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The Music And Morality Of Beethoven's Mighty Ninth
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.
(7 December)
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Opera Star Vittorio Grigolo Fired By Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera
His simultaneous dismissal from two of the world's leading opera houses comes after an investigation into allegations of misconduct during a Royal Opera performance in Tokyo.
(5 December)
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Famed Conductor Mariss Jansons, 76, Has Died
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.
(3 December)
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Famed Conductor Mariss Jansons Has Died, Age 76
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.
(2 December)
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Powerful Lungs And Long-Spun Lines: Cecilia Bartoli Conjures Farinelli
On her new album, the restless Italian opera star sings virtuoso music composed for Farinelli, the greatest of the baroque castratos.
(28 November)
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Met Opera Chief Peter Gelb Renews His Contract Through 2027
Despite some very public bumps in his tenure, the head of the largest performing arts organization in the U.S. received a five-year extension to his contract.
(26 November)
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Igor Levit: Tiny Desk Concert
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.
(22 November)
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Kanye West Announces An Opera (Which Isn't As Crazy As It Sounds)
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.
(18 November)
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Gabriela Ortiz's 'Yanga' Makes Its Debut With The LA Philharmonic
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.
(12 November)
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In 'Like Falling Through A Cloud,' Eugenia Zukerman Explores Her Changing Mind
The classical flutist came back from the hospital after receiving an Alzheimer's diagnosis and felt compelled to write. The result is a stunning memoir that mixes poetry and prose.
(9 November)
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Caroline Shaw Sings Her Own Song
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.
(7 November)
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Nicholas Payton Reimagines Musical Tradition With 'Black American Symphony'
His radical combination of symphonic and popular music comes eight years after a controversial statement about the word "jazz."
(7 November)
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Conductor and Composer Raymond Leppard — A Champion Of The Old And The New — Has Died
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.
(28 October)
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After Nearly Losing His Voice To Cancer, Anthony Roth Costanzo Takes On 'Akhnaten'
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.
(8 October)
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Sufjan Stevens Shares Hushed Piano Instrumental 'IV'
It's the latest release from his forthcoming score to The Decalogue, the artist's latest collaboration with ballet choreographer Justin Peck.
(4 October)
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Composer Hildur Guðnadóttir Finds The Humanity In 'Joker'
Joker is a psychological character study of a disturbed man who turns violent. To give the comic book villain human depth, composer Hildur Guðnadóttir had to dig deep and empathize with the character.
(3 October)
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Plácido Domingo Resigns From LA Opera
The announcement that the opera megastar is stepping down as the company's general director comes in the midst of two formal investigations into accusations of sexual misconduct made by 20 women.
(3 October)
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Composer Giya Kancheli, Championed By ECM, Dies At 84
One of the most prominent composers of the late 20th century has died. Georgia's Giya Kancheli wrote music full of light, shade and an incandescent longing. He was 84 years old.
(3 October)
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Majestic American Soprano Jessye Norman Dies At 74
The singer crafted a distinctive career that spanned decades and styles. Though a leading figure in her field, Norman's repertoire, fanbase and achievements stretched far beyond the opera house.
(2 October)
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Opera Singer Jessye Norman Dies At 74
Norman was one of the leading African American opera figures in a time when there were fewer than now. The soprano won four Grammys and the National Medal of Arts.
(1 October)
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Plácido Domingo Out At Metropolitan Opera Following Sexual Misconduct Allegations
The opera star, who has been accused by 20 women, was scheduled to perform Verdi's Macbeth starting on Wednesday night. In an email, he told Met staffers that he will never perform there again.
(25 September)
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Baltimore Symphony Orchestra And Musicians End Contentious Contract Dispute
The battle between management and musicians, which reached a low point with a June lockout by management, ended Monday with the ratification of a new one-year contract.
(24 September)
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Vittorio Grigolo, A Prominent Tenor, Has Been Suspended For Alleged Misconduct
The 42-year-old singer was removed from a Royal Opera tour of Japan after alleged sexual misconduct. Grigolo's suspension comes amidst a wider discussion about the subject in the opera world.
(24 September)
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Met Opera Chief: 20 Women's Accusations Against Plácido Domingo 'Not Corroborated'
In a closed-door meeting with the company's chorus and orchestra, General Manager Peter Gelb argued that the Met has no reason to investigate the famed opera singer or to cancel his performances.
