Mozart’s music is often described as light, frothy, effortless, elegant, or even decorative. That lightweight reputation does him a disservice. Beneath the beauty lies one of the sharpest dramatic minds in music history: a composer inspired by human psychology, social

As we come up on the American national holiday of the 4th of July, we’ve been reflecting on the vast number of pieces of music with ‘America’ or ‘American’ in the title. Visitors to the US are always astonished at

The Philharmonie de Paris and the Paris Mozart Orchestra joined forces in 2019 to create an International Competition for Women Conductors. The La Maestra Competition and Academy aims to give greater visibility to women conductors and support them during the

Credit: NPR Classical on Facebook

Two centuries after his death, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart remains one of the most-streamed and searched composers in the world. From operatic showstoppers to symphonic masterpieces, his music continues to dominate YouTube playlists, film soundtracks, and viral crossover performances. But which

Some composers prefer to gradually ease their listeners into their piece’s sound world. Others strike like lightning. Today, we’re looking at the latter type of openings. Within the first 60 seconds, listeners are hooked, whether because of rhythm, volume, atmosphere,

Ludwig van Beethoven was a composer who changed what music was allowed to be. Before him, composers largely worked within inherited forms and social expectations. After him, music became more defiant, confrontational, and autobiographical. If you had exactly one hour