Terrance McKnight

How many of us could've predicted this pairing, Aretha Franklin and Condoleezza Rice singing and playing the classics. Neither of these women is a stranger to classical music. Dr. Rice has performed at the White House with Yo Yo Ma and Ms. Franklin stepped in and covered for Pavarotti at the Grammy Awards in 1998.

This week we celebrated the 150 anniversary of Gustav Mahler’s birth. Throughout the week, I heard several commentators and hosts quoting Mahler. One quote that kept coming up was “My time will come.”

Musicians and music lovers have been known to go to extremes for their love of the art form.

Finding one’s own voice is a journey that every artist takes. And in most cases the very successful ones are those who are able to cast an artistic shadow that is unmistakably their own.

Just like I expected Lebron James and his Cleveland Cavaliers to knock off the Boston Celtics, I was hopeful that Gustavo Dudamel and his Los Angeles Philharmonic would knock Bernstein out of the park during their East Coast tour last week. Over consecutive weeks, both superstars appeared mortal.

Dogs enjoy many of the things that we enjoy: table food, water, beer and surprises. But what about music? Some seem to, but perhaps their pleasure is derived from the enjoyment they sense from their owners as they listen. 

A few weeks ago I got a text message from a friend saying she was listening to me on air at a bodega in Brooklyn. Just last week I listened to my colleague Midge Woolsey while at my doctor’s office in Manhattan.

A few nights ago I saw a commercial for a video game called "Tom Clancy's Conviction."  The ad depicted a father, automatic rifle in tow, walking through an abandoned town Wild, Wild West-style. Here’s the juicy part: the theme music in the ad was the spiritual “Run on for a Long Time.”

Recently I went to a birthday party where there was a piano. When asked to play, I had one piece in my fingers, the Op. 118 Intermezzo by Brahms--the Intermezzo isn't party music. That incident reminded me of a piano teacher saying "always have a piece in your fingers." In this case I needed two.

On my coffee table (more like empty glasses/laptop table) are small stacks of CDs that include Garrick Ohlsson‘s recording of Chopin's Nocturnes and Glenn Gould’s “The Young Maverick” set.

Multi-faceted musician Bobby McFerrin is well known for his style of vocalizing that addresses many musical genres. Perhaps less known is Bobby's father, baritone Robert McFerrin who made history when he sang with New York City Opera in 1949. He also made history when he won the Metropolitan Opera Auditions of the Air in 1953, which led to a historic appearance at the Metropolitan Opera in 1955.

Some artists, for one reason or another,

Over the weekend, I checked out a chamber music concert.

If you’ve been going to classical music concerts for more than twenty years, you’ll probably agree that the racial make-up of the orchestra and the audience has remained largely non-black.

This week during Symphony Hall we’ll be listening to Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos.

See what WQXR hosts have to say about romance and romantic music. Then tell us about the classical music that has added romance to your life. We'll play some of your selections on Valentine's Day.