classical music Archives | Northwest Public Broadcasting

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

One Big Breath And A Blazing Guitar: 2019’s Best Moments In Music

By NPR News January 2, 2020

Cecilia Bartoli (left) and Adrianne Lenker of the band Big Thief (right)

NPR Music staffers Marissa Lorusso and Tom Huizenga give out superlatives for the best moments in music this past year, including a single breath of operatic singing and an epic guitar solo. Continue Reading One Big Breath And A Blazing Guitar: Read More

‘Dangerous Melodies’ Examines Classical Music And American Foreign Relations

By NPR News December 15, 2019

Van Cliburn moves through difficult passage in the final round of Tchaikovsky International Piano & Violin competition on April 11, 1958 in Moscow. CREDIT: AP

A new book explores the relation between a few key figures in American classical music and U.S. foreign policy in the 20th century. Continue Reading ‘Dangerous Melodies’ Examines Classical Music And American Foreign Read More

The Music And Morality Of Beethoven’s Mighty Ninth

By NPR News December 7, 2019

German composer and pianist Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827), painted by Kloeber circa 1805. CREDIT: Hulton Archive/Getty Images

For nearly 200 years, Beethoven's epic Ninth Symphony, with its powerful "Ode to Joy," has inspired millions. Now conductor Marin Alsop takes it on a world tour. Continue Reading The Music And Morality Of Beethoven’s Mighty NinthRead More

Famed Latvian Conductor Mariss Jansons Dies At Age 76

By NPR News December 4, 2019

Mariss Jansons at his final concert with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam in 2015. CREDIT: Michel Porro/Getty Images

One of classical music's most beloved and widely heard conductors died Saturday. Born in secret in Nazi-occupied Latvia, he went on to a stunning international career. Continue Reading Famed Latvian Conductor Mariss Jansons Dies At Age 76Read More

Remembering Classical Music Host Bob Christiansen Of ‘Bob And Bill’

By Sueann Ramella December 3, 2019

Bill Morelock, left, and Bob Christiansen

They were a classical music hosts who helped make the genre approachable. Bob and Bill started at Northwest Public Radio delighting audiences with their humor and knowledge. Recently, Bob Christenson passed away. Bill Morelock remembers him. Read More

Duo ‘Black Violin’ Meshes Hip Hop With Classical Music

By NPR News November 26, 2019

The classicly trained duo — whose real names are Kevin Sylvester and Wilner Baptist — formed Black Violin and found their unique sound mashing together Bach with Biggie Smalls. Continue Reading Duo ‘Black Violin’ Meshes Hip Hop With Classical Read More

Pianist Igor Levit Slips ‘Into The Beethoven Zone’ At NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert

By NPR News November 23, 2019

Igor Levit performs during a Tiny Desk concert, on Oct. 15, 2019. CREDIT: Mhari Shaw/NPR

The insightful pianist offers a Beethoven bonanza, ranging from the mesmerizing pulse of the popular "Moonlight" Sonata to flashes of wry humor and tender beauty. Continue Reading Pianist Igor Levit Slips ‘Into The Beethoven Read More

Kanye West Announces An Opera (Which Isn’t As Crazy As It Sounds)

By NPR News November 21, 2019

We're guessing that Kanye West's opera at the Hollywood Bowl will have a different vibe than his visit to Paris' Opéra Garnier in 2010. Julien Hekimian/Getty Images

Before any opera purists start wringing their hands, let's remember that the 400-year-old art form has proven itself terrifically adaptable and resilient. Continue Reading Kanye West Announces An Opera (Which Isn’t As Crazy As It Read More

Gabriela Ortiz’s ‘Yanga’ Makes Its Debut With The LA Philharmonic

By NPR News November 12, 2019

Gabriela Ortiz. Photo courtesy of the artist

One of Mexico's most renowned classical composers, Ortiz's latest work was commissioned by Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic and inspired by Mexico's first liberator of slaves. Continue Reading Gabriela Ortiz’s Read More

WATCH: Classical Singer And Pulitzer Music Winner Caroline Shaw Sings Her Own Song

By NPR News November 7, 2019

What do Gertrude Stein, Billy Joel and Robert Burns have in common? Their words all show up in a new song by Pulitzer-winning composer Caroline Shaw. Continue Reading WATCH: Classical Singer And Pulitzer Music Winner Caroline Read More

Conductor And Composer Raymond Leppard, A Champion Of The Old And The New, Dies At 92

By NPR News October 22, 2019

A 1975 portrait of the late conductor, harpsichordist, and scholar Raymond Leppard. The Evening Standard/Getty Images

The British conductor, harpsichordist and scholar helped reignite interest in works by composers like Monteverdi — but he also championed new works and wrote notable film scores of his own. Continue Reading Conductor And Read More

The 2010s: Classical Music’s Decade Of Reckoning

By NPR News October 21, 2019

A scene from Ellen Reid's opera p r i s m, which won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for music. Noah Stern Weber

The past 10 years in classical music, which this episode of All Songs Considered explores, has been a roller coaster ride of high points and derailments. Hence the dramatic title, "A Decade of Reckoning." Continue Reading The 2010s: Classical Music’s Read More

After Nearly Losing His Voice To Cancer, Countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo Takes On ‘Akhnaten’

By NPR News October 8, 2019

Anthony Roth Costanzo stars in the title role of the Metropolitan Opera's production of Philip Glass' Akhnaten. Richard Hubert Smith/English National Opera/Metropolitan Opera

Ten years ago, Costanzo had surgery that threatened to destroy his singing voice. Now the countertenor is starring as a gender-fluid Egyptian pharaoh in a new production by the Metropolitan Opera. Continue Reading Read More

A Conversation With Imani Winds: ‘It Matters To Have Art That Reflects The World That We Live In.’

By Anjuli Dodhia October 3, 2019

For more than twenty years, Imani Winds has inspired audiences and young musicians of all backgrounds with their energetic performances, outreach endeavors and adventurous programming. Anjuli Dodhia caught up with horn player/composer Jeff Scott and bassoonist Monica Ellis at an Imani Winds rehearsal. Read More

Early American composers could have shaken off their European sound and mined the rich trove of African American music. They didn't. And one historian believes we're worse off because of it. Continue Reading Why Is American Classical Music So White?Read More

Cellist Kian Soltani Plays With Authority And Poetry For NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert

By NWPB Music September 7, 2019

Kian Soltani plays a Tiny Desk Concert on March 8, 2019 (Amr Alfiky/NPR).

Watch a young cellist on the rise, offering music of virtuosity, sweet lyricism and a little fire from his Persian roots. Continue Reading Cellist Kian Soltani Plays With Authority And Poetry For NPR’s Tiny Desk Read More