Reverbiage: Stories from NPR tagged 'beethoven'

Church Preaches The Music Of Beethoven

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 06:03:00 EST

Albuquerque, N.M., is no different from any other American city, in terms of its religious life. But an abandoned gas station along old Route 66 serves as the unlikely home for another kind of Sunday-morning service. The Church of Beethoven is an offbeat venue that mixes religion and classical music.

In Portland: Plucky Teens, Polished Classics

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 01:11:00 EDT

This week, seven classical teens take the stage at Reed College's Kaul Auditorium in Portland, Oregon, where a 15-year-old harpist plays Carnival of Venice variations, an athletic young violinist offers up music by Beethoven, and a self-proclaimed moody pianist pours her heart into dances by Bach

Andras Schiff: Scaling Beethoven's Sonatas

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 11:16:00 EDT

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.

Christopher O'Riley's Bad Plus Epiphany

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 10:35:00 EDT

O'Riley enjoys his Bach and Beethoven, but he's also a serious fan of pop music and jazz: He's recorded piano arrangements of songs by Radiohead and Nick Drake. O'Riley's latest passion is the adventurous jazz trio The Bad Plus.

Classical Teens, Superstar Sparkle In Boston

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 01:32:00 EDT

From Boston's New England Conservatory, an 18-year-old pianist plays Chopin, a teen string quartet performs Beethoven and renowned violinist Hilary Hahn collaborates with young musicians who are just about the age she was when her concert career took off.

Cellist Haimovitz: Classic Bach, Classic Rock

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 01:38:00 EDT

Haimovitz's idea of the "classics" includes Bach, Beethoven and, yes, classic rock. He talks to Performance Today host Fred Child about taking musical risks, and offers up a passionate studio performance of music by Bach.

Piano Prodigy's Mantra: Practice Makes Perfect

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 16:23:00 EDT

Marc Yu, a 9-year-old musical prodigy, began learning the piano at age 2 and was playing Beethoven by 3. He says he practices up to eight hours a day. "You don't want a Beethoven piece to sound like somebody else," he says. "That's disrespectful to the composer."

Excellence in Ohio: Young Musicians Play the Classics

Wed, 28 May 2008 01:12:00 EDT

From New Albany, Ohio, an 18-year-old pianist tackles Beethoven's "Waldstein" Sonata, a teenage violinist from Boston plays Wieniawski, and an 18-year-old soprano, who is brave enough to admit when her parents are right, sings a song for spring.

The Joy and Pain in Beethoven's Big Fugue

Thu, 22 May 2008 10:55:00 EDT

It's been called "repellent," "joyous," and "the most advanced piece of music anyone could think of." Hear Beethoven's Grosse Fuge played by the adventurous Borromeo String Quartet in the studios of WGBH in Boston.

Financing the Classics: Beethoven's Benefactor

Tue, 25 Dec 2007 03:09:00 EST

In the spirit of the gift-giving season, classical music commentator Miles Hoffman discusses the fine art of musical patronage. Composers from the renaissance to Beethoven to Copland have benefited from generous philanthropists.

Rediscovering Beethoven's Even Numbers

Wed, 17 Oct 2007 16:42:00 EDT

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.

Play Dramatizes Beethoven's '33 Variations'

Sat, 08 Sep 2007 14:33:00 EDT

An often-overlooked piano work of Beethoven has a starring role in a brand new play in Washington, D.C. Characters in 33 Variations include Beethoven himself, and a 21st century musicologist obsessed with the composer's "Diabelli Variations."

Lang Lang's Journey to Beethoven

Tue, 08 May 2007 16:39:00 EDT

Chinese pianist Lang Lang is one of the biggest sensations in classical music. He discovered his love for music as a kid, while watching a cat play the piano in a Tom & Jerry cartoon. Today he releases his first-ever Beethoven recording.

