Classically Speaking

<p>There's nothing more wild yet utterly predictable than a child's tantrum. But in Maurice Ravel's opera L’enfant et les sortilèges, the consequences take the child completely by surprise. Vanderbilt Opera Theater's...

<p>The newest “Call of Duty” game hit the market in late 2020. In” Black Ops - Cold War” it’s composer Jack Wall’s job to transport you to the turbulence of the 1980s. From green computer screens to hidden messages in...

<p>While this episode of Classically Speaking was prepared in a tumultuous time, we never could have predicted how many more shocking things would happen before its release. That being said, Leila Adu's Mahakala...

<p>From the archive:</p> <p>Perennial holiday favorite The Nutcracker has a special local treatment from Nashville Ballet. This year, as the work makes its local television debut, get behind the scenes with Artistic...

<p>During the COVID-19 pandemic, singing in large groups has been an off-limits activity. But, King’s College Cambridge has gone to extraordinary lengths to continue its Christmas services safely. Hear from Director of...

<p>As composer Ludwig van Beethoven approaches his semiquincentennial birthday, we’re taking you through all nine of his symphonies. Nashville Symphony conductor Giancarlo Guerrero joins host Colleen Phelps for a quick...

<p>Birthday or not, Beethoven has come up quite often in Classically Speaking. So, in this episode we featured clips from previous conversations. In what turned out to be one of composer Christopher Rouse's last...

<p>Since they were composed in 1741 JS Bach’s set of pieces known as the Goldberg Variations have been a favored musical puzzle for keyboardists of all varieties. Now musician Parker Ramsay has taken them on as a...

<p>If you’ve been riding a wave of insomnia for the last few months, you’re not alone. That’s why pianist Lara Downes put together The Bedtime Sessions, an album of lullabies. This collection of soothing music includes...

<p>With a post-coronavirus return to music-making on the horizon for American orchestras, these institutions are bringing a renewed commitment to a healthier and more representative environment. We assembled three of...

<p>Composer Jennifer Higdon has music for just about any ensemble – orchestra, band, opera, choir… you name it. And her catalog of concerti is just as varied. Including her Concerto for Low Brass and Orchestra, the...

<p>“Romeo and Juliet” is a tale of woe. And actually, so is “La Valse.” Conductor Joann Falletta paired these pieces together for a program of music by Sergei Prokofiev and Maurice Ravel. Two pieces with fascinating...

<p> The biblical Seven Last Words of Christ are vulnerable and humanizing. That’s the same effect the seven last words of unarmed Black men who were killed in the last decade had on composer Joel Thompson. So, he set...

<p>While protests overnight in Minneapolis following the death of George Floyd, Garrett McQueen and Scott Blankenship had the task of getting to work and hosting overnight classical music on the radio in nearby St...

<p>Doors are locked, auditoriums are empty, and no tickets have been sold. In the middle of an unprecedented concert hall closure, virtual music making is the only path forward for a while. Virtual choirs are putting...