New Releases May 20: French Horn, Shostakovich, Siblings
Horn player Felix Klieser shares selections hailing from Scandinavia. Two albums explore the music of Shostakovich. We hear siblings collaborating: Lucas and Arthur Jussen in Cantus and Sheku and Isata Kanneh-Mason in Shostakovich & Britten. Plus, Baroque deep dives, a tribute to Maurice Ravel, and a lesser-known ballet.
Don't Miss a Beat
Meet the pianist and statesman who helped secure Poland’s independence
Few other star concert pianists can boast that they fought for — and helped win — their country’s independence.
VIDEO | Aaron Copland appears on WTTW’s “John Callaway Interviews” in 1981
Enjoy this engaging two-part conversation between American composer Aaron Copland and John Calloway! This program of "John Calloway Interviews" aired on WFMT's sister station, WTTW, on September 14, 1981. Copland discusses his introduction to music, his forays into composing Hollywood scores, his relationship with critics, and more in this hourlong interview.
‘Weird Al’ Yankovic to Make Ravinia Festival Debut in July 2019
Yankovic stops in the Chicago area on a new tour that features a full orchestra.
6 of the Most Famous Classical Music Feuds Between Composers
The history of music is full of friendships and feuds. These composers certainly had complicated relationships. What are your favorite composer clashes?
Playlist: Classical Saxophone Music You Need to Hear
hough it seems like we can only count on our hands the number of times we see the saxophone in the concert hall, the instrument does have a robust and diverse classical repertoire.
Nico Muhly scores with second commission from Met
NEW YORK (AP) — Ten years ago at age 27, Nico Muhly became the youngest composer ever to have a piece commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera. “It was completely terrifying,” Muhly said of the offer from Met general manager Peter Gelb to write “Two Boys” for America’s leading opera house. As with any commission he gets, he said, “It’s not ...
In His Return, Daniel Barenboim Reflects on What Chicago Has Meant to His Career
“In 1970, I was many things, but not an experienced conductor,” admitted Daniel Barenboim, acknowledging that being selected to conduct the CSO at that time was therefore "an event of shattering importance."
Aretha Franklin doc ‘Amazing Grace’ to finally see the light
Sydney Pollack shot most of the footage that documented Franklin's performance at a Los Angeles Baptist church in January 1972.
8 US Presidents You Didn’t Know Were Musicians
Did you know that some of our nation’s leaders past and present could hold their own at a conductor’s podium? Regardless of their political party, many presidents from Jefferson to Nixon to Obama might all agree on one thing: music is important in our lives.
‘Hear Us’ Showcases 3 Young Musicians Who Defy Boundaries to Collaborate and Perform
Clarissa Bevilacqua, a 15-year-old violinist living in Italy, describes the double-edged sword of being dubbed a “prodigy.” She is one of the three young classical musicians who come together to perform as a trio in Hear Us, an hourlong program that first airs on WTTW this Monday, November 5.
