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Soundcheck

Wednesday, August 28, 2002
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  • jennylin_lg.jpg

    A Woman's Work

    Modern works, and the championing of bold, living composers, have served as the foundation of pianist Jenny Lin’s auspicious career. On today’s program, she talks about her advocacy of new music and performs compositions by Russian Elena Firsova and Hungarian-Romanian György Ligeti. Plus, music writer Anne Midgette discusses the sea change in music criticism and classical-music media coverage from the increasingly prevalent female perspective.

One of pianist Jenny Lin’s most recent honors was a Golden Music Awards nomination this year.

More about Jenny Lin

The first-ever female to write about classical music for The New York Times, opera expert Anne Midgette has addressed everything from the signature sound of orchestras to the influence, however minor, that visual artists have on their classical-composer peers.

More about female critics from Anne Midgette

audience

Soundcheck Smackdown: When Contemporary Met Classical

Soundcheck

Like vegetables stuck into a delicious meal, contemporary classical music is forced on concert audiences before they are allowed to enjoy their Brahms. So says humorist, critic and author Joe Queenan. Today, Queenan and John Berry, Artistic Director with English National Opera, join us for a Soundcheck Smackdown debate on the merits of contemporary music.

musical clouds

You Are What You Hear

Soundcheck

Washington Post reporter Paul Farhi takes us through some of the most famously botched song lyrics in rock history. We’ll explore why the words we make up are usually more interesting than the real version. Then, listeners confess their favorite and most embarrassing reinvented lyrics.

Leave a comment: Give us your favorite set of misheard lyrics! Were you disappointed when you learned the actual words?

Rosanne Cash and Mark O'Connor

Soundcheck

For her, he was a father. For him, he was a boyhood hero. For the nation, he was an icon. Singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash and composer and violinist Mark O'Connor join us to talk about how Johnny Cash has inspired their musical collaboration. And they will play live.

Katy

Soundcheck's Summer Song Poll

Soundcheck

Every year, popular and critical opinion somehow converge to settle on a "summer song." In 2007, it was Rihanna's "Umbrella." The year before, it was "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley. The practice stretches back to the very dawn of pop radio. Yet defining the essence of a "summer song" is a bit elusive. We enlist the help of Blender editor at large Lizzy Goodman -- and of our Soundcheck listeners, in an online poll.

Cast your vote: Soundcheck's Summer Song Poll 2008

Can't decide? Check out audio and video clips of the contestants here.

Our blog: John Schaefer asks what makes a good summer song,

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