classical music Archives | Northwest Public Broadcasting

Distinct Dissonance And Piano Tones Mark Max Richter’s Tiny Desk (Home) Concert

By NPR News January 25, 2021

These half-dozen short pieces can offer two very different modes of experience. Shot in artful black and white, their simplicity and beauty invite us into a world as we once knew it, where fresh air wafts through open doors and dogs peacefully snooze (canine cameos by Evie and Haku) in the late summer sunshine in southern England. Read More

When The Giants Of Indian Classical Music Collided With Psychedelic San Francisco

By NPR News January 23, 2021

Tabla player Zakir Hussain (left) accompanies sarod player Ali Akbar Khan and his wife and collaborator Mary Khan. Courtesy of the Owsley Stanley Foundation

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 Read More

NPR’s Classical Music Editor Previews 2 Albums You’ll Want To Hear

By NPR News January 13, 2021

Baritone Will Liverman's upcoming album is devoted to Black composers past and present. CREDIT: Cedille records

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. Read More

Melodic Harp, Choral Vocals, Beautiful Views Highlight Active Child’s Tiny Desk (Home) Concert

By NPR News January 7, 2021

From a stunning room overlooking the San Gabriel Mountains in Pasadena, Calif., we hear the ethereal sounds of Active Child. "I chose this space, as this is where I've written nearly every piece of music for my active child project. my music and this house / this view are completely intertwined." Read More

Music And Mayhem: A Diary Of Classical Albums For A Troubled 2020

By NWPB News January 3, 2021

The dance of death, an ancient image that inspired Thomas Adès to compose his Totentanz. CREDIT: Wikimedia Commons

While streams dominated this chaotic, sorrowful year, musicians continued to lay down official statements in the form of albums. And as the pandemic exploded, the economy cracked, the protests thundered and politics grew even more partisan, the arresting albums listed below became the soundtrack to my 2020 – the best in troubled times. In the order they were released are Read More

Pianist Claude Bolling, Creator Of Popular Jazz/Classical Suites, Has Died

By NPR News January 1, 2021

A shot of jazz pianist Claude Bolling and friends, taken on a beach in Cannes, France in 1969. CREDIT: AFP via Getty Images

Americans knew Bolling best for a recording project with noted French flutist Jean-Pierre Rampal which contained Bolling's sparkling "Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano." The album, which was released by CBS in 1975, remained on Billboard's classical charts for an astonishing 530 consecutive weeks. Read More

Cello Plus Piano Equals Jan Vogler, Alessio Bax And Beethoven For A Tiny Desk (Home) Concert

By NPR News December 28, 2020

For this Tiny Desk (home) concert, we pay a visit to the doctor's office. Actually, the venue is called Rare Violins of New York and it's something of a second home to cellist Jan Vogler, who pops in frequently to have the experts give his 1708 Stradivarius cello a thorough checkup. Read More

Borromeo String Quartet Marks Beethoven’s 250th Year With A Tiny Desk (Home) Concert

By NPR News December 20, 2020

The humorous side of Beethoven's personality seeps into his music, such as the false stops and musical giggles that fuel his two-minute-long Presto from the Quartet Op. 130, which opens this performance. For contrast, the Borromeos follow with a serious movement from later on in the same piece, the prayerful Cavatina, which Beethoven said even got him choked up. Read More

In His 250th Year, Beethoven’s Legacy Is One Of Life, Liberty And Pursuit Of Enlightenment

By NPR News December 18, 2020

Ludwig van Beethoven charted a powerful new course in music. His ideas may have been rooted in the work of European predecessors Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Josef Haydn, but the iconic German composer became who he was with the help of some familiar American values: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That phrase, from the Declaration of Independence, is right out Read More

All Songs Considered Says: Consider Celebrating Beethoven’s 250th Birthday

By NPR News December 15, 2020

There's far more to this enduring figure than the famous Fifth Symphony. And to find out, we've invited writer Jan Swafford to join us for an all-Beethoven "take-over" edition of All Songs Considered to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the composer's birth. Read More

Composer John Luther Adams On The Arctic Sounds That Shaped His Work

By NPR News December 12, 2020

The Pulitzer winner has released his first memoir, "Silences So Deep: Music, Solitude, Alaska." It's a personal account of Adams' formative decades making art in the Artic. Continue Reading Composer John Luther Adams On The Arctic Sounds Read More