(24 September)
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10 Years After Haiti's Earthquake, 'This Music School Will Never Stop'
Nearly 10 years ago, an earthquake devastated Haiti, destroying a legendary music school. A youth choir and orchestra have been touring the US and hope to rebuild their school in Port-au-Prince.
(23 September)
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Remembering The 'Fast And Furious' Music Of Christopher Rouse
Conductor Marin Alsop and composer Nico Muhly recall their friend and colleague who wrote deeply expressive music.
(23 September)
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10 Years After Haiti's Earthquake, 'This Music School Will Never Stop'
Nearly 10 years ago, an earthquake devasted Haiti, destroying a legendary music school. A youth choir and orchestra have been touring the US and hope to rebuild their school in Port-au-Prince.
(22 September)
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Why Is American Classical Music So White?
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.
(20 September)
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Met Opera Faces 'One More Catastrophic Crisis' As Employees Must Work With Domingo
One of opera's most popular and bankable stars is scheduled to sing at New York's famed opera house next week. But a number of Met employees say that they find the situation untenable.
(20 September)
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Baltimore Symphony Orchestra And Musicians Continue To Clash As New Season Approaches
After nearly a year, the 103-year-old orchestra's musicians and management are still at odds over a new contract. Its new season is scheduled to begin on Saturday.
(10 September)
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Report: 11 More Women Accuse Plácido Domingo Of Sexual Misconduct
Since August, 20 women have made allegations against the highly influential opera star via reports published by The Associated Press. A spokesperson for Domingo disputed the report.
(5 September)
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Dan Tepfer: Tiny Desk Concert
The pianist and programmer has transformed the acoustic piano into his duet partner.
(29 August)
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Marian Anderson: The Most Modest Trailblazer
The Black contralto put European art music and African-American spirituals in parity — and in her art, paved the way for generations of singers after her, both inside and outside classical music.
(27 August)
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Tragic Fire Sparks Julia Wolfe's Latest Look At American Labor History
On her new album, Fire in My Mouth, the Pulitzer-winning composer documents the tragedy behind New York City's 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire.
(27 August)
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Jimi Hendrix And George Frideric Handel Were Neighbors Across The Centuries
If 1960s rock icon Jimi Hendrix and 18th century composer George Frideric Handel were alive at the same time, they would have been next door neighbors in London.
(26 August)
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John Williams And Anne-Sophie Mutter, 2 Geniuses For The Price Of One
John Williams is an honored film composer, but he began as an arranger. Williams is now arranging again, this time with the acclaimed violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter on the album Across the Stars.
(24 August)
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A Confrontation With Music: Ivo Pogorelich's First Album In 21 Years
A trio of critics discuss the mercurial pianist's personal take on Beethoven and Rachmaninoff and what it means to color outside the lines in classical music.
(22 August)
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Kian Soltani: Tiny Desk Concert
Watch a young cellist on the rise, offering music of virtuosity, sweet lyricism and a little fire from his Persian roots.
(16 August)
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LA Opera To Investigate Plácido Domingo After Sexual Harassment Report
The women — eight singers and a dancer — told The Associated Press that the opera titan tried to pressure them into sexual relationships by offering them jobs.
(13 August)
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Memos Lay Out Sexual Misconduct Allegations Against Opera Star David Daniels
University of Michigan memos obtained by NPR detail multiple, serious allegations, including an accusation that Daniels solicited students in exchange for money — a potentially criminal offense.
(9 August)
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Met Opera, James Levine Avoid Public Dispute In #MeToo Accusations, Settle Lawsuit
The Metropolitan Opera suspended, and then fired, Levine after several men came forward with accusations that the conductor had sexually abused them.
(8 August)
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In a Family Filled With Musicians, A Young Pianist Finds Her Voice
Isata Kanneh-Mason, one of seven siblings in a British family bursting with promising music careers, showcases the long-overlooked music of Clara Schumann on her debut.
(7 August)
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'Blind Injustice' Opera Sets Out To Open Eyes About Wrongful Conviction Rates
Based on former federal prosecutor Mark Godsey's book of the same title, the new opera Blind Injustice draws on detailed interviews with exonerees to put America's criminal justice system on trial.
