New Releases May 6: Jewish Vienna, Weinberg, Bassoon
A new album pays tribute to the Jewish composers of 20th-century Vienna. The Arcadia Quartet’s album explores the string quartets of another marginalized Jewish composer: Mieczysław Weinberg. Leading English bassoonist Laurence Perkins offers a lighthearted survey in Honey-coloured Cow. Other highlights include a handful of world premiere recordings by the United Strings of Europe, two violin concertos featuring Hans Christian ...
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This String Quartet Was Founded at a Taco Truck… Now It’s at Juilliard
In September 2017, violinists Jason Issokson and Clara Kim, violist Dana Kelley, and cellist Joann Whang move to New York to begin a graduate residency at the Juilliard School. The four musicians play together as the Argus Quartet, which formed in one of the most unlikely of places: next to a taco truck.
9 Classic Short Stories Every Classical Music Lover Should Add to Their Summer Reading List
If you’re looking for quick summer reads to add to your list, give these music-themed short stories a try, with everything from Anton (Chekhov) to Zora (Neale Hurston). The best part: they’re all available for free online!
KAIA Kids Around the World – The Music of Argentina
In this musical adventure with KAIA String Quartet, learn about one of Argentina’s most well-known styles of music and dance: tango. Tango originated in the towns and cities surrounding Río de la Plata, a wide river that forms part of the border between Argentina and Uruguay. The rhythms of tango come from both African and European musical traditions, including Afro-Uruguayan candombe and French ...
Playlist: 12 Polish Composers You Should Know (Who Aren’t Chopin)
Everyone loves the music of Frédéric Chopin, Poland’s most well-known composer. But, how many other Polish composers do you know?
VIDEO: Take a Spin Around Berlin, Music Capital of the World, with Carl Grapentine
When Carl Grapentine, host of WFMT’s Morning Program, first visited Berlin in 1965 as a student he immediately felt at home.
The Earliest Opera Is Over 800 Years Old… And It Was Written By a Woman
The extraordinary story of Hildegard von Bingen.
The One Classical Album That Almost Caused Cuban Musician Roberto Fonseca to Quit Playing the Piano
"In Cuba you will find any type of music: mariachi, heavy metal, dubstep, or even free jazz... It's a mystery — it's something magical that you will find there in any type of music."
Chiara String Quartet Plays Complete Bartók Quartets Completely By Heart
"Once we have gotten over the initial hump of memorizing, we've found it allow us to improvise as a group in a much more agile way."
Playlist: The Best Classical Music to Serve at Your Next Cookout
As you fire up the grill, we have the perfect soundtrack for you: some of our favorite American works, from classics like Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue to modern masterpieces like John Adams’ City Noir.
Video: This Dog Wanted to Hear Mendelssohn Better, So It Took a Seat Next to the First Violinist
Dog image: SixtyWeb, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons This cute Labrador may be the biggest Mendelssohn fan you’ve seen. A dog joined the Vienna Chamber Orchestra during a recent performance of Felix Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 4 at the 31st International İzmir Festival in İzmir, Turkey. This outdoor annual festival brings live concerts to the historic stage of the Grand Theater of Ephesus, ...
