GoodSoundClub - Classical Music News

A Stradivarius violin could sell for a record sum at auction. Is it worth the hype?
Stradivarius violins often sell for millions. There's a long history behind them, and violinists who swear they sound better than modern ones. (5 February)

Celebrating Sun Ra: The cosmic visionary who transformed jazz music
Every week for Black History Month, World Cafe correspondent John Morrison is highlighting a different maverick of Black music history. (5 February)

After 138 years, a Black composer's magnum opus finds a stage
Morgiane, perhaps the oldest opera by a Black American, finally receives its full public performance, shedding light on the forgotten heyday of opera in New Orleans. (3 February)

Sense of Place: For this Afghan pianist, music is an act of resistance
Arson Fahim remembers leaving for Boston to study music just days before the Taliban took over Afghanistan. (31 January)

Can James McVinnie change your mind about the pipe organ?
On his new album, the British keyboardist offers both engaging and entertaining contemporary works for the misunderstood instrument. (28 January)

Sense of Place: This Berklee group shines a light on musicians with disabilities
Professor Adrian Anantawan co-founded the Music Inclusion Ensemble at the Boston college. (27 January)

Pianist David Kadouch probes gay composers' hidden loves, through music
In his album Amours Interdites (Forbidden Love) French pianist David Kadouch explores music by gay composers who concealed their sexuality in societies that wouldn't otherwise accept them. (24 January)

From the Top: Tiny Desk Concert
Something kind of miraculous takes place when teenagers take over the Tiny Desk. Their astounding performances confirm a bright forecast for the future of music. (15 January)

Daring to Dream: A reflection on America
In celebration of what would have been Martin Luther King Jr.'s 96th birthday, pianist Lara Downes examines how musicians have followed in his footsteps, and faced the cost of taking a stand. (15 January)

Two new operas focus on the Black female experience
Two short operas that got their premieres at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. feature Black female protagonists. (14 January)

Isata Kanneh-Mason: Tiny Desk Concert
The rising star of the British Kanneh-Mason family offers vigorous Chopin, serene Liszt and a stirring spiritual at the trusty Tiny Desk upright piano. (7 January)

Tom Huizenga's favorite albums, songs and concerts of 2024
NPR Music's classical expert is an omnivorous listener, who treated the music of 2024 as sustenance for a year of zigzagging emotional highs and lows. (17 December)

The 10 Best Classical Albums of 2024
Discover a wide range of this year's most compelling classical music, from symphonic thrill rides and soaring voices to delicate baroque suites, ambient adventures and one groove-laden masterwork.
(9 December)

Notre Dame organist returns for the cathedral's grand reopening
Olivier Latry is Notre Dame Cathedral's longest-serving organist. Just days before the church's gala reopening, after the destructive fire in 2019, he talks about the refurbished instrument — it holds 8,000 pipes — and its role in the church. (7 December)

Jon Batiste traces the blues back to Beethoven and beyond
The Grammy winner and former Late Show bandleader unravels the crisscrossing threads of musical lineage from Beethoven's own personal blues to the musical art form that undergirds Batiste's Louisiana roots. (5 December)

The 50 Best Albums Of 2024
You can't always know that it's a great year for new music while it's happening, but there was a sense from the very start of 2024 that we were in for a ride. (2 December)

In a new opera, a life in music and a struggle with memory loss intertwine
Composer Laura Kaminsky's intimate new opera, Lucidity, centers on an aging opera singer, portrayed by the 80-year-old soprano Lucy Shelton, dealing with the effects of memory loss. (15 November)

'In C' Forever: The eternal evolution of Terry Riley's minimalist masterpiece
Riley's pioneering piece, which premiered 60 years ago, leaves many decisions up to the performers. It helped launch the movement known as minimalism, but In C itself has also survived and changed. (14 November)

Yunchan Lim: Tiny Desk Concert
The youngest ever winner of the Van Cliburn Piano Competition makes our trusty upright piano sound like a 9-foot grand in music by Liszt and Tchaikovsky. (13 November)

Lucas & Arthur Jussen release 'little diamonds' EP of lesser-known piano duets
NPR's A Martínez speaks with Dutch brothers Lucas and Arthur Jussen about their new EP, Rêve, featuring piano duets by lesser-known composers influenced by — or rejecting — French Impressionism. (5 November)