(26 July)
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Opera Star David Daniels Indicted For Sexual Assault In Texas
Daniels and his husband, Scott Walters, are both accused of drugging and raping a man in Houston in May 2010. Daniels is also being accused of drugging and raping another man in Michigan in 2017.
(26 July)
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New Opera 'Blue' Takes On The Tragedy Of Police Brutality
The new opera by Tazewell Thompson and Jeanine Tesori tells the story of a couple in Harlem who are forced to confront their teenage son's sudden death by police violence.
(22 July)
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Moon Tunes: Songs To Celebrate Our Glowing Orb
To mark the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing, a far-reaching playlist of off-the-beaten-orbit tracks for your space travels.
(18 July)
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'Rigoletto' In Vegas And The Pleasures Of The Metropolitan Opera
A recent Pop Culture Happy Hour trip to New York took the team to see Rigoletto at the Metropolitan Opera. A jester in a rat pack? We saw it.
(17 July)
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Video Of An Uber Driver In South Africa Singing Opera Goes Viral
Menzi Mngoma is hoping that the exposure will help him further his dream of becoming an international singing sensation who doesn't have to drive for Uber.
(15 July)
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Chinese Company Backs Out Of Controversial Choir College Purchase
Rider University had planned to sell Westminster Choir College to the China-based Kaiwen Education, but now says it will only move Westminster out of its valuable property in Princeton, N.J.
(2 July)
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'Stonewall' Opera Marks Uprising's 50th Anniversary
New York City Opera has commissioned Stonewall, a new opera premiering one week before the 50th anniversary of the riots that sparked the modern gay-rights movement.
(24 June)
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Opposites Attract: Two Violin Concertos In The Hands Of A Master
Augustin Hadelich dazzles in an album of odd bedfellows, which pairs Johannes Brahms' romantic war horse with György Ligeti's modernist stunner.
(24 June)
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NPR Classical
Need a deep discovery experience? Try 1000 years of music. Our mantra: Bach, Beethoven, before and beyond.
(20 June)
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Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Locks Out Musicians As Contract Dispute Continues
Contract and salary negotiations between musicians and management have stalled, leaving BSO players picketing outside their concert hall.
(17 June)
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John Luther Adams' 'Become Desert' Shimmers In Majestic Stillness
The composer's musical evocation of the desert is an expansive journey in symphonic stillness, and a sequel to his Pulitzer-winning Become Ocean.
(14 June)
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Pavarotti Documentary Misses All The Right Notes
Ron Howard's new Pavarotti film fails to make us feel much for its subject, and does little to bolster the magical, complicated art called opera.
(7 June)
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First Listen: John Luther Adams, 'Become Desert'
The composer's musical evocation of the desert is an expansive journey in symphonic stillness, and a sequel to his Pulitzer-winning Become Ocean.
(6 June)
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'They Know That I'm The Real Deal': Transgender Baritone Makes Opera History
In her U.S. debut as Don Giovanni, Lucia Lucas became the first known trans woman to sing a principal role on an American opera stage.
(1 June)
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Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Suddenly Cancels Summer Season
The financially embattled organization surprised its musicians, and its audience, by shortening its season and cutting the players pay and vacation, it announced Thursday.
(31 May)
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A Conversation With Jonny Greenwood, On Chaos And The Element Of Surprise
Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood talks about his classical music featured on NPR Music's Tiny Desk, his love for the recorder and his composer heroes such as Steve Reich and Krzysztof Penderecki.
(31 May)
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'They Know That I'm The Real Deal': Transgender Baritone Makes Opera History
In her U.S. debut as Don Giovanni, Lucia Lucas became the first known trans person to sing a principal role on an American opera stage.
(31 May)
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Kishi Bashi Uses The History Of Japanese Internment To Explore America Today
To make his latest album, Omoiyari, the Japanese-American artist decided to turn to the past. He visited Japanese internment camps and made music inspired by the stories he found there.
(29 May)
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Jeremy Dutcher: Tiny Desk Concert
There is no one making music like this 27-year-old, classically trained opera tenor and pianist. Watch and see why.
(22 May)
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Ensemble Signal Plays Jonny Greenwood: Tiny Desk Concert
Watch members of the New York-based group give the world premiere video performances of two recent pieces by Radiohead guitarist and composer Jonny Greenwood.
