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Cloud and Light, by Tshio Hosokawa, was written for the ancient Japanes instrument called the sho.

Listen Clouds, Concertos And A Trip To Fiji: New Classical Albums

December 11, 2011 – NPR Music's Tom Huizenga and host Guy Raz spin an eclectic mix of new classical releases.

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Which composers would you invite to your Thanksgiving table?

Watch Turkey, Cranberries And Composers At The Table

November 18, 2011 – Commentator Miles Hoffman invites an eclectic group of long-gone composers to Thanksgiving dinner.

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Pianist Alessio Bax has a passion for Bach and Rachmaninoff.

Listen The Poetry And Power Of Pianist Alessio Bax APM

November 10, 2011 – From delicate Bach to thundering Rachmaninoff, hear the young pianist perform in the APM studio. APM

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If you know the end of the world is imminent, what music do you give one last listen?

Watch Music For The End Of The World ... Just In Case

October 31, 2011 – On Halloween, a serious question: Which music would you take with you to the grave?

Organist Paul Jacobs performs at NPR headquarters in Washington, DC for a Tiny Desk Concert on Friday, June 3, 2011.

Watch Paul Jacobs: Tiny Desk Concert

August 12, 2011 – Watch the miraculous hands (and feet) of the Grammy-winning organist in an all-Bach performance.

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Channeling Bach: Heinz Holliger revisits some soul-searching music.

Listen Heinz Holliger's Soulful Oboe

July 19, 2011 – Hear the veteran oboist make his instrument sing in blissful music by J.S. Bach.

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Music by Bach helped launch the unusual career of Simone Dinnerstein.

Listen Simone Dinnerstein Communes With Bach

July 13, 2011 – Hear the pianist play Bach and Schubert in recital at the Savannah Music Festival.

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Dmitri Shostakovich topped our informal "who's the most badass composer" poll.

Watch Which Composer Is The Biggest Badass?

June 27, 2011 – An idle query on Twitter ignites a fun debate.

Up close and very personal: young listeners get a taste of classical music at New York's Baby Got Bach.

Read Crayons, Jam Sessions And Duck Quacks

May 19, 2011 – How pianist Orli Shaham coaxes preschoolers to take in Bach, Schumann and Ravel.

Kent Nagano leads the Montreal Symphony Orchestra in an ambitious program that traces the arc of the symphonic tradition.

Read Spring For Music: Montreal Symphony WQXR

May 14, 2011 – Hear the venerable orchestra trace the arc of the symphony from the Renaissance to modern times. WQXR

Can classical music get down and party?

Read From Bach To Satie: Jazz Takes On Classical Jazz24

May 10, 2011 – Can classical music get down and party? Some jazz musicians sure think so. Jazz24

Strings perform Muse by Christopher Theofanidis during the second half of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra The New Brandenburgs at the Spring for Music festival at Carnegie Hall in Manhattan, New York on May 06, 2011.

Read Spring For Music: Orpheus Chamber Orchestra WQXR

May 6, 2011 – To open Carnegie Hall's Spring for Music festival, the ensemble plays new pieces inspired by Bach. WQXR

Pianist Simone Dinnerstein has a passion for rhythmically free musical lines.

Listen Guest DJ: Simone Dinnerstein

April 13, 2011 – Hear the pianist pick favorite recordings, from Lorraine Hunt Lieberson to Leonard Cohen.

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Violinist Nigel Kennedy

Watch Classical Music Shred-Fest: Which Pieces Get You Pumped Up?

March 1, 2011 – There's plenty of headbanging in the staid world of Bach and Brahms. Tell us your favorite pieces.

Simone Dinnerstein

Listen Simone Dinnerstein: The Shifting Sounds Of J.S. Bach

January 10, 2011 – The pianist describes Bach: A Strange Beauty, her new recording of J.S. Bach's keyboard music.

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