|
|
Andrea Bocelli To Perform In An Empty Duomo Cathedral On Easter Sunday
The Italian star will sing songs like "Ave Maria" live from the empty halls of one the world's most famous churches.
(8 April)
|
|
|
Famed Opera Singer Plácido Domingo Hospitalized Due To COVID-19 Complications
Domingo's reported hospitalization comes days after he posted a message on Facebook saying it was his "moral obligation" to reveal he tested positive for the disease caused by the coronavirus.
(31 March)
|
|
|
Krzysztof Penderecki, Boundary-Breaking Polish Composer, Dies At 86
Known early on for his avant-garde works, the composer's challenging music nevertheless found fans far beyond traditional classical music circles.
(30 March)
|
|
|
Conversation Between The Keys: Víkingur Ólafsson Meets Debussy And Rameau
On his new album, the rising pianist once called "Iceland's Glenn Gould" offers a dialogue between two radical French composers born nearly 200 years apart.
(27 March)
|
|
|
Opera Singer David Daniels Fired By University Over Sexual Misconduct Allegations
On Thursday, the former opera star was fired by the University of Michigan. It said it found a pattern of "harassing, abusive and exploitative" behavior. Daniels separately faces a charge in Texas.
(27 March)
|
|
|
Our Daily Breather: Tom Huizenga On Víkingur Ólafsson's Restorative Rameau
In a time of striving to keep ourselves and our environments pathogen-free, Our Daily Breather seeks guidance on the health of the psyche. Tom Huizenga has been turning to a calming piano performance.
(20 March)
|
|
|
'This Is Why We Play': Amid Pandemic, Philadelphia Orchestra Livestreams Beethoven
The Philadelphia Orchestra has shuttered its doors in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin reflects on their final performance — streamed for people at home.
(19 March)
|
|
|
The Austin 100: Lambert
Pianist and composer Lambert performs evocative, cinematic instrumentals wearing a mask. He's also released dance remixes of his works and collaborated with bands, singers and electronic musicians.
(17 March)
|
|
|
Performing Arts And Cultural Organizations Close Their Doors Due To Coronavirus
Arts and cultural events and institutions across the country are announcing cancellations and closures, including SXSW in Austin, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
(13 March)
|
|
|
Kirill Gerstein: Tiny Desk Concert
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.
(11 March)
|
|
|
In The Shadow Of 'The Planets' Lies Gustav Holst's Sweet Little Suite
The English composer's supernova hit continues to obscure his jaunty, folk inflected St. Paul's Suite.
(11 March)
|
|
|
LA Opera Finds 'Inappropriate Conduct' Claims Against Plácido Domingo Credible
On Tuesday, the California opera company released a summary of independent investigators' findings. They substantiated 10 claims of alleged incidents that took place between 1986 and 2019.
(11 March)
|
|
|
Plácido Domingo And London's Royal Opera House Announce 'Mutual' Cancellations
The star singer, who has been the subject of numerous allegations of sexual misconduct, will not be singing in a production of Verdi's Don Carlo this summer.
(6 March)
|
|
|
Mellotron Variations: Tiny Desk Concert
Robby Grant, Pat Sansone (Wilco), Jonathan Kirkscey and John Medeski (Medeski, Martin & Wood) give an all-Mellotron performance, making music of magic and mystery.
(3 March)
|
|
|
Union Official Resigns Over Domingo Investigation, Confirms He Gave Media Information
On Monday, baritone Samuel Schultz accused the American Guild of Musical Artists of trying to cover up the results of its investigation of famed singer Plácido Domingo.
(3 March)
|
|
|
A New Piano Concerto For The People
Thomas Adès' Concerto for Piano and Orchestra riffs on the old classics while speaking in the distinctive voice of a 21st century master composer.
(28 February)
|
|
|
NPR Music's Top 10 Albums Of February
We kept coming back to Pop Smoke's Meet the Woo 2, Soccer Mommy's deceptively sunny '90s pop and Makaya McCraven's creative reimagining of Gil Scott-Heron's poetry.
(28 February)
|
|
|
Plácido Domingo Backpedals On Public Apology; Meanwhile, Union Seeks Leakers
"I never behaved aggressively" towards women, the opera star says, while the performers' union that investigated his alleged behavior attempts to ferret out who provided information to the press.