Classical Music at a Crossroads

Tue, 23 Jan 2007 14:09:00 EST

The classical music press has been holding a deathwatch for decades. Why? Low ticket sales, crippling deficits and a slow fade from radio may signal a waning interest in Bach, Beethoven and the rest of the greats. Dana Gioia, chairman of the National Endowment of the Arts, and American composer John Corigliano talk about whether classical music is in crisis.

A Week in L.A.: Symphony No. 7

Wed, 29 Nov 2006 13:19:00 EST

Conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen is back for day three in Performance Today's weeklong series of concert performances by the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Salonen talks about his "postmodern" approach to Beethoven, and we'll hear it in action, as he conducts Beethoven's Symphony No. 7.

Thanksgiving with the Boston Symphony Orchestra

Wed, 22 Nov 2006 14:22:00 EST

To celebrate Thanksgiving, the Boston Symphony Orchestra and conductor James Levine perform two classical masterpieces: Beethoven's exquisite Violin Concerto, full of searching beauty and elegance, and a symphony inspired by Native American songs and African-American spirituals: Dvorak's Symphony No. 9.

The Takacs Quartet on Beethoven's Message to God

Thu, 26 Oct 2006 12:55:00 EDT

In the spring of 1825, Beethoven got terribly sick. Came close to dying, in fact. After his recovery, he revised a string quartet he'd been working on. He added a long, reflective middle movement -- a musical "thank you" to God for his life. The Takacs Quartet plays Beethoven's "Heiliger Dankgesang" in the NPR studios.

Haunted by Beethoven's Allegretto

Tue, 10 Oct 2006 12:56:00 EDT

For over 100 years, the composer's "Allegretto" movement from his Seventh Symphony has haunted musicians and music lovers. Once you start to listen, says pianist Helene Grimaud, you simply can't do anything else.

Shostakovich at 100: String Quartets

Thu, 28 Sep 2006 13:17:00 EDT

All week, Performance Today celebrates the centenary of Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich. Today, cellist David Finckel of the Emerson Quartet helps look at Shostakovich's set of 15 string quartets, often called the finest set in the repertoire after Beethoven's.

Ed Harris Takes on Beethoven, LaBute

Tue, 19 Sep 2006 12:54:00 EDT

Actor Ed Harris plays Ludwig van Beethoven in the new film Copying Beethoven, and he's also starring in the new play Wrecks, written and directed by Neil LaBute. The play is set to begin previews at New York's Public Theater on September 26 and open on Oct. 10.

Garrick Ohlsson: How to Make a Piano Sing

Wed, 26 Jul 2006 10:54:00 EDT

Pianist Garrick Ohlsson performs a sonata Beethoven wrote early in his career, then closes by playing Chopin's Etude in C-Sharp Minor. In addition to those performances, Ohlsson talks to Performance Today host Fred Child about his craft and his practice habits.

Beethoven's Sonatas: 'From Darkness to Light'

Sun, 02 Jul 2006 13:29:00 EDT

Beethoven poured his "scowling genius" into his 32 sonatas -- works that helped transform music forever. Three artists discuss their attempts to interpret some of the most challenging pieces ever written for piano.

Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Op. 125

Thu, 15 Jun 2006 09:55:00 EDT

Our series on Beethoven's nine symphonies -- each performed by The Philadelphia Orchestra -- continues with the first half of the Ninth Symphony. Because of the symphony's length, it has been spread out over the course of two days.

Beethoven's Symphony No. 8 in F Major, Op. 93

Wed, 14 Jun 2006 13:16:00 EDT

Beethoven's Eighth Symphony continued his trend of retreating to classical styles in even-numbered symphonies. It is light and humorous, contradictory to his circumstances that summer. The style of his former mentor Hadyn is evident in this work.

Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92

Tue, 13 Jun 2006 10:51:00 EDT

The Seventh Symphony's premiere concert was performed to benefit the soldiers wounded a few months earlier in the battle of Hanau. Viennese audiences, miserable from Napoleon's occupations and hopefully awaiting a victory over him, embraced the symphony's energy and beauty.