Music

Fritz Kreisler is known for perpetrating one of the great hoaxes in music history--passing off his own compositions as the works of great masters. But long before that scandal broke in 1935, Kreisler involved two major composers in a clever hoax. Born on February 4th, 1875, Kreisler was only seven...

'Dragnet'

February 3, 2019 - 10:00pm

Joe goes undercover and meets a friendly waitress who gives him a tip, in "The Big Press." Originally aired 02/01/51.

Songs To Celebrate Black History Month

February 3, 2019 - 5:00pm

Join us for a celebration of Black History Month with songs by Rhiannon Giddens, Leadbelly, Etta Baker, and more.

Russian Winters

February 3, 2019 - 1:00pm

Wisconsin ensembles have a particular fondness for Russian composers at their winter concerts.

Roots Musician Martha Redbone Shares Song 'Hear The Voice Of The Bard'

February 2, 2019 - 11:35am

Martha Redbone shares her varied experiences and family background through her music, including a song from an onstage interview for "Simply Folk."

Imani Winds

February 1, 2019 - 12:00pm

Members of the Imani Winds discuss their performance this evening at 7:30p.m. in Shannon Hall at the Wisconsin Union Theater in Madison. The Grammy-nominated wind quintet will perform works by Jeff Scott, John Harbison, Lalo Schifrin, Gyorgy Ligeti, Reena Esmail and Valerie Coleman.

The Stingy Virtuoso

February 1, 2019 - 11:30am

The two had been an inseparable duo. Their music had taken the concert halls of Europe by storm. Now one of them was about to go under the knife and the other insisted on being present during the entire operation. It would be enough to rattle the nerves of any...

Busoni Arrives in New York

January 31, 2019 - 11:30am

On January 31 st , 1915, one of Italy's great composers, a homesick Feruccio Busoni had just arrived in New York, and in a letter to pianist Egon Petri he turned his thoughts to the latest musical events. “I sent you two long letters from on board ship. The morning...

The Feast

January 30, 2019 - 11:30am

The winter of 1937 was a tough one for the Spanish composer Joaquin Rodrigo and his wife Victoria. Having grown up blind, Rodrigo was accustomed to difficulties, but as an exile in France during the Spanish Civil War, he was struggling just to get enough to eat. The couple was...

What Is THE Wisconsin Song?

January 30, 2019 - 4:30am

Is there a song that represents or unifies Wisconsin’s diverse music fans? What song says 'Good ole Wisconsin'?

Compromises

January 29, 2019 - 11:30am

For a long time the Spanish composer Manuel de Falla had wanted to compose a work based on the novel The Three-Cornered Hat. His original idea was to make an opera of it, but the author's will did not permit it, so Falla opted to write it as a ballet...

Science Update: The Arts For Science

January 29, 2019 - 11:00am

When we think of science, we don’t usually pair it with the performing arts. Our guest tells us about two upcoming events that do just that, a concert and a play that celebrate science.

Orange Plantation Composer

January 28, 2019 - 11:30am

“That man has music in his mind, but when he sets it down it’s almost impossible to play it.” So said an American friend of a young English composer named Frederick Delius. It’s not surprising that Delius’ music was unusual. He had found his calling in a very unusual way—managing...

Grammy Nominees

January 27, 2019 - 5:00pm

We bring you Grammy nominees John Prine, Brandi Carlile, and Dom Flemons, as well as an interview with Wisconsin musician Johnsmith.

Musical Legacies

January 27, 2019 - 1:00pm

Composer John Harbison (photo by Robin Young)

One orchestra looks back to concerts in the nineteenth century, and one contemporary composer celebrates his 80th birthday.

Episode 116: In Protest, Indecent, And In America

January 26, 2019 - 11:00am

Musician Marc Ribot reflects on his "Songs of Resistance" album. Cult movie director John Waters introduces us to some of his visual art. Comedian Maeve Higgins shares her thoughts on being an extraordinary Irish immigrant.

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

January 26, 2019 - 10:00am

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, affectionately known as “the brightest star”, was a legendary Punjabi musician from Pakistan. Ali Khan was primarily a singer of devotional music called qawwali, the well-known vocalized form of sacred musical expression of the Sufis equally edified in Pakistan and India. The Sufis, practitioners of this tradition sustain and celebrate the inner, mystical dimension of Islam.

Cellist Miriam K. Smith

January 25, 2019 - 12:00pm

Norman welcomes 12-year old cellist Miriam K. Smith to the WPR studios. She will be performing the Cello Concerto in A minor by Saint-Saëns with the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra as part of the Masterworks series on Friday, January 25, 2019 at the Capitol Theater in Madison. Ms. Smith made her orchestral debut at age 8 playing Haydn's Cello Concerto No. 1 in C Major with the Seven Hills Sinfonietta and has recently performed with the Cincinnati and Louisville Symphonies.

The Wedding March

January 25, 2019 - 11:30am

One 19th century masterpiece brilliantly expresses the English character even though it was written before the composer had ever been to England. As a boy, Felix Mendelssohn experienced the English personality through the plays of Shakespeare. Using the latest German translations, his family often acted them out for their own...

Liszt's Wild Party

January 24, 2019 - 11:30am

Eighteen forty-eight. Piano virtuoso Franz Liszt was dazzling Europe in one concert after another. The slender, dark-haired virtuoso was the heartthrob of many a lady. But one day the arch-romantic became a little too flamboyant. The occasion was a farewell party for a friend leaving Weimar. The partygoers toasted the...

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Kreisler's Other Hoax

'Dragnet'

Songs To Celebrate Black History Month

Russian Winters

Roots Musician Martha Redbone Shares Song 'Hear The Voice Of The Bard'

Imani Winds

The Stingy Virtuoso

Busoni Arrives in New York

The Feast

What Is THE Wisconsin Song?

Compromises

Science Update: The Arts For Science

Orange Plantation Composer

Grammy Nominees

Musical Legacies

Episode 116: In Protest, Indecent, And In America

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

Cellist Miriam K. Smith

The Wedding March

Liszt's Wild Party

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