Old Wind in New Bottles - Part 1 Classics
On this program, subtitled "Old Wine in New Bottles," we hear new versions of some of the classics including Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man," excerpts from Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring," and...
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Top 5 @ 105 Composer Museums
Inspect the room where Handel slept, see the last piano that Chopin composed on, or check out Beethoven's viola: museums devoted to single composers can reveal a lot about the music we know and love....
View ArticleTop Five Fanfares
Hot Air, our month-long celebration of woodwind and brass sections on WQXR, might as well be called a fanfare for these instruments. What could be more fitting than celebrating their contributions to...
View ArticleTop Five Works About American Presidents
It’s unfortunate to think that Washington’s and Lincoln’s birthdays were conflated into one Presidents’ Day, but on the other hand, it does give an excuse to celebrate all America’s leaders. Lately,...
View ArticleAaron Copland at BAM, 1941
1941-02-22 —On the occasion of the Brooklyn Academy of Music's 150th anniversary, we look back at its younger days, 70 years ago.This is an excerpt from the last concert of the American Music Festival...
View ArticleA Folk Celebration
Folk music has served as inspiration to almost every composer in history. But when Béla Bartók came along, he took the folk influence to a whole new level.Bartók began to take an interest in Hungarian...
View ArticleEmanuel Ax Hits His Groove on Four Sets of Variations
FREE Facebook Download: Emanuel Ax Plays the Theme to the Beethoven 'Eroica' Variations*Emanuel Ax has never been the flashiest pianist on the scene, prone to showy pyrotechnics or histrionic gestures....
View ArticleA Chorus of Conversation: What Is American Music?
Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein, Lukas Foss, and Irving Fine joke, argue, compliment each other, and agree to disagree, illustrating their points with musical examples. Behind the banter in this 1950...
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Top Five WPA-Commissioned Works You Should Know
It’s ironic that the greatest financial disaster this country ever faced brought about one of its richest periods of public support for the arts. This week, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra honors the...
View ArticlePoll: Which Piece Best Captures the Spirit of Labor Day?
Poor Labor Day. Like Thanksgiving, it has never had its own music.Other holidays have festive pieces and thematic lyrics. But go to a Labor Day concert and you get a lot of Americana: patriotic songs,...
View ArticleNew Wine in Old Bottles
It's a week of transcriptions. Host Bill McGlaughlin samples the creative efforts of gifted composers who gave life and vitality to existing music by transforming it into something new. Selections...
View ArticleAre American Orchestras ‘Blatantly Ignoring’ American Music?
Barber’s Violin Concerto, Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and Copland’s Appalachian Spring are among a small handful of American works that have become staples of the orchestra repertoire.Since the United...
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Top 5 Influential Moms in Classical Music
In honor of Mother's Day, we're recognizing five moms who through their unflagging support and devotion shaped the future of classical music.1. Rildia Bee O'Bryan CliburnRildia Bee O'Bryan attended...
View ArticleQuiz: Test Your Knowledge of Gay Composers
Gay Pride Weekend brings a chance to reflect on gay and lesbian composers who have enriched classical music throughout history. It’s a topic that concert programmers or musicologists rarely address,...
View ArticleMusic for Red Ponies
This week's show features a pair of Red Ponies: Aaron Copland's music for the 1949 film, "The Red Pony," based on Steinbeck's book, and Jerry Goldsmith's music for a 1973 TV adaptation.Also, themes in...
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Top Five Feuds between Musicians and Their Critics
News that the young Croatian pianist Dejan Lazic had askedWashington Post critic Anne Midgette to remove her mixed review of his 2010 recital from the Internet has been pinging around the web over the...
View ArticleMusic for Red Ponies
This week's show features a pair of Red Ponies: Aaron Copland's music for the 1949 film, "The Red Pony," based on Steinbeck's book, and Jerry Goldsmith's music for a 1973 TV adaptation.Also, themes in...
View Article30 Pieces: Thomson's The Mother of Us All
This month, WQXR is taking 30 pieces from the 2014 Classical Countdown and asking music experts to give us their "next step" compositions. Countdown Piece: Copland's Appalachian SpringCountdown...
View ArticleCopland's Appalachian Spring and Bernstein's Symphony No. 1, Jeremiah
Michelle de Young, mezzo-soprano, joins the New York Philharmonic under the direction of David Robertson. Included in this week's program is Copland's Appalachian Spring, Elliot Carter's Of Rewaking...
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7 Portraits of Mothers Who Influenced the Future of Music
In honor of Mother's Day, we're honoring women who helped raise some of the most important musical figures. Throughout Sunday, May 8, listen to WQXR to hear hourly presentations of works inspired by...
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