Soprano Julia Bullock Is A Classical Music ‘Agent Of Change’ And A Tiny Desk (Home) Performer

By NPR News December 6, 2020

From her home in Germany, the provocative American soprano delivers songs of introspection and freedom from Franz Schubert's mountaintop epiphany to Billy Taylor's wish for equality and justice. Continue Reading Soprano Read More

‘Tripping With Nils Frahm:’ Four Sweaty Nights Captured Onscreen With The Neo Classical Composer

By NPR News December 4, 2020

Neo classical composer Nils Frahm on stage playing piano

The new concert film, shot in 2018, shows one of the stars of the electronic and indie classical worlds in his element: a homebrewed nest of traditional and modern instruments working together. Continue Reading Read More

Provocation And Follow-Through: ‘Transformative’ Soprano Julia Bullock Talks With Lara Downes

By NPR News November 30, 2020

The thoughtful soprano believes that art is good at questioning, challenging and provoking. But the real question, she says, is: "What happens after the provocation?" Continue Reading Provocation And Follow-Through: Read More

A Tense New Classical Work Bottles The Feeling Of A Police Stop

By NPR News November 26, 2020

Anthony McGill performs You Have the Right to Remain Silent with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Courtesy of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra

Pulitzer-winning composer Anthony Davis based You Have The Right To Remain Silent, released this week as a virtual performance, on his own experience with police. Continue Reading A Tense New Classical Work Bottles The Feeling Read More

Music Of ‘America’s Composer’ Aaron Copland Plays On In A Tiny Desk (Home) Concert

By NPR News November 17, 2020

Copland House plays a Tiny Desk (home) concert.

A trio of musicians gather at Aaron Copland's longtime home. Watch them play the iconic American composer's music at his own piano and beside his own writing desk. Continue Reading Music Of ‘America’s Composer’ Read More

Program Notes For “The Monster”

By Gigi Yellen October 30, 2020

This new work, composed by Duncan Neilson, tells the story of Frankenstein's monster from the perspective of the creature himself, with text extracted from Mary Shelly's classic novel. Listen to a special presentation of "The Monster," Saturday, October 31, at 8:00 PM. Continue Read More

Central Park Is Alive With The Sound Of Music, Thanks To An App With A Changing Soundscape

By NPR News October 27, 2020

Created by Pulitzer-winning composer Ellen Reid, Soundwalk lets visitors score their socially distanced walks around the park with an ever-changing, GPS-sensitive soundtrack. Continue Reading Central Park Is Alive With Read More

New York Philharmonic Cancels Its Entire 2020-21 Season, Due To Coronavirus

By NPR News October 13, 2020

The New York Philharmonic and its music director, Jaap van Zweden. Chris Lee/Courtesy of the New York Philharmonic

This is the first time that the New York Philharmonic has been forced to cancel its entire concert season. No previously scheduled concerts will happen before June 2021. Continue Reading New York Philharmonic Cancels Its Entire Read More

Women Conductors Are The Rule, Not The Exception, At A New Classical Event

By NPR News October 4, 2020

Chinese conductor Jiajing Lai performs in the first edition of La Maestra, an international competition for women conductors, held at the Philharmonie de Paris this September. CREDIT: Martin Bureau/AFP via Getty Images

La Maestra, held in Paris this September, is the first fully realized competition solely for women conductors — an effort to help balance a male-dominated field. Continue Reading Women Conductors Are The Rule, Not The Exception, At A Read More

Superstar Pianist Lang Lang Records ‘Goldberg Variations’

By NPR News September 25, 2020

Pianist Lang Lang attends the release ceremony of his latest recording of Johann Sebastian Bach's "Goldberg Variations" on Sept. 4, 2020 in Beijing, China. CREDIT: Beijing Youth Daily/VCG via Getty Images

In his version of “Goldberg Variations,” Gould adapted the sounds of ancient period instruments, harpsichord and organ, to modern piano playing. Lang Lang says this inspired him to learn how to play the harpsichord, studying with Andreas Staier in Cologne, Germany. Read More

Whistleblowers Allege Culture Of Secrecy, Protection Of Powerful At Singers’ Union

By NPR News September 19, 2020

A 1939 portrait of opera singer Lawrence Tibbett, the co-founder and first president of the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA). Fairfax Media/Getty Images

