Latest Classical music News
Jon Batiste's 'Beethoven Blues' transforms classical works into unique blues and gospel renditions
NEW YORK (AP) — When Grammy-award winner Jon Batiste was a kid, say, 9 or 10 years old, he moved between musical worlds — participating in local, classical piano competitions by day, then “gigging in night haunts in the heart of New Orleans.” Free from the rigidity of genre,...
Golijov's Flamenco-tinged opera about slain Spanish playwright Lorca comes to the Met
NEW YORK (AP) — Osvaldo Golijov was running out of time. The Argentine-born composer had been commissioned by the Tanglewood Music Center for a chamber opera to be performed in the summer of 2003. And with the deadline just months away, his original idea wasn’t panning out. ...
Movie Review: 'Piece by Piece,' a very odd Lego doc about Pharrell Williams snaps together somehow
A movie documentary that uses only Lego pieces might seem an unconventional choice. When that documentary is about renowned musician-producer Pharrell Williams, it's actually sort of on-brand. “Piece by Piece” is a bright, clever song-filled biopic that pretends it's a...
Mimis Plessas, a mild-mannered giant of modern Greek music, dies at 99
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Mimis Plessas, a beloved Greek composer whose music featured in scores of films, television shows and theatrical productions and who provided the soundtrack to millions of Greeks’ lives, has died just a week shy of his 100th birthday. His death was...
Q&A: RZA on the nostalgic origins of his first classical album, 'A Ballet Through Mud'
LOS ANGELES (AP) — RZA’s hoarding habit led to his newest adventure in music: a ballet and surprisingly traditional classical album he calls “A Ballet Through Mud.” Early in the pandemic, the 55-year-old Wu-Tang Clan founder, born Robert Diggs, was rummaging through a bag of...
AP PHOTOS: A blind pianist from Nagaland says music is 'one thing that has kept me alive'
KOHIMA, India (AP) — Takosangba Pongen had his vision for 14 years. He has been blind for the past 13. But in front of a piano, nobody can tell. “Playing the piano transports me to another dimension. After losing my vision, music has been one thing that has kept me alive. It...
Kennedy Center's opening gala is back on after musicians strike ends with a new deal
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Kennedy Center and the union representing musicians in the National Symphony Orchestra have come to an agreement on a short-term contract after a brief strike that threatened to derail Saturday's season-opening gala. The DC Federation of Musicians, local...
The Cure announces a new album and releases its first new song in 16 years, 'Alone'
NEW YORK (AP) — Goths, rejoice: At long last, The Cure has released new music. “Alone,” their first new song in 16 years, premiered on Mary Anne Hobbs’ BBC 6 Music radio show Thursday morning. The English band also announced a new album, “Songs of A Lost...
Last original member of Kool & the Gang to represent group at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
NEW YORK (AP) — You can call the music of Kool & the Gang funky or R&B, soulful or disco, pop or dance. What you cannot call it is partisan. When Iowa’s delegation at this summer’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago announced its vote for the Harris-Walz ticket,...
Jazz saxophonist and composer Benny Golson dies at 95
NEW YORK (AP) — Jazz great Benny Golson, a tenor saxophonist and composer of standards such as “Killer Joe” and “Along Came Betty," has died. He was 95. Golson died Saturday at his home in Manhattan after a short illness, said Golson’s longtime agent, Jason Franklin. ...
