Music & Culture
Classical Music Posts
When The Giants Of Indian Classical Music Collided With Psychedelic San Francisco
Since his first American concert, Zakir Hussain has become perhaps the most famous tabla player in the world. He now lives in California, and he says it was this performance 50 years ago that showed him that Indian classical music could be played in the West in its purest form. “It really set the tone of how I would present myself to my fellow musicians — whoever I was accompanying — for the rest of my life.” Continue Reading When The Giants Of Indian Classical Music Collided With Psychedelic San Francisco
From Brooklyn, 10th Grader Nora Brown Channels Appalachia For A Tiny Desk (Home) Concert
Thirty feet below the surface in Brooklyn, 10th grader Nora Brown brings incredible, surprising depth to the Appalachian music she plays. Over the course of her Tiny Desk Meets globalFEST concert, surrounded by innumerable globes and instruments, she infuses new life and energy into the traditional songs of Addie Graham, Virgil Anderson and Fred Cockerham. Continue Reading From Brooklyn, 10th Grader Nora Brown Channels Appalachia For A Tiny Desk (Home) Concert
What Is The Sound Of Grief? Composer Osvaldo Golijov Puts It To Music
Osvaldo Golijov is a MacArthur “genius” composer who’s written for Yo-Yo Ma, Kronos Quartet and soprano Dawn Upshaw. But in 2012, he was accused of plagiarism, and he disappeared from the scene. Only now, nearly a decade later, is Golijov reemerging — with a work that could not have a more timely subject: it’s a meditation on grieving and loss. Continue Reading What Is The Sound Of Grief? Composer Osvaldo Golijov Puts It To Music
Betto Arcos Shares The Power Of Community In ‘Music Stories From The Cosmic Barrio’
For over a decade, arts journalist Betto Arcos has been a familiar voice to public radio listeners, bringing them the sounds of the world — be it from a samba school in Rio or an amphitheater in Colombia, profiling artists who play unusual instruments or create cross-cultural mashups. More than 140 of those reports are collected in his new book, Music Stories from the Cosmic Barrio. Continue Reading Betto Arcos Shares The Power Of Community In ‘Music Stories From The Cosmic Barrio’
Labess Shows Music Has No Boundaries With This Tiny Desk (Home) Concert
This Algerian and Canadian band proves that music has no boundaries even in times of isolation. Recording its set from France and Colombia, Labess blends flamenco and Gypsy jazz-influenced North African chaabi into energetic soul music with a nonstop beat. Continue Reading Labess Shows Music Has No Boundaries With This Tiny Desk (Home) Concert
NPR’s Classical Music Editor Previews 2 Albums You’ll Want To Hear
In 2021, I’m looking forward to, fingers crossed, live music. I really miss the roar of a symphony orchestra in concert or a soaring soprano on the opera stage. But artists are still making albums, even in lockdown, like British composer Max Richter. His upcoming album is a follow-up to last year’s Voices. This new one is Voices, Part 2 which will be released in April. Continue Reading NPR’s Classical Music Editor Previews 2 Albums You’ll Want To Hear
