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Tom Manoff Composer and author Tom Manoff has been the classical music critic for NPR's All Things Considered since 1985.
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Tom Manoff

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Tuesday

Garrick Ohlsson: In Pursuit Of A Warhorse

Pianist Garrick Ohlsson has finally recorded the notorious "Rach 3," Sergei Rachmaninov's extremely tricky Piano Concerto No. 3. Wojciech Grzedzinski hide caption

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Wojciech Grzedzinski

Review

Deceptive Cadence

Garrick Ohlsson: In Pursuit Of A Warhorse

The pianist's massive technique makes short order of Rachmaninov's most difficult concerto.

Garrick Ohlsson: In Pursuit Of A Warhorse

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Thursday

Wenceslas: A Goodhearted King And His Popular Carol

Circa 1300, King Wenceslas II of Bohemia. Hulton Archive/Getty Images hide caption

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Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Review

Music Reviews

Wenceslas: A Goodhearted King And His Popular Carol

Behind the well-known Christmas song that bears his name is the story of what made King Wenceslas so good.

Wenceslas: A Goodhearted King And His Popular Carol

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Tuesday

Earthy Elizabethan Elegance From William Byrd

Queen Elizabeth I's coronation portrait Wikimedia hide caption

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Wikimedia

Review

Deceptive Cadence

Earthy Elizabethan Elegance From William Byrd

No historical fakery: Here's the real music of the Elizabethan era.

Earthy Elizabethan Elegance From William Byrd

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Wednesday

Learning To Love Lully: 'The Grand Motets'

French Baroque composer Jean-Baptiste Lully's Grand Motets are featured in a new box set. Wikimedia Commons hide caption

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Wikimedia Commons

Review

Music Reviews

Learning To Love Lully: 'The Grand Motets'

Classical music critic Tom Manoff isn't usually a fan of French Baroque music. But he's found a boxed set of motets that he likes from a composer who met a bizarre end.

Learning To Love Lully: 'The Grand Motets'

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Wednesday

Tchaikovsky, Meet The Bard: Gustavo Dudamel's New CD

Conductor Gustavo Dudamel makes magic in Tchaikovsky's symphonic takes on Shakespeare plays. Luis Cobelo/Deutsche Grammophon hide caption

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Luis Cobelo/Deutsche Grammophon

Review

Music Reviews

Tchaikovsky, Meet The Bard: Gustavo Dudamel's New CD

The dynamic conductor makes magic with Tchaikovsky's symphonic version of Shakespeare's enigmatic play The Tempest. Set on a far-off island, the motion of the sea rises and falls within patterns in the strings.

Tchaikovsky, Meet The Bard: Gustavo Dudamel's New CD

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Thursday

Shai Wosner's Rich, Transparent Piano Sound

Shai Wosner has achieved success on the concert stage, and now he is releasing a recording. Onyx Classics hide caption

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Onyx Classics

Review

Music Reviews

Shai Wosner's Rich, Transparent Piano Sound

Pianist Shai Wosner has been performing to critical acclaim for years, but  has just made his debut recording. Music critic Tom Manoff has been looking forward to the CD, having recently heard Wosner in recital.

Shai Wosner's Rich, Transparent Piano Sound

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Thursday

Regifting Some Gems From Holidays Long Past

Some songs are played every year, but others languish unsung. iStock hide caption

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iStock

Review

Holiday Music

Regifting Some Gems From Holidays Long Past

Why not listen to some holiday music few have heard in a while? Try an offering from the father of American choral music, or even folk music dating to the Middle Ages.

Regifting Some Gems From Holidays Long Past

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Tuesday

Bach In Translation: From Jazz Vocals To Electronic Blips

Review

Music Reviews

Bach In Translation: From Jazz Vocals To Electronic Blips

From jazzy a cappella to accordion, artists are reinventing Bach's music in creative new ways. Critic Tom Manoff spotlights some of his favorites.

Bach In Translation: From Jazz Vocals To Electronic Blips

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Thursday

James Whitbourn's Celestial Sounds

James Whitbourn's Luminosity expands the experience of classical music beyond the edges of the traditional map of classical style. Hewholooks/Wikimedia hide caption

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Hewholooks/Wikimedia

Review

Music Reviews

James Whitbourn's Celestial Sounds

On his new CD, Luminosity, the English composer James Whitbourn doesn't stitch his disparate styles together in some artificial attempt at multiculturalism. Critic Tom Manoff says the music flows naturally and sounds authentic and honest.

James Whitbourn's Celestial Sounds

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Wednesday

Dante Quartet: Stirring Up Impressionist Energy

The Dante Quartet finds just the right balance of calmness and excitement in their recording of the Debussy and Ravel string quartets. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

Review

Music Reviews

Dante Quartet: Stirring Up Impressionist Energy

The Dante Quartet's performances of the Debussy and Ravel string quartets are etched more than most, as if they'd used fine brush strokes to carve musical shapes, rather than broad strokes that would create more wash of the musical colors.

