Kairoff At The Keyboard

Series produced by WFDD

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Steinway recording artist Peter Kairoff makes classical music accessible to all in Kairoff At The Keyboard.

Steinway recording artist and Wake Forest University Professor of Music Peter Kairoff has performed as a piano and harpsichord soloist all over the world, and he brings his talent, knowledge, and accessible style to Kairoff At The Keyboard.

Peter makes classical music engaging, easy to understand, and his passion for the subject is infectious. What makes Romantic music romantic? Who was Bach, and what made him so great? What exactly is musical form? Find out the answer to these questions and everything else you ever wanted to know about Classical music but were afraid to ask with Kairoff At The Keyboard.


35 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
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Peter demonstrates why this wonderful plucked string instrument has captured the imagination of major composers for centuries.

Bought by 'The Sea'


  • Added: Aug 29, 2018
  • Length: 04:29
  • Purchases: 1
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Peter shares how visual impressionism can help shed light on Debussy’s music.

Bought by Delmarva Public Media and KPIP-LP


  • Added: Aug 29, 2018
  • Length: 04:30
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: Measures 1-8 of fourth variation, Credit: Public Domain (http://bit.ly/2zL7CjB)
In this episode, Peter works through the legend of Johann Sebastian Bach's Goldberg Variations.

Bought by Delmarva Public Media


  • Added: Aug 29, 2018
  • Length: 04:29
  • Purchases: 1
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In this episode, Peter explores the powerful influence of song in Mendelssohn’s music for piano.

Bought by Delmarva Public Media


  • Added: Aug 29, 2018
  • Length: 04:30
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Johannes Brahms, ca. 1870, Credit: Public Domain (http://bit.ly/2zOPnaO)
Peter explores the ways in which Romantic composers like Mendelssohn, Brahms and Schumann told stories through sound.

Bought by Delmarva Public Media


  • Added: Aug 29, 2018
  • Length: 04:29
  • Purchases: 1
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In this episode, Peter shows what made Bach one of the greatest composers in music history.

  • Added: Aug 29, 2018
  • Length: 04:30
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Peter discusses the influences of Eastern European folk music on composer Béla Bartók.

  • Added: Aug 29, 2018
  • Length: 04:29
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In this episode, Peter demonstrates what makes Beethoven such a giant in the world of classical music.

  • Added: Aug 29, 2018
  • Length: 04:29
Caption: Horatio William Parker, 1905, Credit: Public Domain (http://bit.ly/2hHsku4)
Peter discusses 19th century American composers George Whitefield Chadwick and Horatio Parker.

  • Added: Aug 29, 2018
  • Length: 04:30
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In this episode, Peter shows us how Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven all find their way into Brahms’ music.

  • Added: Aug 29, 2018
  • Length: 04:30
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In this episode, Peter shows how less is more when it comes to the writing style of Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg. The minimal themes and persona...

  • Added: Aug 29, 2018
  • Length: 04:29
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In this episode, Peter explains why the sonata was the go-to musical form for Mozart and an entire generation of composers.

  • Added: Aug 29, 2018
  • Length: 04:29
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In this episode, Peter explores Robert Schumann’s nostalgic Scenes of Childhood. The set of thirteen pieces paints different pictures of the compos...

  • Added: Aug 29, 2018
  • Length: 04:29
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George Frideric Handel took a unique approach to variations when he used the bass notes to create variations in his Passacaglia.

  • Added: Aug 29, 2018
  • Length: 04:29
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Time to whip up a nice fugue. First, mix yourself a short musical theme. Then, repeat it slightly higher or lower; sprinkle in a few other voices; ...

  • Added: Aug 29, 2018
  • Length: 04:29
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In this episode we’ll hear the passion, tragedy, and playfulness of human existence all wrapped up in just six little piano pieces that Schubert ca...

  • Added: Aug 29, 2018
  • Length: 04:29
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Peter takes a look at one of the most well-known Impressionist composers: Claude Debussy.

  • Added: Aug 29, 2018
  • Length: 03:49
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The late Romantic composer combined the best of Bach and Beethoven to write some of the most emotionally gripping music ever.

  • Added: Aug 29, 2018
  • Length: 04:29
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In this episode, Peter takes a look at the Baroque dance suite.

  • Added: Aug 29, 2018
  • Length: 04:29
Caption: Franz Joseph Haydn, 1791, Credit: Public Domain (http://bit.ly/2hAqaIW)
In this episode, Peter walks us though exactly what makes classical music so, well…Classical.

  • Added: Aug 29, 2018
  • Length: 04:29