Main menu

Search

Listen

News 88.9 KNPR
Classical 89.7 KCNV
'Jazz'
Podcasts view all

member station

Classical 89.7 KCNV

 | contact us | about

All Classical 89.7 kcnv stories

Classical
Deceptive Cadence
A scene from the 2019 Pulitzer Prize-winning opera <em>p r i s m</em>, by Ellen Reid.

Opera For Newbies: Busting Myths And Belting High Notes

Jan 26, 2020
A listener's guide for the opera-curious includes a little history, a little trash-talk and some gorgeous singing.
Classical
Tiny Desk
Max Richter performs during a Tiny Desk concert, on Oct. 21, 2019.

Max Richter: Tiny Desk Concert

Jan 22, 2020
The eclectic composer joins members of the ACME ensemble for some of his most affecting music, which moves the audience to tears.
Classical
Editors' Picks
William Still (1821-1902), a conductor on the Underground Railroad who helped nearly 800 enslaved African Americans to freedom.

Underground Railroad: A Conductor And Passengers Documented In Music

Jan 20, 2020
When it comes to the Underground Railroad, everyone knows Harriet Tubman. But a new oratorio sheds light on a different, key figure named William Still.
Classical
Tiny Desk
Joyce DiDonato performs during a Tiny Desk concert, on Nov. 11, 2019. (Catie Dull/NPR)

Joyce DiDonato: Tiny Desk Concert

Jan 15, 2020
Watch the celebrated opera star deconstruct old Italian love songs with her signature flair, backed by a crack jazz ensemble.
Classical
Tiny Desk
Bridget Kibbey performs during a Tiny Desk concert, on Oct. 24, 2019. (Catie Dull/NPR)

Bridget Kibbey: Tiny Desk Concert

Jan 08, 2020
The irrepressible harpist proves that the instrument can be as tempestuous as a tango, as complex as a Bach fugue and sing as serenely as a church choir.
Discover Music
Classical
Music
Cecilia Bartoli (left) and Adrianne Lenker of the band Big Thief (right)

One Big Breath And A Blazing Guitar: 2019's Best Moments In Music

Dec 26, 2019
NPR Music staffers Marissa Lorusso and Tom Huizenga give out superlatives for the best moments in music this past year, including a single breath of operatic singing and an epic guitar solo.
Classical
Deceptive Cadence
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.

Commemorating A King's College Christmas Tradition

Dec 22, 2019
A new album commemorates the Centenary Service of the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at King's College, Cambridge.
Classical
Author Interviews
Van Cliburn moves through difficult passage in the final round of Tchaikovsky International Piano & Violin competition on April 11, 1958 in Moscow.

'Dangerous Melodies' Examines Classical Music And American Foreign Relations

Dec 14, 2019
A new book explores the relation between a few key figures in American classical music and U.S. foreign policy in the 20th century.
Classical
Best Music Of 2019

10 Classical Albums To Usher In The Next Decade

Dec 11, 2019
As a new decade approaches, hear 10 extraordinary classical albums well-equipped to propel the music into the future.
Classical
Deceptive Cadence
German composer and pianist Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827), painted by Kloeber circa 1805.

The Music And Morality Of Beethoven's Mighty Ninth

Dec 07, 2019
For nearly 200 years, Beethoven's epic Ninth Symphony, with its powerful "Ode to Joy," has inspired millions. Now conductor Marin Alsop takes it on a world tour.
Classical
Music News
Tenor Vittorio Grigolo on the red carpet at the Metropolitan Opera's 50th anniversary gala in 2017 in New York.

Opera Star Vittorio Grigolo Fired By Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera

Dec 05, 2019

His simultaneous dismissal from two of the world's leading opera houses comes after an investigation into allegations of misconduct during a Royal Opera performance in Tokyo.

Classical
Music News
Mariss Jansons at his final concert with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam in 2015.

Famed Conductor Mariss Jansons, 76, Has Died

Dec 02, 2019

One of classical music's most beloved and widely heard conductors died Saturday. Born in secret in Nazi-occupied Latvia, he went on to a stunning international career.

Desert Companion
Classical
All out
Music Van

Culture: Hey, Kids, Frog Rasps!

Dec 01, 2019

The Las Vegas Philharmonic’s music van brings music education to the valley.

