Playlist: Jazz Takes on Classical Greats
The special bond between jazz and classical is growing closer by the day. So let's appreciate these incredible renditions of timeless classical favorites!
Don't Miss a Beat
Why Vijay Iyer, DownBeat’s Jazz Artist of the Year, Doesn’t Like the Word ‘Jazz’
DownBeat magazine gave Vijay Iyer the honors of Jazz Artist & Jazz Group of the Year in its 63rd Annual Critics Poll. But to Iyer, jazz is a bit of a four-letter word.
Tech at the symphony: Boston orchestra loaning patrons iPads
BOSTON (AP) — A night at the symphony usually means silencing cellphones and mobile devices before the music starts. But as part of an effort to draw in a younger audience, the Boston Symphony Orchestra is loaning select patrons iPads loaded with content specific to each performance. They’ll be able to view sheet music for the pieces being played, video ...
How Handel’s Messiah Got a Gospel Makeover
Handel’s Messiah has been a perennial favorite since the oratorio premiered in Dublin in 1742. Like any beloved classic, the work has also been a favorite for composers to adapt. Too Hot to Handel: The Gospel Messiah offers a contemporary, American interpretation of Handel’s original.
Mystery Writer Sara Paretsky’s 5 Favorite Pieces of ‘Mysterious’ Classical Music
Chicago-based author Sara Paretsky is known for her crime and detective novels, but what may be less well-known is that Paretsky is a longtime fan of classical music.
Blair Tindall, Author of ‘Mozart in the Jungle,’ on Her Best-Selling Book and the Hit TV Series
Blair Tindall’s Mozart in the Jungle: Sex, Drugs, and Classical Music shocked readers when it exposed some of the low points of high culture.
Did You Know Philip Glass Wrote Music Inspired by David Bowie?
David Bowie, who passed away January 10, 2016 at age 69, inspired artists in every medium over the decades. Philip Glass is one of them: his Symphony No. 1 “Low,” composed in 1992, is based on Bowie’s album, Low, and his Symphony No. 4 “Heroes” is based on Bowie’s Heroes.
Sono Osato, 96, Reflects on Dancing With the Ballet Russes
“I think I am one of the few American dancers who ever saw the Diaghilev ballet at the peak of its glory,” Sono Osato begins her autobiography Distant Dances. At the ripe age of 14, Osato became the first American dancer to join the Ballet Russes de Monte-Carlo, derived from Diaghilev’s famous Ballets Russes. With the company, she toured the ...
Playlist: Your Top 10 Favorite Piano Concertos
We asked you to vote on your favorite piano concertos, which we have been counting down for two weeks along with works that might be new to you. Here are your top 10 favorite piano concertos revealed!
Playlist: Rufus Wainwright’s 3 Favorite Opera Composers
Opera has always been important to composer Rufus Wainwright, though many know him as the man behind the piano crooning confessional songs.
Recipes Composed by Classical Composers
Did you know that some of your favorite composers composed recipes as well? Here are a few culinary masterpieces composed by Rossini, Verdi, Ned Rorem, Puccini, and Janáček.