(20 May)
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Magos Herrera and Brooklyn Rider: Tiny Desk Concert
Watch what happens when the smoky-voiced jazz singer from Mexico conspires with an adventuresome string quartet for songs steeped in Latin American traditions.
(15 May)
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Kelsey Lu, A Classically Trained Rule Breaker
Kelsey Lu knew she wanted to play music from a young age. So, at 18, she left home to deepen that study. On her debut album, Blood, Lu explores what that decision meant.
(1 May)
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Kelsey Lu, A Classically-Trained Rule Breaker
Kelsey Lu knew she wanted to play music from a young age. So, at 18, she left home to deepen that study. On her debut album, Blood, Lu explores what that decision meant.
(1 May)
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From Betty Boop To Popeye, Franz Von Suppé Survives In Cartoons
You may not recognize the Austrian composer by name, but if you like cartoons, you've heard the music of Franz von Suppé.
(29 April)
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The Calidore String Quartet: Tiny Desk Concert
The Calidore String Quartet confirms that the centuries-old formula — two violins, a viola and a cello — is still very much alive and evolving.
(24 April)
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Top Dutch Orchestra And Ousted Conductor Daniele Gatti Settle Dispute
The acclaimed Concertgebouw Orchestra issued a warmly worded statement Tuesday saying its disagreements with the conductor have been resolved by both parties.
(24 April)
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After The Flames, Notre Dame's Centuries-Old Organ May Never Be The Same Again
Chief organist Olivier Latry looks ahead at the church's extensive renovation process after the Notre Dame cathedral fire on April 15.
(22 April)
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The Calidore String Quartet: Tiny Desk Concert
The Calidore String Quartet confirms that the centuries-old formula – two violins, a viola and a cello – is still very much alive and evolving.
(22 April)
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Caroline Shaw's Love Letter To The String Quartet
On Orange, an album devoted entirely to her work, the young, Pulitzer-winning composer salutes a centuries-old genre.
(19 April)
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Readjusting Your Reality: Ellen Reid Wins Music Pulitzer For 'P r i s m'
The young composer's opera, which debuted at the Los Angeles Opera, was inspired by her own experience as a survivor of sexual assault.
(16 April)
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Cellist Yo-Yo Ma Plays Bach In Shadow Of Border Crossing
The world-renowned cellist brought his Bach Project to the sister cities of Laredo, Texas, and Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, on Saturday.
(15 April)
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White Singers In Hungary Claim To Be African-American, For An Opera
The Gershwin estate stipulates that Porgy and Bess should be performed by an all-black cast. The Hungarian State Opera in Budapest reportedly asked its mostly white cast to say that they are black.
(12 April)
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For Conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Making Music Is 'Like A Religious Call'
Nézet-Séguin uses every part of his body when he conducts — including his eyes, eyebrows, shoulders and feet. He's the music director at New York's Metropolitan Opera and the Philadelphia Orchestra.
(4 April)
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From A Piano Virtuoso, An Album For Beginners
Steve Inskeep speaks with superstar pianist Lang Lang about his new album, Piano Book, a reexamination of the classical music repertory he learned as child.
(2 April)
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The Valkyrie Who Maxed Out Her Credit Cards: Christine Goerke Sings Brünnhilde
Goerke, who's singing in the current Metropolitan Opera Ring cycle, overcame a vocal crisis to become one of today's leading dramatic sopranos.
(30 March)
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Majority Of James Levine's Defamation Claims Against Met Opera Dismissed
The New York State Supreme Court dismissed most of the fallen music director's claims against the Metropolitan Opera and its general manager, Peter Gelb. Even so, both sides are claiming victory.
(27 March)
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Jeremy Denk's Musical Odyssey Through 7 Centuries Of Music
On his new album titled c.1300-c.2000, the pianist begins with a medieval song by Machaut and ends with an étude by Philip Glass.
(16 March)
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2 Sides In Chicago Symphony Orchestra Strike To Meet On Friday
The musicians of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra are on strike. At issue are salary and pensions. The contract expired Sunday night.
(13 March)
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At 92, The Man Who Wrote The Book On Berlioz Resumes His Case
To mark the sesquicentennial of the composer's death — and a new box set of recordings — Berlioz biographer David Cairns celebrates the one-time musical misfit from France.