Classical
Deceptive Cadence
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.

Powerful Lungs And Long-Spun Lines: Cecilia Bartoli Conjures Farinelli

Nov 28, 2019
On her new album, the restless Italian opera star sings virtuoso music composed for Farinelli, the greatest of the baroque castratos.
Classical
Music News
The Metropolitan Opera's general manager, Peter Gelb, in New York City in 2012.

Met Opera Chief Peter Gelb Renews His Contract Through 2027

Nov 26, 2019
Despite some very public bumps in his tenure, the head of the largest performing arts organization in the U.S. received a five-year extension to his contract.
Classical
Tiny Desk
Igor Levit performs during a Tiny Desk concert, on Oct. 15, 2019. (Mhari Shaw/NPR)

Igor Levit: Tiny Desk Concert

Nov 22, 2019
The insightful pianist offers a Beethoven bonanza, ranging from the mesmerizing pulse of the popular "Moonlight" Sonata to flashes of wry humor and tender beauty.
Classical
Deceptive Cadence
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.

Kanye West Announces An Opera (Which Isn't As Crazy As It Sounds)

Nov 18, 2019
Before any opera purists start wringing their hands, let's remember that the 400-year-old art form has proven itself terrifically adaptable and resilient.
Classical
Music
tktk

Gabriela Ortiz's 'Yanga' Makes Its Debut With The LA Philharmonic

Nov 11, 2019
One of Mexico's most renowned classical composers, Ortiz's latest work was commissioned by Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic and inspired by Mexico's first liberator of slaves.
Classical
Author Interviews
Flutist Eugenia Zukerman sets her struggle with Alzheimer's to verse in her new memoir.

In 'Like Falling Through A Cloud,' Eugenia Zukerman Explores Her Changing Mind

Nov 09, 2019
The classical flutist came back from the hospital after receiving an Alzheimer's diagnosis and felt compelled to write. The result is a stunning memoir that mixes poetry and prose.
Classical
Deceptive Cadence
Caroline Shaw sings her own song, titled "And So."

Caroline Shaw Sings Her Own Song

Nov 07, 2019
What do Gertrude Stein, Billy Joel and Robert Burns have in common? Their words all show up in a new song by Pulitzer-winning composer Caroline Shaw.
Classical
Music News
Trumpeter and composer Nicholas Payton drew controversy in 2011 with his rejection of the word "jazz." Now, he's reimagining black music with a new symphony.

Nicholas Payton Reimagines Musical Tradition With 'Black American Symphony'

Nov 06, 2019
His radical combination of symphonic and popular music comes eight years after a controversial statement about the word "jazz."
Classical
Music Interviews
Anthony Roth Costanzo stars in the title role of the Metropolitan Opera's production of Philip Glass' <em>Akhnaten.</em>

After Nearly Losing His Voice To Cancer, Anthony Roth Costanzo Takes On 'Akhnaten'

Oct 07, 2019
Ten years ago, Costanzo had surgery that threatened to destroy his singing voice. Now the countertenor is starring as a gender-fluid Egyptian pharaoh in a new production by the Metropolitan Opera.
Classical
New Music
Sufjan Stevens

Sufjan Stevens Shares Hushed Piano Instrumental 'IV'

Oct 04, 2019
It's the latest release from his forthcoming score to The Decalogue, the artist's latest collaboration with ballet choreographer Justin Peck.
Classical
Music Interviews
Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck in Warner Bros. Pictures, Village Roadshow Pictures and BRON Creative's <em>Joker</em>.

Composer Hildur Guðnadóttir Finds The Humanity In 'Joker'

Oct 03, 2019
Joker is a psychological character study of a disturbed man who turns violent. To give the comic book villain human depth, composer Hildur Guðnadóttir had to dig deep and empathize with the character.
Classical
Music News
Georgian composer Giya Kancheli, in an undated photo. Kancheli died Wednesday at age 84.

Composer Giya Kancheli, Championed By ECM, Dies At 84

Oct 02, 2019
One of the most prominent composers of the late 20th century has died. Georgia's Giya Kancheli wrote music full of light, shade and an incandescent longing. He was 84 years old.

Pages

PRXNPRAPMBBC INN