When Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky died in 1881, his 1867 orchestral composition NIGHT ON BALD MOUNTAIN (completed in 1867) had not been published. It became much better known when it was used in the 1940 Disney film FANTASIA. The turbulent and dramatic tone poem depicts a gathering of witches and spirits. Today’s Beautiful Music features […]

Halloween is about a week away, so starting today and continuing through October 31, Beautiful Music will feature some scary classical tunes! Today’s Beautiful Music is a concert performance of TOTENTANZ (Dance of Death) by Franz Liszt. He composed the first version of this work from 1847–53, and revised it in 1864, and it was

A Sunday Baroque listener recently attended Brecon Baroque Festival in Wales and shared some of his photos. His enthusiastic impressions inspired today’s Beautiful Music offering — Johann Sebastian Bach’s Goldberg Variations Reimagined’ by Rachel Podger, Brecon Baroque and Chad Kelly. Violinist Rachel Podger founded Brecon Baroque Festival in 2006, and it’s part of what she

Kaori Nakamura provides today’s Beautiful Music. She’s playing Johann Sebastian Bach’s PRELUDE, FUGUE AND ALLEGRO BWV 998, composed in around 1735. This performance is from August 12th, 2018 at Urayasu Concert Hall. She played an 18th century German double manual Mietke model harpsichord crafted by Bruce Kennedy in 1995.

The lovely artistry of baritone Benjamin Taylor provides today’s Beautiful Music from his recital earlier this year with pianist Katelan Trần Terrell. The program includes music by Mieczyslaw Karlowicz, Gregory Spears, Gordon Myers, and Gustav Mahler. Benjamin Taylor earned his Bachelor of the Arts from Morgan State University, and his Master of Music from Boston University,

Today’s Beautiful Music features Margaret Bonds — her music and her life. This live concert performance by the Amherst Symphony Orchestra of her 1964 composition, MONTGOMERY VARIATIONS is preceded by an introduction to Margaret Bonds’ life. Born in 1913 in Chicago, the composer, pianist, and teacher’s works often drew on African-American spirituals.. She also took

The Pong Lang Dance is a popular melody in Thailand, and American composer Richard Meyer crafted a set of variations on the tune for his Fantasia on a Theme from Thailand. The composition for string orchestra is frequently played by student ensembles. Today’s Beautiful Music features is Meyer’s FANTASIA ON A THEME FROM THAILAND. You

Australia-born violinist Christian Li burst onto the international scene in 2018 when he became the youngest-ever winner of the Menuhin Competition. In 2020 he became the youngest artist to sign with Decca Classics, and when he recorded his debut album for Decca he became the youngest artist to record Antonio Vivaldi’s FOUR SEASONS Concertos. Christian