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Soundcheck

Tuesday, January 16, 2007
  • NBC Symphony Orchestra
    NBC Symphony Orchestra

    The Renaissance Will Not Be Televised

    Arturo Toscanini brought classical music to prime-time when leading the NBC Symphony Orchestra in the 1940s. Today, exactly 50 years after the death of the celebrated Italian maestro, we look at whether he would make it on TV today. Also: Avant-garde composer Robert Ashley joins us to talk about bringing opera into the age of multimedia. Finally, in an effort to address payola complaints dogging big labels and radio stations, the FCC is now considering a plan that would require radio stations to set aside airtime for independently produced music.

Toscanini and the Tube

A look at classical music's place on television today with Walfredo Toscanini, the grandson of the legendary conductor Arturo Toscanini, who famously led the NBC Symphony Orchestra. Also joining us is Greg Sandow, a critic, composer and orchestra consultant who blogs at Artsjournal.com.

Toscanini Conducts Verdi: Video Clip

Robert Ashley

Composer Robert Ashley previews his opera "Concrete," billed as "an old man's musing" about people he has cared about.

Getting Indie on the Radio

Brooks Boliek, National Correspondent for the Hollywood Reporter, talks about how the FCC may force radio stations to prove their indie cred.

Introducing our Video Contest

Soundcheck

John Schaefer gives the lowdown on Soundcheck's music video challenge with the Fiery Furnaces.

In Studio: Los Amigos Invisibles

Soundcheck

The Venezuelan funk-rock band "Los Amigos Invisibles" was discovered by David Byrne in a Manhattan record shop. They perform live on Soundcheck.

In Studio: Angel Deradoorian

Soundcheck

The 22-year-old multi-instrumentalist performs live in our studio.

Cucu Diamantes Performs Amor Cronico

Soundcheck

Cucu Diamantes went from a tough childhood in Havana, Cuba, to an art school in Rome to underground New York City, where she co-founded the Latin alternative band Yerba Buena.

In Studio: The Decemberists

The Portland, Ore., band's latest album, "The Hazards of Love," is a concept album with a mythological flair. They joined Soundcheck to play live for a studio audience in WNYC's Greene Space.

Sound Off

Soundcheck

Throughout May, Soundcheck presents “Sound Off” a Friday series on the many aspects of noise in music and our lives. The series -- which coincides with “Better Hearing and Speech Month” -- looks at issues like New York’s noisiest neighborhoods, the latest research on iPods and hearing loss, and what happens when noise becomes a musical ingredient.