Music & Culture

The new Disney film Frozen is the tale of sisters Anna and Elsa, whose relationship is captured in music by songwriters Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez.

Music & Culture

In A Tale Of Two Sisters, The Story's In The Songs

5:52pm November 24, 2013

by NPR Staff

Iconic Disney moments aren't just about the characters, but the songs they sing. Husband-and-wife team Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez composed music for the new Disney film Frozen, capturing the friendship of sisters Elsa and Anna.

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Stanley Kubrick's The Shining strikes its terrifying tone with help from the Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki, whose music underscores several of its tensest scenes.

Music & Culture

A Sound Of Fear, Forged In The Shadow Of War

12:09pm November 24, 2013

by Arun Rath

On the 80th birthday of Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki — whose music helped make The Shining so terrifying — NPR's Arun Rath considers how the classical music of Penderecki's generation has been shaped by real-life horror.

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Leonard Bernstein's Age of Anxiety symphony is as unconventional as its creator.

Music & Culture

Leonard Bernstein's Unconventional 'Anxiety'

5:30pm November 22, 2013

by Marin Alsop

For conductor Marin Alsop, Bernstein's idiosyncratic Second Symphony — inspired by W.H. Auden's poem The Age of Anxiety — is a musical quest to answer life's big questions with time out to throw a hip-swinging party.

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John Chong (from left), Sally Kang, Joe Chun, Alex Hwang, Jennifer Rim and Daniel Chae of Run River North.

Music & Culture

Run River North Stays The Course — And Finds Success

4:36pm November 22, 2013

by Doualy Xaykaothao

The Korean-American band from California got a big boost from Honda after the musicians recorded a music video ... in their Hondas.

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Cuban jazz trumpeter Arturo Sandoval receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Wednesday.

Music & Culture

Arturo Sandoval: Free To Blow His Trumpet The Way He Wants

9:43am November 21, 2013

by Shereen Marisol Meraji

NPR's Shereen Marisol Meraji spent time with Cuban trumpet virtuoso Arturo Sandoval, just days before he accepted his adopted country's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

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Food and music mingle in Pieter Claesz's Still Life with Musical Instruments (1623).

Music & Culture

The Orchestral Recipe, From The Pilgrims To Today

6:55am November 21, 2013

by NPR Staff

NPR's Renee Montagne talks with music commentator Miles Hoffman about how the ingredients that make up a Thanksgiving dinner and those that make up an orchestra have changed over the centuries.

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Feist On World Cafe

4:00pm November 18, 2013

Leslie Feist has long attracted serious buzz: In the early 2000s, the Canadian singer-songwriter appeared to be on the verge of jumping from underground success to mainstream stardom. In 2007, she started to fulfill that promise. Hear an archived interview and studio performance.

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Music & Culture

'The Biggest Jazz Riff Ever Written:' Jeremy Denk's 'Goldberg Variations'

11:01am November 18, 2013

by NPR Staff

The celebrated pianist, and newly minted MacArthur fellow, describes the 'naughty, wicked and bittersweet' sides of Bach's iconic keyboard work. Denk's new recording includes a DVD with him discussing various aspects of the music.

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Brandy Clark's new album is titled 12 Stories.

Music & Culture

Brandy Clark Tells The 'Stories' That Are Tough To Hear

9:12am November 18, 2013

by Ken Tucker

Ken Tucker calls the country singer-songwriter's new 12 Stories a "modestly amazing album." Every song is striking, textured and finely detailed.

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Ted Nash's new album, Chakra, is out now.

Music & Culture

'Something That Is Very Real For Me': Ted Nash Completes His 'Chakra'

5:29pm November 16, 2013

by NPR Staff

The jazz multi-instrumentalist and composer embarked on a spiritual journey that spanned years before he was able to complete his new record. In a discussion with NPR's Arun Rath, Nash talks about starting from square one in educating himself about Hindu philosophy.

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