Doug Balliett

The Brothers Balliett are diving into the work of Barbara Harbach this week, a prolific composer who runs her own publishing company. We'll hear a range of music from Ms. Harbach duri...

Stop looking for monsters under the bed—look no further than the low woodwind section. Join the Brothers Balliet today at 3 pm.

Thursday at 3 pm, the Brothers Balliett explore music built on the poetry of Romanian-born composer Paul Celan – leader of a harsh and often tragic life – courtesy of Michael Nyman an...

Richard Carrick is a stellar composer that is quickly defining a new kind of kapellmeister role in the new-music scene. Join the Brothers Balliett Thursday at 3 pm.

Writing music over top of other music is nothing new. Today at 3 pm the Brothers Balliett explore some of the most exciting and contemporary examples of musical graffiti writers, from...

We don't often think of hyper-modernist composers Helmut Lachenmann and Luciano Berio as storytellers, but when they create a piece that sets a scene, they both go all the way (in ...

Orchestration is the successful good-looking cousin of composition. Beneath its slick veneer lies a vital component to the expression of a musical idea. Today at 3 pm, join the Brot...

It's no secret the the Brothers Balliett love the music of Franz Schubert, whether it's tearing through the Trout Quintet or sobbing through Die Schoene Muellerin. Today at 3 pm, they...

What happens when a master composer spends over ten years on a piece of music, constantly reworking the motives, finding new and ever-more-fascinating transformations and contexts in ...

Myths have inspired works in all media for millenia; some might even say that the expression mythology was the BIRTH of the arts. Today at 3 pm, the Brothers Balliett take a listen to...

Today at 3 pm, the Brothers Balliett take a look at that oh-so-unselfish form, the double concerto – music for two soloists and orchestra. Featuring music of Peter Maxwell Davies and Philip Glass.

Does contemporary music need to be exquisitely written out with Ferneyhough levels of expressive detail? Do scores need to reflect every nuance, every slight bending of time, every po...

Although self-professed symphonies, concertos, and suites are far from disappearing (new examples are created each year), many composers are feeling an impulse to give their pieces an...

What is a prelude? There are many conceptions and definitions floating around out there, but the Brothers Balliett define it as a short instrumental work that explores one musical con...

Did you ever notice just how high Italian composers write? From Puccini to Scelsi to Berio and everywhere in between, the Italians seem to love the highest range on each instrument, and as Oliver Knussen as pointed out, each generation seems to push the limits a little bit higher.

If you love Michael Nyman, this is your show. If you think you might, this is a great introduction. If you hate his work, this show might turn you around. 

Ah, the sweet mid-February – a time when love blooms, greeting card companies experience a windfall, and congress is in full swing. Today at 3 pm, join the Brothers Balliett for presi...

Leonard Bernstein wrote that the songs of the Beatles could easily stand next to those of Schumann and Schubert. The Brothers Balliett spend an hour with new-music Beatles homages.

This week, the Brothers Balliett are  joined in the studio by composer, Rome Prize-winner and  Guggenheim Fellow Harold Meltzer. Listen Thursday at 3 pm.

This week, the Brothers Balliett take a listen to one an oft-misunderstood instrument: the harpischord. Listen at 3 pm for performances by 17th century composer Froberger, songstress ...