'In C' Forever: The eternal evolution of Terry Riley’s minimalist masterpiece
Riley’s pioneering piece, which premiered 60 years ago, leaves many decisions up to the performers. It helped launch the movement known as minimalism, but In C itself has also survived and changed. (3 November)

Opera star Denyce Graves’ global compassion in red, white and blue
Whether she’s singing in the world’s great opera houses, the White House or in prisons, the celebrated mezzo-soprano and U.S. Global Music Ambassador understands how music can move people.
(31 October)

Unknown Chopin waltz identified at Morgan Library and Museum in New York
A nearly 200-year-old music manuscript by composer Frédéric Chopin was recently unearthed at a museum in New York. (31 October)

Charles Ives’ vision of America still strikes an unsettling chord
To mark the 150th anniversary of the maverick American composer’s birth, pianist Jeremy Denk releases an Ives tribute album that educates, delights and confounds.
(18 October)

John Holiday: Tiny Desk Concert
The countertenor’s sparkling personality shines brightly in a wide ranging set that includes jazz, classical and spirituals. (16 October)

Jennifer Koh seeks innovation and 'artistic risk' in revamping chamber music series
Jennifer Koh is shaking up the long-established chamber music series at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. An example of that is her collaboration with pianist-composer Missy Mazzoli. (15 October)

Common freestyles over Toto's 'Africa' at the Aspen Ideas Festival
Watch as Common and Aspen Music School students take the 1982 soft-rock hit and make something spontaneous, yet memorable. (14 October)

Powerhouse classical music producer Adam Abeshouse dies at 63
Over a career that lasted more than 30 years, Grammy-winner Adam Abeshouse made hundreds of records with some of classical music’s biggest stars. (10 October)

The borderless music of Gabriela Ortiz
At last, the ambitious composer finds herself in the spotlight, with a Carnegie Hall residency and a sparkling new album featuring Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. (7 October)

A beloved music producer is dying. His clients came to his home for a farewell concert
Adam Abeshouse was diagnosed with bile duct cancer last spring. His star classical music clients, including Joshua Bell, Simone Dinnerstein, Jeremy Denk, and Lara Downes, wanted to say goodbye. (3 October)

A mysterious hum and a charismatic leader stoke chaos in Missy Mazzoli's opera
In The Listeners, a seductive cult leader and an unexplainable noise divides an innocent community and warps reality. Mazzoli's opera receives its U.S. premiere in Philadelphia. (28 September)

Words, sounds and the art of listening with Aja Monet
The self-described “surreal blues poet” savors the significance of words and the noisy poetry of city life. (27 September)

Wu-Tang Clan's RZA goes classical with ballet score
Rapper RZA, who helped launch the Wu-Tang Clan hip-hop group in the 1990s, tries his hand in classical music by composing for a ballet inspired by Greek musical scales during the pandemic. (31 August)

Wu-Tang Clan's RZA goes classical with ballet score
Rapper RZA, who helped launch the Wu-Tang Clan hip hop group in the 1990s, tries his hand in classical music by composing for a ballet inspired by Greek musical scales during the pandemic. (30 August)

Conductor Jonathon Heyward is breaking barriers
As music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Heyward is the youngest to lead a major American orchestra and the first Black music director in the organization’s 107-year history.

(29 August)

Paul Robeson's many faces get new spotlight in recording premiere
A box set featuring previously unreleased recordings sheds new light on the life and legacy of Paul Robeson, a bass-baritone concert artist, actor, professional football player and activist. (29 August)

Music among friends: Bryce Dessner leans into his classical side
A new album from the guitarist for the rock band The National spotlights pieces he’s written for friends like Katia Labèque, Colin Currie and Pekka Kuusisto. (24 August)

Guitarist for indie rock group The National composes classical music album
NPR's A Martínez speaks with Bryce Dessner, a member of the rock band The National, about his classical music debut. The album -- "Solos" -- comes out Friday on Sony Classical. (22 August)

A sibling spark fuels Isata Kanneh-Mason’s 'Mendelssohn' album
The rising young pianist, from a family of seven musical siblings, offers dynamic music by brother and sister Felix and Fanny Mendelssohn. (10 August)

Young Afghan musicians are rebuilding their art together, in Portugal
Three years ago, a group of young musicians from Afghanistan and their teachers fled Kabul to remake their lives as a community in northern Portugal. Now, they are touring the U.S. (6 August)

