Music

New Classical Tracks: Beethoven Piano Sonatas Volume IV
Three years ago, Andras Schiff began a series of performances exploring the 32 Beethoven piano sonatas in chronological order. ECM records documented this project with a series of recordings. The fourth volume in that series has just been released.
Listen to songs that others have sent in, and read about their songwriting process.
Meet the lyricist
Meet Stephen Burt, our poet turned lyricist, who wrote the words for our Songs from Scratch project.
Rock's next generation
For many Minnesota rock bands, it takes years to get a gig at First Avenue in Minneapolis. But for participants in the MacPhail Center for Music's summer rock camp, it took less than a week.
The bands get the lyrics
Our project looks at the creative process of writing music, through the eyes of a lyricist and three different bands. We hear from the three bands -- The Roe Family Singers, The Owls, and Matt Wilson -- as they get the lyrics from writer Stephen Burt, and begin shaping his words into songs.
If you'd like to submit a song to MPR for our Songs from Scratch project, here are the answers to some frequently asked questions.
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra breathes new life into works by Vaughan Williams
In 2003, Robert Spano and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra earned three Grammy Awards, including Best Classical Album, for their recording of "A Sea Symphony," by Ralph Vaughn Williams. This new collection of orchestral works from Vaughan Williams is their follow-up to that critically acclaimed recording.
Songs from Scratch
There's something magical about a great song, whether it's Stravinsky or Springsteen. But where do great songs come from? How do they go from words and melodies to something more? To find out, we gave three local bands two weeks to take one set of lyrics and put it to music.
Songs from Scratch: What's this all about?
Minnesota Public Radio has a new project that explores the creative process, and you have a chance to participate. We want to find out what happens when you ask a bunch of people to each compose a song using the same lyrics.
What's in store for classical CD sales?
CD sales continue to plummet as digital music downloads enjoy a steady ascent. Classical fans are getting more of their music online too, but many still prefer browsing through the record shop.