Music & Culture

Chinese pianist Fei-Fei Dong, 22, performs at the 14th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth, Texas. The Juilliard School graduate student is among six musicians chosen for the final round.

Music & Culture

The Cliburn Competition After Van

10:26pm July 03, 2013

by Bill Zeeble, KERA

Founded in 1962, the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition continues this year without the presence of its iconic namesake. But organizers and contestants believe the contest — as well as its high standards and ability to boost careers — will remain.

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Reza Vali's new album, Toward That Endless Plain.

Music & Culture

Revved-up Vivaldi, Persian Bamboo And Soaring Spirituals: New Classical Albums

7:41am July 03, 2013

by Tom Huizenga

From an intriguing East meets West merger to Vivaldi played with velocity, NPR Music's Tom Huizenga and host Jacki Lyden explore a wide range of new classical releases.

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Jerry Lee Lewis shot to fame in the 1950s with hits such as "A Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" and "Great Balls of Fire."

Music & Culture

Jerry Lee Lewis: Live, Singing As If Life Depended On It

5:49pm July 01, 2013

by Ed Ward

In 1958, Lewis suffered a precipitous decline in popularity when people learned that his new wife was not only 13, but also his cousin. Nobody would touch his records. Then, in 1963, he signed a deal with Smash and it looked like things were getting better.

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Pamina (Amy Carson) and Tamino (Joseph Kaiser) in Kenneth Branagh's production of Mozart's The Magic Flute.

Branagh Imagines Mozart's 'Magic Flute' In Wartime

4:41pm July 01, 2013

by Lloyd Schwartz

Director Kenneth Branagh has given us fresh Shakespeare and witty modern comedies of manners, and some years ago he turned to opera, with an adaptation of Mozart's classic set in World War I. It's finally available in the U.S., and critic Lloyd Schwartz says the results are disappointingly mixed.

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For Carole King, Songwriting Is A 'Natural' Talent

10:55am July 01, 2013

Carole King wrote songs for others before becoming a performer and writing for herself. In her memoir, A Natural Woman, she details the stories behind some of her most famous songs and her relationships with songwriters like James Taylor, Gerry Goffin and Paul Simon.

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Jim Nayder, host of the The Annoying Music Show and Magnificent Obession, died this week. Weekend Edition Saturday host Scott Simon, left, remembers his good friend.

Music & Culture

'Annoying Music' Host Leaves 'Magnificent Obsession' Behind

4:46pm June 30, 2013

by Scott Simon

Jim Nayder, host of Chicago Public Radio's The Annoying Music Show and Magnificent Obsession, died this week. Weekend Edition Saturday host Scott Simon remembers his good friend.

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La Vida Bohème's second album, Sera, draws upon a handful of musical influences, from disco to reggae.

Music & Culture

La Vida Bohème: Dance Rockers Harness Chaos And Conflict

7:07pm June 29, 2013

by NPR Staff

Lead singer Henry D'Arthenay looked to his Venezuelan home for inspiration in constructing the band's latest album, Será.

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The Boston Pops rehearses for its Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular on July 3, 2012, at the Charles River Esplanade.

Music & Culture

Why Tchaikovsky's Bells And Cannons Sound Every July 4

3:44pm June 29, 2013

by Scott Simon

In the 1970s, the Boston Pops effectively turned the 1812 Overture into an Independence Day staple. The music director and executive producer of the orchestra's annual Fireworks Spectacular explain how and why.

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Formerly a scat singer, Sasha Dobson has just released her first solo album of original songs, Aquarius.

Music & Culture

Sasha Dobson's Journey Out Of Jazz And Into Songwriting

3:44pm June 29, 2013

by NPR Staff

The singer's father, Smith Dobson, was one of the most sought-after pianists in the Bay Area when he died in a car crash in 2001. Sasha Dobson, who had been a scat singer, responded to the tragedy by picking up a guitar.

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Underlying the sweetness of Kyu Sakamoto's unexpected hit song "Sukiyaki" was a story of sadness and loss.

Music & Culture

Bittersweet At No. 1: How A Japanese Song Topped The Charts In 1963

9:22pm June 28, 2013

by NPR Staff

Fifty years ago, Kyu Sakamoto was the face of a new postwar Japan: a clean-cut, 21-year-old pop idol. But professor Ian Condry says that underlying the sweetness of the hit song "Sukiyaki" was a story of sadness and loss.

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