Mezzo-soprano Valerie Eickhoff was recently named Young Talent of the Year by Germany’s classical music award organization, Opus Klassik. The singer’s other accomplishments include being a finalist in the 2023 Paris Opera Competition, and today’s Beautiful Music features her singing Dopo notte, atra e funesta” from George Frideric Handel’s opera ARIODANTE. The performance took place […]

American conductor Nicholas Hersh is a young rising star in the classical music world. He recently became Music Director of the Modesto (CA) Symphony Orchestra. Although it is his first job in this role, the Evanston, IL native already had a successful tenure as Associate Conductor of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and has conducted numerous

One of the shortest complete operas was written by American composer Samuel Barber with a libretto by his partner, Gian Carlo Menotti. A HAND OF BRIDGE is a one-act opera that premiered in 1959. It features two unhappily married couples playing a hand of bridge, while revealing their inner thoughts and feelings. Today’s Beautiful Music

Francis Poulenc led an interesting life as a musician. The French composer and pianist lived from 1899-1963, and was a member of Les Six — the 6 — referring to a close-knit group of musicians of the time, including Georges Auric, Louis Durey, Arthur Honegger, Darius Millhaud, and Germaine Tailleferre. Today’s Beautiful Music features Francis

LA FOLLIA is a melody that dates back at least to the 15th century, and countless composers since have composed their own versions of and variations on it. Today’s Beautiful Music is a concert performance of Arcangelo Corelli’s setting of LA FOLIA, performed by violinist Olivier Brault with The Four Nations Ensemble. Use the link

Guitarist Sharon Isbin is a compelling artist and leader in the music world. The multiple GRAMMY Award winner was named Musical America Worldwide’s 2020 Instrumentalist of the Year. She was also inducted into the 2023 Guitar Foundation of America Hall of Fame, and founded the guitar department at The Juilliard School. Today’s Beautiful Music is

Pianist Stephen Hough embarked on an international performing career after winning the 1983 Naumburg Competition. Hough has made more than five dozen recordings over the course of his career. He recently also composed a piano concerto. Today’s Beautiful Music features Stephen Hough as the soloist with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Edo de Waart,

English conductor, harpsichordist and musicologist Christopher Hogwood (1941-2014) founded the Academy of Ancient Music in 1973. They were at the leading edge of the revival of interest in baroque era music. Today’s Beautiful Music features Christopher Hogwood leading his group playing classical era music by Franz Joseph Haydn: his Symphony #23. This performance took place at

Composers often found inspiration from other musicians, including some much earlier composers. When Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) composed his YOUNG PERSON’S GUIDE TO THE ORCHESTRA in 1945 he crafted a piece that passes around a melody between each section of the orchestra. Britten used a melody by a much earlier English composer, Henry Purcell (1659-1695) —