
Current Playlist
Deceptive Cadence

Deceptive Cadence un-stuffs the world of classical music, which is both fusty and ferociously alive.
- What did the beginning of time sound like? A new string quartet offers an impressionby Olivia Hampton on January 17, 2024 at 10:11 am
Nokuthula Ngwenyama's Flow is on a 13-city tour of performances by the celebrated Takács Quartet.
- Napoleon's piano lends authenticity to Ridley Scott's biopicby Olivia Hampton on December 4, 2023 at 10:04 am
British composer Martin Phipps discusses how he used an 1808 French piano that once belonged to Napoleon in the score for Ridley Scott's biopic of the one-time emperor.
- Finding a place at the Met, this opera sings in a language of its ownby Luis Trelles on November 27, 2023 at 5:15 pm
Florencia gives star Ailyn Pérez a rare chance to sing in Spanish. As the bilingual daughter of Mexican immigrants, she learned early on that language had the power to shape her experience and voice.
- A disciplined plea for peace – and quiet – from composer Arvo Pärtby Tom Huizenga on November 10, 2023 at 5:28 pm
A new album of music by the 88-year-old Estonian mystic seems to put an arm around you and whisper, "In troubled times, music can help."
NPR Music

In-depth stories from NPR Music staff and radio programs.
- Alfred Brendel, the cerebral pianist with a dry wit, dies at 94by Jeff Lunden on June 17, 2025 at 7:32 pm
Routinely called a "musician's musician," the pianist had an atypical career that even he called mysterious. He spent it returning to a handful of favorite composers, with acclaimed results.
- Sabrina Carpenter joins the 'song of the summer' race, just in timeby Stephen Thompson on June 17, 2025 at 7:01 pm
"Manchild," the first single from Sabrina Carpenter's forthcoming album Man's Best Friend, enters this week's Hot 100 singles chart at No. 1, making a late-breaking bid for "song of the summer" status in the process.
- How a copyright strike helped d4vd go supernova in the pop worldby Stephen Kallao on June 17, 2025 at 6:17 pm
Following a string of viral hits, the 20-year-old musician hones his sound on his debut album, Withered.
- The essential listening guide to Bruce Springsteen's 'Tracks II: The Lost Albums'by Caryn Rose on June 17, 2025 at 9:00 am
It's a great day when your favorite artist releases a new record. But what if they released seven new records at once, full of music you didn't even know existed? That's what Bruce Springsteen is doing on his forthcoming box set Tracks II: The Lost Albums.