‘The voice is my river’: Meredith Monk reflects on 6 decades of music-making
The revered interdisciplinary artist, now in her 80s, remains vigorous and regards the joy of curiosity as the key to staying young. (1 August)

Conductor Thomas Wilkins asks orchestras to 'jump off a cliff' with him
The principal conductor of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra radiates an empathetic, Yoda-like wisdom when it comes to conjuring beautiful sounds from both pros and students. (30 July)

Tyshawn Sorey wins 2024 Pulitzer Prize in music for 'Adagio (For Wadada Leo Smith)'
The composer and percussionist was "shocked beyond belief" after hearing the news on Monday afternoon. (27 July)

One of opera's greatest hits gets a new and happy ending in Washington
Giacomo Puccini's final opera Turandot gets a brand new ending premiered in Washington, with music by a composer known for video game tunes and a librettist who produced 'Succession' (27 July)

What's past is present for Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov
The 86-year-old Kyiv native, living in exile in Berlin, has a new album of symphonic works that explores the idea of reminiscence. (27 July)

Pianist Inna Faliks traces musical odyssey from Soviet Ukraine via Faustian fantasy
Faliks draws from her Ukrainian-Jewish heritage and Mikhail Bulgakov's anti-censorship novel The Master and Margarita for a new album. (27 July)

Yo-Yo Ma on ‘touching infinity’ through his nearly 300-year-old cello, Petunia
About 25 years ago, the acclaimed cellist asked a high school student to help him name his instrument. He brings his cello — aka "Petunia" — to the Fresh Air studio for music and conversation. (27 July)

Brittney Spencer brings her culture to country music
The rising young singer-songwriter, who tours with Willie Nelson and sings on Beyoncé's latest album, is making a name for herself in a new era of more inclusive country music. (27 July)

Philadelphia Orchestra renames hall after hometown legend Marian Anderson
The name of the great contralto and civil rights icon now lives above the doors to the grand hall in Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. (27 July)

The Contenders, Vol. 12: The songs we can't stop playing this week
Our updated list of the year's best songs includes a sweet reflection from beabadoobee, Nathy Peluso's wildly infectious "Aprender A Amar," the mind-blowing virtuosity of pianist Yuja Wang and more.

Featured songs and artists:
1. Nathy Peluso: "APRENDER A AMAR," from 'GRASA'
2. Jakob Lindberg: "Musette" and "Tombeau" from 'Robert de Visée: Theorbo Solos'
3. Brijean: "Workin' On It," from 'Macro'
4. Yuja Wang: "Danzón No. 2 (Marquez)," from 'The Vienna Recital'
5. beabadoobee: "Coming Home," from 'This Is How Tomorrow Moves'
6. Grupo Frontera & NICKI NICOLE: "DESQUITE," from JUGANDO A QUE NO PASA NADA'

Enjoy the show? Tell a friend and leave us a review!

Question, comments or any feedback always welcome at allsongs@npr.org (27 July)

Beethoven was a classical and romantic composer, but his body was full of heavy metal
Virtuosic pianist and composer Beethoven suffered from several debilitating ailments. A new study suggests lead poisoning may be at least partly to blame. (27 July)

Countertenor John Holiday isn't trying to make you love him
The versatile singer, who emphasizes self-acceptance, says his mission is to be a bridge from the classical community to pop, jazz and R&B. And if you’re not a fan, that’s okay. (27 July)

A violist memorializes lost voices at Terezin concentration camp
Scott Simon talks with violist Mark Ludwig about his efforts to preserve - and play - the music written by some of the many musicians imprisoned and killed at the Terezin concentration camp. (20 November)

The curious mind — and hard work — of bassist Christian McBride
The Grammy-winning bassist, bandleader and broadcaster talks about his love for music, family ties in the jazz world, and the thrill of sitting in with Wynton Marsalis as a teenager. (16 November)

The Philadelphia Orchestra returns to China for anniversary of historic 1973 trip
NPR's Juana Summers speaks with violinist Davyd Booth, who was part of the Philadelphia Orchestra's historic 1973 tour of China. (11 November)

A disciplined plea for peace – and quiet – from composer Arvo Pärt
A new album of music by the 88-year-old Estonian mystic seems to put an arm around you and whisper, "In troubled times, music can help." (11 November)

