Topic: Classical Music

'Follies' and 'La Boheme' take Los Angeles by storm

'La Boheme' makes a classic new again, while Sondheim's 'Follies' is a show only now being hailed as a masterwork.

Top Picks: A documentary about a sushi restaurant, Johnny Carson, and more

Kids try out narrating nature documentaries, Karmin irresistably covers R&B and hip-hop hits, and more top picks.

Top Picks: The man behind Elmo, 'I'm Dickens...He's Fenster,' and more

Husband and wife duo Amadou & Mariam release a new album, a film quiz mixes movies with numbers, the video game 'Journey' explores human interaction, and more top picks.

10 stories from Frank Langella about his famous friends

In his new memoir Dropped Names, Frank Langella recalls meetings and friendships with bold-face names.

'What Do You Want To Do Before You Die?': 15 answers

From the new book 'What Do You Want To Do Before You Die?,' the four stars of 'The Buried Life' share what strangers have told them.

Gioachino Rossini, procrastinator extraordinaire

Gioachino Rossini, whom Google honors today with a doodle on his 220th birthday, composed the William Tell Overture, whose finale has since become the official soundtrack for doing things at the last possible minute. 

Why Gioachino Rossini's music is so funny

Gioachino Rossini, whose leap-day birthday is marked by Google on Wednesday, had a gift for comic timing that would be recognized by today's sitcom writers. 

'Dancing with the Stars' cast avoids controversy, includes Urkel

'Dancing With the Stars' annually is among the top-rated U.S. TV shows with a formula that pairs B-list celebrities, sports stars and singers with professional dancers performing sambas, cha-cha-chas and waltzes across a ballroom floor.

What eurocrisis? Hamburg to build $500 million concert hall

Hamburg, Germany aims to build one of the acoustically best concert halls in the world, admist one of Europe's worst economic crises in recent history.

After the revolution, arts bloom in Tunisia

As Tunisia's 'Jasmine Revolution' turns one, musicians find new venues, funds, and teachers -- along with official support.

Goat Rodeo's eclectic mix is bluesy and original

The four musicians who participate in 'The Goat Rodeo Sessions' somehow make the jumble of musical genres work.

Edith Wharton: 10 best quotes on her 150th birthday

On Edith Wharton's 150th birthday, 10 quotes from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author.

Why play's the thing

While discipline and practice are crucial in life, we need play time to let creativity bloom, to imagine the impossible, to ask the 'what if' questions.

Top Picks: Guitar lessons from James Taylor, Keira Knightley voices Tinkerbell, and more

James Taylor teaches guitar lessons on his website, Keira Knightley voices Tinkerbell in SyFy's two-part Peter Pan series, 'Journey of the Universe' space series on PBS takes viewers through the galaxy, and more top picks.

Los Angeles opera company is filling a need for experimentation

The new production by Los Angeles company The Industry, 'Crescent City,' is a promising glimpse into what musical innovation can accomplish.

Staging the wondrous but elusive 'Candide'

Full of glorious music, 'Candide' represents some of Leonard Bernstein's best work as a composer for theater. But putting the story on stage has bedeviled writers and directors. A new version may be the best effort yet.

Porgy and Bess: newly conceived version of 'folk opera' tests the waters

Updated, musical-theater-style 'Porgy and Bess' offers a more 'intimate' narrative but has raised controversy.

Young Iraqis find solace in the symphony

Iraqis such as 12-year-old Fatima Odei, one of the Iraqi National Symphony Orchestra's youngest trainees, have forged their musical careers amid the trials of daily life in Baghdad.

Classics in technicolor

Monitor picks: Southern recipes, local news online, and movie music

A new Southern cookbook, a website that unites local newspapers, and the thrilling soundtrack to J. J. Abrams' 'Super 8', and more recommendations.

Chile looks below the surface for music

The unique acoustics of a tunnel slicing through the Chilean mountains made it an alluringly unusual place for a classical music concert.

China's got talent - and its own Susan Boyle

An online video of Cai Hongping singing in her Hello Kitty apron at a chicken stand in China attracted 10 million hits within 10 days, a Chinese record for such a short span of time.

The piano and the musician: A blogger's musings on the instrument she loves

The piano is one of the most intimidating instruments in all its glory, intimidating to play, to study, to compose for, and to buy. It's also one of the most satisfying for this one musician.