Chicago-based Fifth House Ensemble Takes Flight with 'Excelsior'

Fifth House Ensemble's new album "Excelsior" builds itself up gradually from the luminous energy of Alex Shapiro's "Perpetual Spark" to Caleb Burhans's half-hour title track. Aug 25, 2014

Olivier Messiaen's Turangalîla: Just an Old Fashioned Love Song

Even for Messiaen, the Turangalîla-Symphony is weird. Stream the new recording by Hannu Lintu and the Finnish Radio Symphony and Angela Hewitt all week.  Aug 19, 2014

From Russia to Iran: Pianist Tara Kamangar Travels 'East of Melancholy'

Pianist Tara Kamangar's "East of Melancholy" is a luxuriously lovely recital of virtuoso piano music spanning musical traditions from Russia to Iran. Stream the entire album.

Aug 11, 2014

Levity and Vigor in the Concertos of the Late Peter Lieberson

The late composer Peter Lieberson found inspiration in the poetry of Pablo Neruda for his Piano Concerto No. 3, and simply in his love of the sound of the viola for his Viola Concerto... Aug 4, 2014

The Quiet Violence of Peter V. Swendsen’s Seasons and Weather

"Allusions to Seasons and Winter," from composer Peter V. Swendsen and the Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble, opens with a processed tenor recorder emulating a bird call. Live elect... Jul 28, 2014

Richard Reed Parry Taps Performers' Inner Metronomes in 'Music for Heart and Breath'

Richard Reed Parry, a composer and member of the rock band Arcade Fire, writes classical compositions based the actual pulse of the performers themselves. Stream his "Music for Heart ... Jul 21, 2014

wild Up's 'Feather & Stone' Spotlights Los Angeles Composers

Los Angeles-based ensemble wild Up's new album "Feather & Stone" presents an unexpected mashup of pieces, ranging from jazz to a collage of found sounds. Stream the album all this week. 

Jul 14, 2014

Robert Kyr's Mystic Exploration of Love and Transcendence

The latest recording by the prolific composer and educator Robert Kyr features a pair of cantata-like works, The Cloud of Unknowing and Song of the Soul. Stream the entire album on de... Jul 7, 2014

Violinist Roman Mints Wrestles with Time in 'Dance of Shadows'

Roman Mints's new album blurs present and past with pieces by Ysaÿe, Piazzolla, Schnittke, Silvestrov and Dobrinka Tabakova. Stream the full album all this week. 

Jun 30, 2014

Johann Sebastian Is One of the Cool Kids in 'Red Hot + Bach'

The AIDS fundraising organization Red Hot has turned its focus to J.S. Bach. Stream "Red Hot + Bach," a collection of the baroque master's sounds re-imagined by artists like Gabriel Kahane and Shara Worden.

Jun 23, 2014