They point to a real estate deal that could drain two-thirds of the American Guild of Musical Artists' financial reserves and a secretive, failed deal with disgraced opera star Plácido Domingo. Continue Reading Whistleblowers Read More

MUSIC REVIEW: The Met Opera’s Live Streaming Series Sticks To Old Trappings

By NPR News September 6, 2020

While a valiant endeavor, the Metropolitan Opera's new series of steaming concerts can't seem to shake off opera's fusty, aristocratic traditions. Continue Reading MUSIC REVIEW: The Met Opera’s Live Streaming Series Sticks To Read More

Yo-Yo Ma, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer And Chris Thile Combine For A Tiny Desk (Home) Concert

By NPR News September 4, 2020

The quartet, known colloquially as Goat Rodeo, jammed out from four different homes in this Tiny Desk quarantine performance. Continue Reading Yo-Yo Ma, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer And Chris Thile Combine For A Tiny Desk Read More

During A Lonely New York Summer, Lincoln Center Brings Music To Essential Workers

By NPR News August 13, 2020

New York Philharmonic first violinist Kuan Cheng Lu, playing for a socially distanced audience of two at Lincoln Center on July 31. CREDIT: NPR Music/YouTube

America's biggest arts complex hasn't been able to present its regular programming due to the pandemic. Watch one of the private outdoor concerts organized for healthcare professionals and teachers. Continue Reading During A Read More

Meet The Medical Professionals Playing Classical Music Together Online

By NPR News August 10, 2020

"I got a lot of emails after we posted our first video," says violinist Dr. Erica Hardy. She says the orchestra's virtual performances are a way to give back to the community. Screenshot by NPR

The National Virtual Medical Orchestra brings together health care workers and gives them a creative outlet during the pandemic. Continue Reading Meet The Medical Professionals Playing Classical Music Together OnlineRead More

Leon Fleisher, The Pianist Who Reinvented Himself, Dies At 92

By NPR News August 2, 2020

Pianist Leon Fleisher eventually resumed playing with both hands after an injury sidelined him at age 36. CREDIT: Chris Hartlove/Provided by the artist

The beloved pianist was a young lion of his generation until a hand injury forced him to rethink his relationship to music. Continue Reading Leon Fleisher, The Pianist Who Reinvented Himself, Dies At 92Read More

Classical Music Tries To Reckon With Racism — On Social Media

By NPR News August 1, 2020

Pianist Yuja Wang (pictured), violinist Leonidas Kavakos and several prominent academics have been accused this week of making anti-Black comments. Daniel Mihailescu/AFP via Getty Images

Pianist Yuja Wang, violinist Leonidas Kavakos and several prominent academics have been accused this week of making anti-Black comments. Ensuing debates have been playing out on Twitter and Instagram. Continue Reading Classical Music Tries To Reckon Read More

Legendary Violinist Isaac Stern’s Legacy Lives On After 100 Years

By NPR News July 27, 2020

The tombstone on Isaac Stern's grave reads simply "Isaac Stern, Fiddler," but the violinist was much more than that: He was an educator who mentored generations of musicians, including Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman, and he was an activist who helped save Carnegie Hall from the wrecker's ball. Read More

Someone Finally Remembered William Dawson’s ‘Negro Folk Symphony’

By NPR News June 26, 2020

A drawing of composer William Dawson in 1935 by Aaron Douglas. Dawson's Negro Folk Symphony, long neglected, has received a new recording. CREDIT: Aaron Douglas/Tuskegee University Archives

Broadcast nationwide in 1934 and praised by listeners and critics alike, a masterful symphony soon fell silent. A new recording hopes to help revive an American treasure. Continue Reading Someone Finally Remembered William Dawson’s Read More

Yo-Yo Ma: Goats, Rodeos And The Power Of Music In A Time Of Needing Comfort

By NPR News June 16, 2020

The musicians on Not Our First Goat Rodeo, from left to right: Yo-Yo Ma, Chris Thile, Stuart Duncan and Edgar Meyer. Josh Goleman/Courtesy of the artist

Hear the cellist talk about the purpose of music in the face of racial tension and health crises, plus his new album, Not Our First Goat Rodeo, which reunites him with old bluegrass buddies. Continue Reading Yo-Yo Ma: Goats, Read More