The world's largest musical instrument is in the mountains of Virginia
Luray caverns in Virginia have been a natural landmark for 50 years. They also hold the world's largest musical instrument, a Stalacpipe organ. (6 November)

Emerson String Quartet: Tiny Desk Concert
In one of its very final performances ever, the durable and beloved string quartet says farewell with music by Beethoven, Walker and Ravel. (6 November)

Conrad Tao and Caleb Teicher: Tiny Desk Concert
In our very first tap dancing Tiny Desk, the artists created an experience so unexpectedly fresh and suffused with joy, it moved some to tears and others to cheer for more. (3 November)

Malcolm X arrives — finally — at New York's Metropolitan Opera
An opera about civil rights leader Malcolm X opens Friday — nearly 40 years after X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X premiered. The creative team says its message feels more relevant than ever. (3 November)

Hauschka's prepared piano is a layered canvas of sounds in new album
On Philanthropy, the artist's 14th studio album, Volker Bertelmann, also known as Hauschka, returns to his signature prepared piano sound in music he hopes will strengthen connections between people. (20 October)

How Corinne Bailey Rae and Theaster Gates are preserving Black culture
On her album, Black Rainbows, Bailey Rae was inspired by the art, books and magazines at the Stony Island Arts Bank, a repository for Black history on Chicago's South Side, created by Gates. (17 October)

Even Beethoven got bad reviews. John Malkovich reads them aloud as 'The Music Critic'
A new live stage show features actor John Malkovich transformed into some of the meanest music critics ever — in real reviews skewering the work of great composers like Beethoven, Brahms and Chopin. (17 October)

From opera to breakdancing and back again: Jakub Józef Orlinski fuses two worlds
Polish countertenor and breakdancer Jakub Józef Orlinski talks about his new album with Il Pomo d'Oro orchestra. (16 October)

In Angélica Negrón's music, childlike wonder meets the pull of Puerto Rico
The Brooklyn-based composer talks about the artistic powers of her island homeland, writing scores for America's top orchestras and making music with plants. (12 October)

N.C. radio station reverses decision to withhold broadcast of contemporary Met operas
WCPE had deemed operas dealing with race and LGBTQ issues "unsuitable" for broadcast. They reversed course "after careful deliberation...and hearing from our supporters, listeners and the public." (6 October)

N.C. radio station reverses decision to withhold broadcast of contemporary Met operas
WCPE had deemed some operas dealing with race and LGBTQ issues "unsuitable" for broadcast. They reversed course "after careful deliberation...and hearing from our supporters, listeners and the public." (6 October)

Radio station faces swift backlash after it deems Met operas 'inappropriate'
WCPE says recent operas from the Metropolitan Opera are "unsuitable" for broadcast, including those dealing with race and LGBTQ issues. Critics of the station include musician Rhiannon Giddens. (5 October)

North Carolina radio station plans to reject broadcasts of 'inappropriate' Met operas
WCPE says that six contemporary operas being presented this season by the Metropolitan Opera — including ones dealing with violence, race and LGBTQ issues — are "unsuitable" for broadcast. (30 September)

American cellist hunts for Gaspar Cassadó's nearly lost treasures
American cellist Katie Tertell is seeking to recover from Japan forgotten manuscripts by Spanish composer Gaspar Cassadó. (25 September)

Víkingur Ólafsson, 'Variation No. 1 (Goldberg Variations)'
The young Icelandic pianist, once equated with Glenn Gould, exceeds the comparison in music by Bach that is played with transparent, lyrical joy. (19 September)

Allison Russell finds transformative musical power in community
With help from a sisterhood of musicians, the Canadian singer-songwriter and activist has triumphed over trauma to become a distinguished figure on the Americana scene. (11 September)

Anne Akiko Meyers: Tiny Desk Concert
The thoughtful violinist makes a set of contemplative music, including a piece by Philip Glass, sing sweetly on her $16 million instrument. (7 September)

Stars of the Lid co-founder Brian McBride has died at 53
In his work alongside bandmate Adam Wiltzie, McBride warped and wondered at new pathways for ambient music. (31 August)

After 12 years, pianist Awadagin Pratt rediscovers his sweet spot
Absent from the recording studio for more than a decade, the restless musician has commissioned six composers for his new album. (25 August)

