Tori Amos On World Cafe

For more than 20 years, Tori Amos has been one of the most inventive and distinctive singer-songwriters in contemporary music. With eight Grammy nominations and millions of albums sold worldwide, Amos has become a living legend. Her solo career has evolved unpredictably, from acoustic piano to electronica and orchestral styles.

Amos' latest release — her 12th solo album — came together when she was approached by Deutsche Grammophone, a German classical label, and invited to compose a 21st-century song cycle based on classical-music themes. The result is Night Hunters, an album steeped in classical traditions which pays homage to Bach, Chopin and Debussy, and which showcases Amos' classical piano training in the process. In today's installment of World Cafe, Amos plays live and talks with WXPN host Michaela Majoun about some of the record's guest players, from the Apollon Musagete Quartet to Berlin Philharmonic clarinetist Andreas Ottensamer.