Dante Quartet: Stirring Up Impressionist Energy

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Wednesday

Renaissance Music With A Serious Groove

Review

Music Reviews

Renaissance Music With A Serious Groove

On his new album, Diminuito, Rolf Lislevand and his lute spin the traditions of the Italian Renaissance in surprisingly fresh directions. He and his group of musicians sound, at times, more like a jazz combo than an early-music ensemble.

Hear Tom Manoff's Review Of 'Diminuito'

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Wednesday

Pianist Marc-Andre Hamelin: Haydn Made Easy
Fran Kaufman

Review

Music Reviews

Pianist Marc-Andre Hamelin: Haydn Made Easy

The Canadian pianist's latest release is a collection of "easy" sonatas by Joseph Haydn. With lyrical proclamations and high-minded fun, Hamelin reveals Haydn's mastery of melody, harmony and form.

Pianist Marc-Andre Hamelin: Haydn Made Easy

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Tuesday

Review

Music Reviews

Rachmaninov Reawakened In Preludes

Critic Tom Manoff reviews a new recording of Rachmaninov's preludes by pianist Steven Osborne, who opts for innocence over opulence, giving each of the 24 preludes its own distinct and compelling character.

Rachmaninov Reawakened In Preludes

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Thursday

Review

Music Reviews

Arvo Part's Timeless Twist On Tradition

Critic Tom Manoff reviews In Principio, a new collection of pieces for chorus and orchestra by Estonian composer Arvo Part, finding both stark, majestic drama and tender portrayals of humanity.

Arvo Part's Timeless Twist On Tradition

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Tuesday

Music Lists

Classical CDs For Budget Shoppers

Music critic Tom Manoff says you needn't spend a fortune on classical music CDs for holiday gifts. Hear his top picks for inexpensive classics, from renaissance masses to 20th-century guitar concertos.

Classical CDs For Budget Shoppers

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Tuesday

Review

Music Reviews

Andras Schiff: Scaling Beethoven's Sonatas

Andras Schiff has played Beethoven's colossal piano sonata, the "Hammerklavier," for years. He calls it a "monument of impenetrability." Now, he's finally recorded the piece, and critic Tom Manoff has a review.

Andras Schiff: Scaling Beethoven's Sonatas

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Tuesday

Review

Music Reviews

Meridian Arts Ensemble: Brass With A Twist

With an innovative repertoire and creative musical arrangements, the five brass players of the Meridian Arts Ensemble — and the group's new percussionist — have redefined the boundaries of the traditionally stodgy brass quintet in music that ranges from J.S. Bach to Frank Zappa.

Meridian Arts Ensemble: Brass With A Twist

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Wednesday

Review

Music Reviews

Richard Egarr: The 'Bernstein of Early Music'

The keyboardist delivers a historically informed performance worthy of the passion behind Handel's Organ Concertos on a new CD. Egarr possesses a remarkable gift for combining subtle musical gestures with forward–moving, irrepressible rhythms.

Richard Egarr: The 'Bernstein of Early Music'

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Tuesday

Review

Music Reviews

The Lyrical Quality of Violist Kim Kashkashian

World-famous violist Kim Kashkashian is distinguished by her lyricism: the way her songlike music flows easily with emotion. Kashkashian's ability to make her instrument sing is evident throughout her new CD, Asturiana.

The Lyrical Quality of Violist Kim Kashkashian

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Wednesday

Review

Music

Rediscovering Beethoven's Even Numbers

Always a fan of Beethoven, a music critic is struck by the absence of most of Beethoven's even-numbered symphonies from standard play lists. So, scores in hand, he takes to listening to Symphonies 2, 4 and 8, and loves what he hears.

Rediscovering Beethoven's Even Numbers

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Friday

Music

Stile Antico Renders 16th-Century Music Beautifully

"Music for Compline," a recording by the vocal ensemble Stile Antico, features music written in 16th-century England for a religious service called Compline. Reviewer Tom Manoff calls Stile Antico one of the finest choral ensembles of our day.

Stile Antico Renders 16th-Century Music Beautifully

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Thursday

Review

Music Reviews

Family Affair, and Dvorak's Invited

The Weilerstein Trio is a family of musicians. Violinist Donald Weilerstein and pianist Vivian Hornik Weilerstein are joined by their daughter Alisa Weilerstein, the cellist. Alisa has been performing with her parents since she was six years old. Now in her early twenties, she joins her parents to record works by Czech composer Antonin Dvorak. Music critic Tom Manoff reviews.

Family Affair, and Dvorak's Invited

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Friday

Review

Music Reviews

Dessay Takes Handel for a Ride, with Poetry

The music of Handel is the subject of a CD from Natalie Dessay. Music critic Tom Manoff says the music, with poetry by Vatican Cardinal, can seem opulent and highly ornate. The CD is Delirio, with music by George Frideric Handel.

Dessay Takes Handel for a Ride, with Poetry

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Wednesday

Review

Music Reviews

Rachmaninov's Refreshing 'All Night Vigil'

Written around the time of World War One, Sergei Rachmaninov's "All Night Vigil" is an extraordinary choral music composition. A new recording of Rachmaninov's work from conductor Paul Hillier and The Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir is out, and music critic Tom Manoff says it's magnificent.

Rachmaninov's Refreshing 'All Night Vigil'

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