A New Library Of Congress Project Commissions Music Of The Pandemic

By NPR News June 14, 2020

Allison Loggins-Hull and Nathalie Joachim are two of the artists featured in the Library of Congress' Boccaccio Project, a collection of songs inspired by the coronavirus pandemic. CREDIT: Erin Patrice O'Brien/Courtesy of the artist

The Library of Congress is debuting 10 works of new music about the COVID-19 pandemic. The project takes inspiration from Giovanni Boccaccio, a writer who collected stories about the Black Death. Continue Reading A New Library Of Congress Read More

Clarinetist Anthony McGill Kneels, Pleads And Plays For Justice

By NPR News June 12, 2020

New York Philharmonic principal clarinetist Anthony McGill coined the hashtag #TakeTwoKnees as part of a social media effort to protest police violence.

With the help of a few "wrong" notes, the principal clarinetist of the New York Philharmonic turned "America the Beautiful" into a solemn protest of police violence. Continue Reading Clarinetist Anthony McGill Kneels, Pleads And Plays For Read More

Normally Collaborative, Pianist Lara Downes Gets Intimate At A Tiny Desk (Home) Concert

By NPR News June 6, 2020

Pianist Lara Downes - NPR Tiny Desk (Home) Concert

Watch the pianist reimagine old spirituals and songs of freedom that continue to resonate in new ways. Continue Reading Normally Collaborative, Pianist Lara Downes Gets Intimate At A Tiny Desk (Home) ConcertRead More

Violinist Augustin Hadelich Brings His Extraordinary Instrument And Skills To NPR’s Tiny Desk

By NPR News May 16, 2020

Augustin Hadelich plays a Tiny Desk concert. CREDIT: Kisha Ravi/NPR

Grammy-winning fiddler Augustin Hadelich brings one of the finest violins in the world to the Tiny Desk. Continue Reading Violinist Augustin Hadelich Brings His Extraordinary Instrument And Skills To NPR’s Tiny Read More

In These Times, Classical Pianist Jonathan Biss Isn’t Taking Music Or Food For Granted

By NPR News May 12, 2020

Jonathan Biss CREDIT: Benjamin Ealovega/Courtesy of the artist

In Our Daily Breather, we ask artists to recommend ways to find calm in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis. Pianist Jonathan Biss is focusing on being grateful. Continue Reading In These Times, Classical Pianist Jonathan Biss Read More

Before COVID-19, There Was Harpsichord. And Mahan Esfahani’s Tiny Desk Concert

By NPR News May 3, 2020

Mahan Esfahani plays a Tiny Desk Concert. CREDIT: Kisha Ravi/NPR

The harpsichord is alive and well. Watch Mahan Esfahani give the first solo harpsichord recital at the Tiny Desk, playing music that spans over 250 years. Continue Reading Before COVID-19, There Was Harpsichord. And Mahan Read More

Prominent Cellist Lynn Harrell Dies At Age 76

By NPR News April 30, 2020

The Grammy-winning American cellist had a wide-ranging career that spanned Bach to new music written by Augusta Read Thomas. His colleagues also treasured him as a generous musical collaborator. Continue Reading Prominent Cellist Lynn Harrell Dies At Age 76Read More

Marin Alsop On Her Swing Orchestra And Stepping Down From The Baltimore Symphony

By NPR News April 18, 2020

Marin Alsop - Baltimore Symphony Orchestra

We learn all kinds of interesting things when we're at loose ends during a pandemic lockdown. Did you know that Baltimore Symphony Orchetsra Music Director Marin Alsop co-founded a swing band? Continue Reading Marin Alsop On Her Read More

Pianist Lang Lang Gives A Tiny Desk (Home) Concert To Reflect On Trying Times

By NPR News April 18, 2020

Watch the superstar pianist at home in Shanghai, China, play a soothing Chopin Nocturne and Bach you can dance to. Continue Reading Pianist Lang Lang Gives A Tiny Desk (Home) Concert To Reflect On Trying TimesRead More

Violist Nicholas Cords On Beethoven, Gratitude And The Power Of Creativity

By NPR News April 11, 2020

Nicholas Cords Erin Baiano/Courtesy of the artist

In Our Daily Breather, we ask writers and artists to recommend ways to find calm in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis. Nicholas Cords is finding solace in a thankful musical sentiment from Beethoven. Continue Reading Violist Nicholas Read More

Krzysztof Penderecki, Boundary-Breaking Polish Composer, Dies At 86

By NPR News March 30, 2020

Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki, at the opening of a music center named after him in southeastern Poland in 2013. CREDIT: Janek Skarzynsky/AFP / Getty Images

Known early on for his avant-garde works, the composer's challenging music nevertheless found fans far beyond traditional classical music circles. Continue Reading Krzysztof Penderecki, Boundary-Breaking Polish Composer, Dies At 86Read More

Yo-Yo Ma Calls For #SongsOfComfort During Pandemic. Here’s How You Can Join The Effort

By PBS Newshour March 26, 2020

File photo. Yo-Yo Ma plays selections from Bach's Cello Suites at NPR Music's Tiny Desk.

