WRTI Picks from NPR Music

Swaying triple time has besotted dancers and musicians alike around the globe. But the quintessential high-society dance has surprisingly indecent roots.

A classical virtuoso and an equally captivating flamenco player combine for a set of duets. Whether playing music by Bach or Peña, they're undeniably brilliant.

Army Pvt. Danny Chen fatally shot himself in Afghanistan in 2011. The real-life tragedy has inspired a new production by the Washington National Opera with a libretto by playwright David Henry Hwang.

A week after announcing publicly that he had cancer, the widely beloved Spanish conductor has died at age 80.

Watch the celebrated pianist play Bach's Two-part Inventions, which can zing with the speed of a sewing machine, or unfold slowly like a gentle aria.

Nearly three-quarters of a century old, the label remains a showcase for jazz soloing in every possible mood and temperament. Here are our picks for sublime moments from the catalog.

Musicians and insiders talk to NPR about the jazz label's legacy. "It's just like the Empire State Building or the White House," says one. "It's a monument."

Under music director Alan Gilbert, the orchestra is taking a page from the visual arts world by launching an 11-day festival featuring both established and emerging composers.

Learn how the 85-year-old composer got his start spoofing on John Cage, and hear his best impression of the coyote howl from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

Hear evocative music about fallen heroes — from a symphony by the son of a Civil War bandsman to a song honoring a young Marine from Alabama.