(28 February)
|
|
|
Fallout After Union Makes Plácido Domingo Announcement; Another Accuser Comes Forward
The union representing opera performers said it had substantiated "inappropriate activity" by the famed singer. But its actions have angered accusers and caused rifts in its own governing body.
(26 February)
|
|
|
Revisiting Beethoven's Beloved, Radical Symphonies For His 250th Birthday
Sir John Eliot Gardiner conducts all nine symphonies this year. He spoke about the surprisingly political side of Beethoven's music with All Things Considered.
(25 February)
|
|
|
Union Says Plácido Domingo Engaged In 'Inappropriate Activity'
The statement from the American Guild of Musical Artists contained no details, although an Associated Press story did, reportedly prompting the withdrawal of a $500,000 settlement.
(25 February)
|
|
|
In 'Counterpoint' Bach Helps An Art Critic Mourn A Mother Whose Criticism Lingers
The Washington Post's Philip Kennicott suffered his mother's harsh words and actions throughout childhood. His book is partly a need to acknowledge her "sadness and anger and unaccountable rages."
(19 February)
|
|
|
19th Amendment, 19 Women: NY Philharmonic's 2020 Program Celebrates Suffragists
The NY Philharmonic has commissioned 19 women to create new works to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the passing of the 19th Amendment. It's called Project 19.
(17 February)
|
|
|
19th Amendment, 19 Women: NY Philharmonic's 2020 Program Celebrates Suffragettes
The NY Philharmonic has commissioned 19 women to create new works to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the passing of the 19th Amendment. It's called Project 19.
(16 February)
|
|
|
At The 92nd Oscars, Eímear Noone Became The First Woman To Conduct The Orchestra
NPR's Michel Martin speaks with the Irish composer and conductor Eímear Noone, known for scoring video games like World of Warcraft, about her role as the award show's first female conductor.
(10 February)
|
|
|
Remembering Peter Serkin, The Searching Pianist
A thoughtful musician from a distinguished family, Serkin interpreted the classics and expanded the repertoire by commissioning new works.
(3 February)
|
|
|
NPR Music's Top 10 Albums Of January
One month into 2020 and it already feels like we've got strong contenders for albums of the year.
(31 January)
|
|
|
Opera For Newbies: Busting Myths And Belting High Notes
A listener's guide for the opera-curious includes a little history, a little trash-talk and some gorgeous singing.
(26 January)
|
|
|
Max Richter: Tiny Desk Concert
The eclectic composer joins members of the ACME ensemble for some of his most affecting music, which moves the audience to tears.
(22 January)
|
|
|
Underground Railroad: A Conductor And Passengers Documented In Music
When it comes to the Underground Railroad, everyone knows Harriet Tubman. But a new oratorio sheds light on a different, key figure named William Still.
(22 January)
|
|
|
Underground Railroad: A Conductor And Passengers Documented In Music
When it comes to the Underground Railroad, everyone knows Harriet Tubman. But a new oratorio sheds light on a different, key figure named William Still.
(21 January)
|
|
|
Joyce DiDonato: Tiny Desk Concert
Watch the celebrated opera star deconstruct old Italian love songs with her signature flair, backed by a crack jazz ensemble.
(15 January)
|
|
|
Bridget Kibbey: Tiny Desk Concert
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.
(8 January)
|
|
|
One Big Breath And A Blazing Guitar: 2019's Best Moments In Music
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.
(26 December)
|
|
|
Commemorating A King's College Christmas Tradition
A new album commemorates the Centenary Service of the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at King's College, Cambridge.
(22 December)
|
|
|
'Dangerous Melodies' Examines Classical Music And American Foreign Relations
A new book explores the relation between a few key figures in American classical music and U.S. foreign policy in the 20th century.
(14 December)
|
|
|
10 Classical Albums To Usher In The Next Decade
As a new decade approaches, hear 10 extraordinary classical albums well-equipped to propel the music into the future.
(11 December)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
Dan Tepfer: Tiny Desk Concert
The pianist and programmer has transformed the acoustic piano into his duet partner.
(29 August)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
'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)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
'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)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
'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)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
NPR Classical
Need a deep discovery experience? Try 1000 years of music. Our mantra: Bach, Beethoven, before and beyond.
(20 June)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
'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)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
'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)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|
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)
|
|
|