A drawing of composer William Dawson in 1935 by Aaron Douglas. Dawson's Negro Folk Symphony, long neglected, has received a new recording. Aaron Douglas/Tuskegee University Archives hide caption
Deceptive Cadence Deceptive Cadence un-stuffs the world of classical music, which is both fusty and ferociously alive.
Deceptive Cadence
From NPR Classical
New York Philharmonic principal clarinetist Anthony McGill coined the hashtag #TakeTwoKnees as part of a social media effort to protest police violence. Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Steve Reich in New York City in 2005. During the coronavirus crisis, the composer has been is Los Angeles, working on a new piece. Jeffrey Herman/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach's mercurial music, with its sparkle and unpredictability, was a departure from the style of his father, Johann Sebastian. De Agostini Picture Library/Getty Images hide caption
In the wake of pandemics and large-scale crises, composers have responded in a broad variety of ways over the centuries. Wellcome Library, London/Wikimedia Commons hide caption
Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki, at the opening of a music center named after him in southeastern Poland in 2013. Janek Skarzynsky/AFP / Getty Images hide caption
Krzysztof Penderecki, Boundary-Breaking Polish Composer, Dies At 86
Pianist Víkingur Ólafsson says he thinks of the composers on his new album, Debussy – Rameau, as "painters in sound." Ari Magg/Deutsche Grammophon hide caption
A montage of images taken by the Voyager spacecraft of the planets and four of Jupiter's moons, set against a false-color Rosette Nebula with Earth's moon in the foreground. NASA hide caption
In The Shadow Of 'The Planets' Lies Gustav Holst's Sweet Little Suite
Plácido Domingo, attending rehearsals at the Royal Opera House in London in 2015. The singer has pulled out of performances there this summer. Niklas Halle'n /AFP via Getty Images hide caption
British composer Thomas Adès leads the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and soloist Kirill Gerstein, in the premiere performances of his Concerto for Piano and Orchestra at Symphony Hall in Boston. Winslow Townson/Deutsche Grammophon hide caption
Tania León speaks at the premiere of her piece "Stride," one of 19 pieces composed by women that the New York Philharmonic commissioned to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment. Chris Lee/Courtesy New York Philharmonic hide caption
19th Amendment, 19 Women: NY Philharmonic's 2020 Program Celebrates Suffragists
Pianist Peter Serkin, in concert with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 2012. Stu Rosner/Boston Symphony Orchestra hide caption
A scene from the 2019 Pulitzer Prize-winning opera p r i s m, by Ellen Reid. Maria Baranova/Beth Morrison Projects hide caption
William Still (1821-1902), a conductor on the Underground Railroad who helped nearly 800 enslaved African Americans to freedom. Naxos American Classics hide caption
Underground Railroad: A Conductor And Passengers Documented In Music
The Choir of King's College Cambridge conduct a rehearsal of their Christmas Eve service of A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols in King's College Chapel on Dec. 11, 2010 in Cambridge, England. Oli Scarff/Getty Images hide caption
German composer and pianist Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827), painted by Kloeber circa 1805. Hulton Archive/Getty Images hide caption
Cecilia Bartoli explores ideas of gender fluidity on her new album, devoted to music written for the great castrato singer Farinelli. Bartoli says that, like him, she's always transforming herself on stage. Uli Weber/Decca hide caption
Powerful Lungs And Long-Spun Lines: Cecilia Bartoli Conjures Farinelli
We're guessing that Kanye West's opera at the Hollywood Bowl will have a different vibe than his visit to Paris' Opéra Garnier in 2010. Julien Hekimian/Getty Images hide caption
Caroline Shaw sings her own song, titled "And So." Lincoln Center hide caption
Marin Alsop leads the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. On Monday, management and musicians announced a new one-year contract, ending a bitter labor dispute. Margot Schulman/BSO hide caption
Composer Christopher Rouse, photographed in New York City in 2005. Jeffrey Herman/Boosey & Hawkes hide caption
Antonin Dvorak predicted that American classical music would draw from African American traditions. A new article wonders why American classical music has remained so white. Karen Chan /Getty Images/EyeEm hide caption