Yo-Yo Ma has brought joy to listeners for decades with his virtuosic musicianship. Now, he is using his music to offer some comfort to a global audience in the midst of a pandemic that has sparked widespread anxiety and pain. Read More

Pianist Kirill Gerstein Sits Down At NPR’s Tiny Desk To Make Chopin Melodies Flow

By NPR News March 16, 2020

Kirill Gerstein performs at NPR's Tiny Desk, Washington, D.C. on January 28th, 2020.

Watch the award-winning pianist play a hit by Chopin, a premiere by Thomas Adès and a cherished song by Gershwin dressed in a virtuosic arrangement. Continue Reading Pianist Kirill Gerstein Sits Down At NPR’s Tiny Desk To Read More

Second-Best Songs: In The Shadow Of ‘The Planets’ Lies Gustav Holst’s Sweet Little Suite

By NPR News March 14, 2020

A montage of images taken by the Voyager spacecraft of the planets and four of Jupiter's moons, set against a false-color Rosette Nebula with Earth's moon in the foreground. CREDIT: NASA

The English composer's supernova hit continues to obscure his jaunty, folk inflected St. Paul's Suite. Continue Reading Second-Best Songs: In The Shadow Of ‘The Planets’ Lies Gustav Holst’s Sweet Read More

A New Piano Concerto For The People May Be The Most Attractive One So Far This Century

By NPR News February 29, 2020

British composer Thomas Adès leads the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and soloist Kirill Gerstein, in the premiere performances of his Concerto for Piano and Orchestra at Symphony Hall in Boston. CREDIT: Winslow Townson/Deutsche Grammophon

Thomas Adès' Concerto for Piano and Orchestra riffs on the old classics while speaking in the distinctive voice of a 21st century master composer. Continue Reading A New Piano Concerto For The People May Be The Most Read More

Max Richter Brings Achingly Beautiful Compositions ‘On The Nature Of Daylight’ To NPR’s Tiny Desk

By NPR News February 2, 2020

Max Richter performs during a Tiny Desk concert, on Oct. 21, 2019.

The eclectic composer joins members of the ACME ensemble for some of his most affecting music, which moves the audience to tears. Continue Reading Max Richter Brings Achingly Beautiful Compositions ‘On The Read More

LISTEN: The Pacifica Quartet On Performing Complete Quartet Cycles And Touring The Northwest

By Anjuli Dodhia January 30, 2020

The Grammy-winning Pacifica Quartet is known for their advocacy of contemporary music and for their acclaimed performances of complete quartet cycles by Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Carter, and Shostakovich. From their home at Indiana University, Bloomington, they visited Moscow, Idaho in January 2020 for a week of concerts, outreach events and master classes. Read More

Opera Star Joyce DiDonato Jazzes Up Classical Songs With Spontaneity And Wit At NPR’s Tiny Desk

By NPR News January 19, 2020

Joyce DiDonato performs during a Tiny Desk concert, on Nov. 11, 2019. (Catie Dull/NPR)

Watch the celebrated opera star deconstruct old Italian love songs with her signature flair, backed by a crack jazz ensemble. Continue Reading Opera Star Joyce DiDonato Jazzes Up Classical Songs With Spontaneity Read More

Harpist Bridget Kibbey Brings Blistering Bach And Jazzy D’Rivera To NPR’s Tiny Desk

By NPR News January 13, 2020

Bridget Kibbey performs during a Tiny Desk concert, on Oct. 24, 2019. CREDIT: Catie Dull/NPR

The irrepressible harpist proves that the instrument can be as tempestuous as a tango, as complex as a Bach fugue and sing as serenely as a church choir. Continue Reading Harpist Bridget Kibbey Brings Blistering Bach And Jazzy Read More