some of Brahms' F minor Sonata. Also Daniel cries.

    • YouTubefor full video episodes
    • Follow Isabel HERE.
    • Follow Daniel HERE
    • Follow the podcast everywhere at @saveclassicalpod

    51 min
  14. Scenes from Childhood

    Episode 3

    Show notes

    Daniel and Isabel dive into Schumann's Kinderszenen ("Scenes from Childhood") and more!

    • YouTubefor full video episodes
    • Follow Isabel HERE.
    • Follow Daniel HERE
    • Follow the podcast everywhere at @saveclassicalpod

    48 min
  15. Funereal Chopin

    Episode 2

    Show notes

    Daniel and Isabel dive into Chopin's C-sharp minor Nocturne, the Funeral March from Chopin's Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor, and more!

    • YouTubefor full video episodes
    • Follow Isabel HERE.
    • Follow Daniel HERE
    • Follow the podcast everywhere at @saveclassicalpod

    48 min
  16. Rethinking Für Elise

    Episode 1

    Show notes

    Daniel and Isabel dive into two piano repertoire staples, Beethoven's Für Elise and Bach's C Major Prelude from The Well Tempered Clavier. They also touch on Beethoven's piano concerto no. 3, Beethoven's "Pathetique" Sonata, and Wagner's Tristan and Isolde.

    • YouTubefor full video episodes
    • Follow Isabel HERE.
    • Follow Daniel HERE
    • Follow the podcast everywhere at @saveclassicalpod

    51 min
  17. INTRO

    Show notes

    COMING SOON! Daniel and Isabel Save Classical Music. Classical musician-turned-stand up comedian Isabel Hagen and classical pianist Daniel Anastasio explore their favorite classical pieces while discussing the creative life. Listen along for musical excerpts paired with banter between two best friends. New episodes every Tuesday!

    • YouTubefor full video episodes
    • Follow Isabel HERE.
    • Follow Daniel HERE
    • Follow the podcast everywhere at @saveclassicalpod

    1 min