Sarah Cahill: Tiny Desk Concert
The intrepid champion of new music turns her attention to female composers, offering a sampler of works by women across four centuries, including a favorite of Louis XIV and an Ethiopian nun. (18 August)

Opera singer David Daniels pleads guilty in sexual assault trial
The world-renowned countertenor and his husband were accused of drugging and raping a young singer in 2010. (8 August)

Composer Joan Tower is finally going easy on herself
With plenty of humor, the octogenarian talks about her far-reaching career — including why she fled the modernist school of composers — and some mysterious visitations from her dead heroes. (8 August)

After singer David Daniels' guilty plea, the victim speaks out
The opera star who once sang on stages around the world suddenly pleaded guilty to sexual assault on Friday. The assaulted man, singer Samuel Schultz, reflects on the experiences he has endured. (8 August)

Linguist John McWhorter views American music through a wide lens
The Columbia University professor and New York Times columnist traces the intersecting lines of race and music in American history. (3 August)

How composer Nicholas Britell created the sound of 'Succession'
Sunday's finale marks the end of Succession and its iconic opening theme. Composer Nicholas Britell reflects on shaping the show's signature sound over four seasons — and what he might do next. (30 July)

Incarcerated teens find escape in music and poems composed with artists
Teens in jail in Virginia collaborate with musicians to compose songs, write poetry and find their voices after run-ins with the law. (30 July)

Kaija Saariaho, the composer who explored color and light, has died at age 70
Saariaho, who battled a male-dominated educational system in her native Finland, forged a strong and singular voice in contemporary music. (30 July)

Juilliard fires former chair after sexual misconduct investigation
Composer Robert Beaser has been fired from the renowned performing arts conservatory after an independent investigation found that he had broken Juilliard policies and "misrepresented facts." (30 July)

Viking heritage inspires soothing lullabies from Icelandic pianist Gabríel Ólafs
Vikings were ruthless warriors, but also preserved art. This has inspired a new album of Lullabies for Piano and Cello from composer Gabríel Ólafs. (30 July)

On a new Sigur Rós album, warmth and light push through the darkness
ÁTTA, the band's first album in 10 years, sports an orchestra of strings, high-flying vocalism and its signature bittersweet melodies. (30 July)

Jeremy Dutcher, 'Ancestors Too Young'
Hear the outstanding vocalist, songwriter and activist in a supercharged performance that spotlights a crisis for Indigenous kids. (30 July)

Wild Up: Tiny Desk Concert
The 14-piece Los Angeles-based ensemble's performance of music by Julius Eastman is nothing less than an exuberant house party unto itself. (30 July)

From soil to stars, the new Aizuri Quartet album offers a space to think
The band's sophomore album, Earthdrawn Skies, connects the dots in wildly diverse music spanning eight centuries. (30 July)

Ted Hearne's choral work 'FARMING' raises food for thought
The composer, in a new collaboration with the Grammy-winning choir The Crossing, uses the words of Jeff Bezos and William Penn to explore connections among farming, colonialism and capitalism. (30 July)

Alice Sara Ott: Tiny Desk Concert
The widely acclaimed pianist serves up nearly 200-year-old music by Chopin mixed with a contemporary work that looks back in time. (30 July)

Octavia Butler wrote a 'Parable' that became a prophecy — now it's also an opera
Octavia Butler's novel Parable of the Sower — depicting a dystopian U.S. in 2024 — was published 30 years ago. Toshi Reagon's new musical retelling explores the web of past, present and future. (30 July)

Hilary Hahn, 'Sonata No. 3, Ballade'
The intrepid violinist undertakes some of the most challenging solo violin music, marking the centenary of its creation by composer Eugéne Ysaÿe. (30 July)

Remembering André Watts, the American pianist who opened doors of possibility
The pianist, who died last week, was an inspiration to a generation of Black and brown musicians who followed in his pioneering footsteps. (30 July)

Minimalism: a story told in 8 pulses
In their new book On Minimalism, musicologists William Robin and Kerry O'Brien capture the lesser-known stories of the musical movement and its development, era by era. (30 July)

Yuja Wang, 'You Come Here Often?'
Hear the powerhouse pianist barrel through a rambunctious bonbon written for her by Michael Tilson Thomas. (9 March)

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