classical

Hannah Selin Composes a Work of Mesmerizing, Transcendent Beauty

Hannah Selin Composes a Work of Mesmerizing, Transcendent Beauty

Hannah Selin has created a profoundly engaging set of compositions on her debut LP. They are a sonic equivalent to deep sleep and vivid, complex dream states.

Kelly Moran’s ‘Moves in the Field’ Calms Fear and Anxiety

Kelly Moran’s ‘Moves in the Field’ Calms Fear and Anxiety

Kelly Moran explores the ghost in the machine on Moves in the Field, a delicate, thoughtful album of “solo” neoclassical piano explorations.

MIZU Creates an Experimental Masterwork with ‘Forest Scenes’

MIZU Creates an Experimental Masterwork with ‘Forest Scenes’

As a composer and performer, MIZU embraces uncharted territory with her cello not so much in hand but working fully as an extension of her body and voice.

The Holy Mother: Madhuvanti Pal Plays the Rudra Veena

The Holy Mother: Madhuvanti Pal Plays the Rudra Veena

Sublime Frequencies correct a grave injustice with this stunning new two-LP from Madhuvanti Pal, the first-ever vinyl record of a woman playing the rudra veena.

Putting the Eyebrows on It: Frank Zappa’s ‘The Yellow Shark’ at 30

Putting the Eyebrows on It: Frank Zappa’s ‘The Yellow Shark’ at 30

The orchestral music of Frank Zappa is required listening for any fan of 20th-century classical music, and The Yellow Shark is the best place to start.

Jessica Pavone Interprets Womens’ Work Through the Ages

Jessica Pavone Interprets Womens’ Work Through the Ages

Eclectic composer Jessica Pavone pays tribute to women-made inventions through powerful musical compositions and performances in her new string ensemble album.

‘The Resonance Between’ Is More Than the Sum of Its Intercultural Parts

‘The Resonance Between’ Is More Than the Sum of Its Intercultural Parts

Alam Khan’s The Resonance Between employs techniques from Hindustani and European art music traditions, but it’s about more than just fusion.

Lucian Ban and Mat Maneri Adapt ‘Oedipe’ for Modern Jazz

Lucian Ban and Mat Maneri Adapt ‘Oedipe’ for Modern Jazz

Though Lucian Ban and Mat Maneri’s Oedipe Redux is quite a technical achievement, it faces an uphill battle when it comes to stirring the soul.

Sufjan Stevens’ ‘Reflections’ Soundtrack Is Impressive If Vague

Sufjan Stevens’ ‘Reflections’ Soundtrack Is Impressive If Vague

Composed by Sufjan Stevens, the Reflections soundtrack is virtuosic and a pleasant listen but on its own the album feels indistinct and largely forgettable.

The TANK Center for Sonic Arts Find a New Way to Interpret Beethoven

The TANK Center for Sonic Arts Find a New Way to Interpret Beethoven

National Sawdust Ensemble’s work on Slow Beethoven recasts Beethoven’s Opus 131 as something wholly new, recasting it as a contemporary classical dirge.

The Nuanced History Eluvium’s Many Clockwork Fables

The Nuanced History Eluvium’s Many Clockwork Fables

Ambient maestro Matthew Robert Cooper (Eluvium) is two decades into his career, and on his latest LP, overcomes surprising obstacles physical and geographical.

An Evening in a Crypt with French Classical Composer RIOPY

An Evening in a Crypt with French Classical Composer RIOPY

Risk-taking self-taught classical pianist RIOPY talks with PopMatters after his Death of Classical performance at the Crypt Chapel beneath Harlem’s Church of the Intercession.

Publish with PopMatters

Call for Papers: All Things Reconsidered [MUSIC] May-August 2024

PopMatters Seeks Book Critics and Essayists

Call for Papers: All Things Reconsidered – FILM Winter 2023-24

Submit an Essay, Review, Interview, or List to PopMatters

PopMatters Seeks Music Writers