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The fearless musical philosophy of Sofia Gubaidulina

A new album marks the 90th birthday of Russian composer Sofia Gubaidulina. Peter Hundert /Deutsche Grammophon hide caption

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The fearless musical philosophy of Sofia Gubaidulina

November 18, 2021 • A new album, marking the Russian composer's 90th birthday, is packed with probing works for huge symphonic forces.

The fearless musical philosophy of Sofia Gubaidulina

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Anna Netrebko, 'Akh! istomilas ya gorem'

November 5, 2021 • From her first solo album in five years, soprano Anna Netrebko discovers all the bittersweet beauty in an aria by Tchaikovsky.

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mastroKristo, 'A Ritual'

November 2, 2021 • If you're one of the bleary-eyed millions who find falling asleep at night challenging, listen up.

5 opera scenes to sweep you off your feet

Opera singers (left to right) Elīna Garanča, Helen Donath and Tamar Iveri perform in Mozart's opera Così fan tutte at the Salzburg Opera Festival. Andreas Schaad/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Deceptive Cadence

5 opera scenes to sweep you off your feet

October 25, 2021 • For World Opera Day, watch scenes that will make you fall in love with the art form — from a crazy day at Mozart's diner to a trippy trip to China with Richard Nixon.

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High Low Duo, 'The Enchanted Garden'

October 20, 2021 • Like singing in close harmony, a pair of guitars intertwine, finishing each other's phrases with radiant transparency in Ravel's magic garden.

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Stromae, 'Santé'

October 18, 2021 • The Belgian polymath is back with a song that celebrates the hard-working people – from fishermen to restaurant staff – who keep our economies afloat.

Stromae, 'Santé'

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A young, all-women ensemble upends the percussion paradigm

The percussion ensemble Recap has released its striking debut album, Count to Five. Jacob Blickenstaff hide caption

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Jacob Blickenstaff

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Deceptive Cadence

A young, all-women ensemble upends the percussion paradigm

October 14, 2021 • The members of Recap, four young women of color from New Jersey, have built a mission of gender equity into their striking debut album.

A young, all-women ensemble upends the percussion paradigm

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Emily D'Angelo, 'Nausicaa'

October 8, 2021 • Hear the young mezzo-soprano sing contemporary music of rare beauty, offering a voice of creamy muscularity.

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Recap, 'Hedera'

October 5, 2021 • Four young women of color founded the percussion quartet Recap in 2020. Their debut album is anchored by Hedera, a mesmerizing work for drums and voice.

Carlisle Floyd, a founding father of American opera, has died at age 95

American composer Carlisle Floyd, photographed at his first home, in which he composed his best known opera, Susannah, in Tallahassee, Fla. in 2009. Scott Holstein /Tallahassee Magazine hide caption

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Scott Holstein /Tallahassee Magazine

Deceptive Cadence

Carlisle Floyd, a founding father of American opera, has died at age 95

September 30, 2021 • Known primarily for his southern-flavored operas, Floyd helped create an American opera vernacular. His 1955 hit Susannah won the New York Music Critics Circle Award and helped launch his career.

Carlisle Floyd, a founding father of American opera, has died at age 95

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Tanya Tagaq, 'Tongues'

September 29, 2021 • An explicit, potent musical manifesto, demanding to repossess what colonization has stolen from Tanya Tagaq's culture.

Tanya Tagaq, 'Tongues'

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Bach, 'Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, I. Allegro' (Akademie Für Alte Musik Berlin)

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Bach, 'Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, I. Allegro' (Akademie Für Alte Musik Berlin)

September 17, 2021 • Still a crowd-pleaser after 300 years.

Igor Levit, 'Fugue No. 7 In A Major, Op. 87' (Dmitri Shostakovich)

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Igor Levit, 'Fugue No. 7 In A Major, Op. 87' (Dmitri Shostakovich)

September 9, 2021 • For a taste of the pianist's technique, here's a lighter mood from Shostakovich that sparkles with interlocking inner voices that ripple as clear as a mountain stream.

Víkingur Ólafsson Wants To Change Your Mind About Mozart

Pianist Víkingur Ólafsson sets the music of Mozart amid his peers to offer a fresh take on the master composer. Ari Magg/Deutsche Grammophon hide caption

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Ari Magg/Deutsche Grammophon

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Deceptive Cadence

Víkingur Ólafsson Wants To Change Your Mind About Mozart

September 3, 2021 • On his new album, Mozart & Contemporaries, the deep-thinking pianist from Iceland aims to debunk the image of Amadeus as the giggling savant by contrasting his music with that of his peers.

Víkingur Ólafsson Wants To Change Your Mind About Mozart

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Víkingur Ólafsson, 'Kleine Gigue in G Major, K. 574'

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Víkingur Ólafsson, 'Kleine Gigue in G Major, K. 574'

September 3, 2021 • With bold harmonies, pointillist texture and winding rhythms, Ólafsson's composition offers — in less than two minutes — a distinctly modern sound that looks toward the future.