WRTI Picks from NPR Music

The instrument, known as "Lipinski" was stolen from the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra's concert master last week.

The conductor, slated to perform at the opening ceremony of the Sochi Olympics, sparked controversy with his recent comments on Russia's anti-gay legislation. The head of St. Petersburg's Mariinsky Theatre is a friend and ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

When the prolific composer died in 1974, he left one of his most ambitious projects unfinished. Forty years later, admirers are still trying to fill in the blanks.

On Sixteen Sunsets, the soprano saxophonist varies and honors melody like Billie Holiday.

Sixty years ago, a jazz pianist found himself in much the same bittersweet position as a rapper did on Sunday night. Surely proud of their hard work, they also sensed that their privilege as white musicians had something to do with their new success.

Many Shanghai jazz standards of the 1930s and '40s were banned in China after the Chinese Communist Party took over. But they reemerged decades later through cover versions. Now, the songs are back again in a new cover album by a Chinese-American electronic artist and a jazz singer from Shanghai.

Born in 1867, Powell paved the way for female — and American — violinists around the world. In 1904, she was among the first to record her music in a studio. And this year at the Grammys she'll be honored with a Lifetime Achievement award, alongside The Beatles and The Isley Brothers.

We won't guess what her odds were, but it's superstar soprano Renee Fleming.

Musicians and management ended a 15-month standoff on Tuesday night, with each side offering some concessions. Minnesota Public Radio's Euan Kerr found out what people are saying on the ground.

Melissa Block talks with Kerry Candaele, director of the documentary Following the Ninth. The film explores how Beethoven's Ninth Symphony continues to "offer hope in an unhappy world."