(8 March)
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After 20 Years, Ryuichi Sakamoto's Rare 'BTTB' Is Available For Streaming
The composer and multi-instrumentalist's newly reissued 14th album is an intimate collection of brief solo piano compositions, first released in Japan in 1998 and hard to find since.
(1 March)
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André Previn, Musical Polymath, Has Died At Age 89
André Previn died Thursday morning in Manhattan. He was a composer of Oscar-winning film music, conductor, pianist and music director of major orchestras.
(28 February)
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From Funerals To Festivals, The Curious Journey Of The 'Adagio For Strings'
How did Samuel Barber's stirring, lush work for strings — music that has become America's semi-official music of mourning — morph into a beloved and endlessly remixed dance floor anthem?
(25 February)
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An Italian Town Fell Silent So The Sounds Of A Stradivarius Could Be Preserved
The mayor of Cremona, Italy, blocked traffic during five weeks of recording and asked residents to please keep quiet so master musicians could play four instruments — note by note — for posterity.
(25 February)
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Top Flutist Settles Gender Pay-Gap Suit With Boston Symphony Orchestra
Elizabeth Rowe, the symphony's principal flutist, filed suit against the orchestra last July. It was among the first lawsuits regarding gender pay gaps filed under a new Massachusetts law.
(25 February)
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Dominick Argento, Literature-Loving And Pulitzer Prize-Winning Composer, Dead At 91
Argento began his career in earnest in the '60s, before rising to international prominence in the '70s for works that often mined the written word for inspiration.
(25 February)
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First Listen: Ryuichi Sakamoto, 'BTTB (20th Anniversary Edition)'
The composer and multi-instrumentalist's newly reissued 14th album is an intimate collection of brief solo piano compositions, first released in Japan in 1998 and hard to find since.
(21 February)
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Jeremy Denk Maps Centuries of Music History on 'c.1300-c.2000'
Hear the resourceful pianist trace 700 years of Western music, from the delicate medieval counterpoint of Guillaume de Machaut to the minimalism of Philip Glass.
(8 February)
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Heavy Rotation: 10 Songs Public Radio Can't Stop Playing
A new collaboration from Karen O and Danger Mouse, a fresh new beat from French producer FKJ and a new single from Jack White's The Raconteurs are among this month's favorites.
(2 February)
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Sanford Sylvan, A Baritone On His Own Terms, Dies At 65
The warm-voiced, and much admired, singer eschewed the glitzy life of an opera star to concentrate on the art of vocal communication.
(1 February)
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First Listen: Jeremy Denk, 'c.1300–c.2000'
Hear the resourceful pianist trace 700 years of Western music, from the delicate medieval counterpoint of Guillaume de Machaut to the minimalism of Philip Glass.
(31 January)
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Opera Star David Daniels And Husband Arrested On Sexual Assault Charges
The two were arrested Tuesday night in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and are awaiting extradition to Texas. A young singer has accused the pair of drugging and raping him in 2010.
(30 January)
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Leyla McCalla Sings 'The Capitalist Blues' With Feeling and Wisdom
On her bustling third album, the former Carolina Chocolate Drops member maps her vision of the Afro-Caribbean diaspora while gently taking Anglocentricism (and capitalism) down a notch.
(25 January)
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Revisiting The Pioneering Composer Florence Price
A new recording spotlights the tenacious composer, who was the first African-American woman to have her work performed by a major symphony orchestra.
(22 January)
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First Listen: Leyla McCalla, 'The Capitalist Blues'
On her bustling third album, the former Carolina Chocolate Drops member maps her vision of the Afro-Caribbean diaspora while gently taking Anglocentricism (and capitalism) down a notch.
(17 January)
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Finding God, Love And The Meaning Of Life In Messiaen's 'Turangalîla-Symphonie'
Baltimore Symphony music director Marin Alsop traces her discovery of the rollicking 75-minute symphony and the man behind the music.
(12 January)
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Carolina Eyck and Clarice Jensen: Tiny Desk Concert
Carolina Eyck, the first artist to bring a theremin to the Tiny Desk, plays the air with the kind of lyrical phrasing and "fingered" articulation that takes a special kind of virtuosity.
(11 January)
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For Opera Singers, Life After Retirement — At Least At One Very Special Rest Home
Founded by composer Giuseppe Verdi and funded by royalties from his popular operas, Casa Verdi in Milan opened a century ago as a home for opera musicians in their golden years.
(11 January)
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