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Christopher O'Riley artist page: interviews, features and/or performances archived at NPR Music
Years after suffering a debilitating hand injury, young violinist Maya Shankar recently made a joyful return to music. Here, she returns to From the Top, the classical kids program that celebrates its 10-year anniversary by checking back with some of its alumni.
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O'Riley enjoys his Bach and Beethoven, but he's also a serious fan of pop music and jazz: He's recorded piano arrangements of songs by Radiohead and Nick Drake. O'Riley's latest passion is the adventurous jazz trio The Bad Plus.
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From Boston's New England Conservatory, an 18-year-old pianist plays Chopin, a teen string quartet performs Beethoven and renowned violinist Hilary Hahn collaborates with young musicians who are just about the age she was when her concert career took off.
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The adventurous pianist is a throwback to classical musicians of the past who blurred the line between classical and popular music. O'Riley, inspired by his favorite pop artists such as Radiohead, transforms their songs into intricate piano solos.
()Years after suffering a debilitating hand injury, young violinist Maya Shankar recently made a joyful return to music. Here, she returns to From the Top, the classical kids program that celebrates its 10-year anniversary by checking back with some of its alumni.
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The radio showcase for young musicians hits its 10-year mark and celebrates by checking back with some of its most illustrious alums. They include William Harvey, who played on the pilot edition of From the Top and now heads his own organization, promoting cultural harmony through music.
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Christopher O'Riley, host of NPR's From the Top, considers Elliott Smith to be one America's greatest songwriters. Smith died in 2003 before ever achieving massive fame. O'Riley's latest release, Home to Oblivion, is a classical translation of Smith's work.
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"Classical Detours" explores music beyond the standard classics. Pianist Christopher O'Riley joins Fred Child to play familiar music from the Suite in E major by Jean-Philippe Rameau. Then he introduces his own transcriptions of music by Elliott Smith of alt-rock fame.
()Classical pianist Christopher O'Riley is best known for his interpretations of music by such composers as Stravinksy and Ravel. But on his latest album, True Love Waits, he transforms the compositions of rock band Radiohead. NPR's Michele Norris talks with O'Riley.
()O'Riley enjoys his Bach and Beethoven, but he's also a serious fan of pop music and jazz: He's recorded piano arrangements of songs by Radiohead and Nick Drake. O'Riley's latest passion is the adventurous jazz trio The Bad Plus.
()New music from The Decemberists; Canada's country rocker Kathleen Edwards; Remembering the music of Nat King Cole; Surreal crooner Antony and the Johnsons; Galaxie 500's Damon and Naomi; Columbian activist Andrea Echeverri; A Brazilian in New York: Luiz Bonfa; Roots of rap from Linton Kwesi Johnson; Radiohead for piano: Christopher O'Riley; A farewell to minimalist Harold Budd.
()It certainly is the age of the song. The days of the MP3 aren't so different from the days of the 45 rpm. You pay a buck; the quality is good, but not as good as its more expensive counterpart. Back in the days of the 45, you'd stack your faves on a round 45 adapter, best side up, and one by one they would play, the tone arm lifting off the record long enough for the next 45 to magically fall onto the platter and play. You'd hope it wouldn't skip. The days of the 45 or even mix tapes seem antiquated in the age of the iPod and homemade CD's. We've "streamed" our picks for 2003's best songs, so click to listen and hope it doesn't skip!
()Modern torch songs with Cassandra Wilson; the gloomy, introspective Lisa Germano; Christopher O'Riley's piano transcripts of Radiohead; have a day with The Polyphonic Spree; Doo wop pioneers The Ravens; and the Stagger Lee story from Taj Mahal.
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Ravel's piano suite Le Tombeau de Couperin harkens back to old music and old friends. Pianist Christopher O'Riley renews his love for the piece, which captivated him as a young conservatory student. Watch him perform the opening "Prelude."
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