Classical Score

Check out the latest in classical music below!

We bring you the latest in classical music news, must-hear events around town, and lifestyle stories to accompany your love for classical music. Check back for the latest from your favorite on-air hosts and the WETA Classical team.

Stay up to date on the latest below, or browse by topic here!

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James Jacobs looks back on the legacy of Rostropovich during his tenure with the National Symphony Orchestra.

Linda Carducci speaks with opera scholar, Saul Lilienstein, about Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera (A Masked Ball), based on a historic event – the assassination of King Gustav of Sweden.

Nicole Lacroix shares what she's looking forward to attending at the Kennedy Center this November.

Beach, Brahms, Schubert, and Shakespeare

Thu, 11/16/2023 - 10:23 am

Tonight's ShakespeareFest explores Shakespeare's words manifested through art song, featuring music of Beach, Brahms, and a Liszt transcription of a Schubert song.
ShakespeareFest: Verdi, Macbeth, and Shakespeare

Tue, 11/14/2023 - 4:18 pm

Get ready for a night of Verdi's Macbeth on ShakespeareFest. James Jacobs explores how Verdi brings this Shakespeare favorite to life with "sounds effectively diabolical, with some moments of unexpected tenderness."
Making Shakespeare

Tue, 11/14/2023 - 10:07 am

We have been exploring the lasting impact of Shakespeare in the world of classical music. Discover the importance of Shakespeare's First Folio on Great Performances "Making Shakespeare: The First Folio" on WETA PBS.
ShakespeareFest: Dvořák and Shakespeare

Tue, 11/14/2023 - 9:50 am

Tonight on ShakespeareFest, James Jacobs guides us through Dvořák's Othello Overture. Learn more about the third installment of Dvořák's trilogy of overtures, representing "cosmic drama" that is real life love.
The Promised End: IN Series' Juxtaposition of King Lear and Verdi's Requiem

Mon, 11/13/2023 - 6:49 pm

James Jacobs speaks with Timothy Nelson, Artistic Director of IN Series, about the upcoming production of The Promised End, masterfully weaving together Verdi's Requiem with King Lear.
Ken-David Masur Conducts the NSO and Vengerov Presents a Recital

Mon, 11/13/2023 - 11:48 am

Ken-David Masur conducts the NSO in a program of Mozart and Mendelssohn. On Fortas Chamber Music Concerts, Maxim Vengerov presents a recital of Clara and Robert Schumann, Brahms, and Prokofiev.
An Interview with Sir Bryn Terfel

Mon, 11/13/2023 - 10:06 am

Ahead of his recital at the Kennedy Center presented by Fortas Chamber Music Concerts and Renée Fleming VOICES series, Sir Bryn Terfel speaks with Nicole Lacroix about his career, Welsh music and more.
ShakespeareFest: Vaughan Williams and Shakespeare

Mon, 11/13/2023 - 9:43 am

Tonight we explore Vaughan Williams' beautiful Serenade to Music, a musical setting to texts from The Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare's most beautiful and perceptive speeches about the power of music.
Romeo and Juliet, a Mass of Thanksgiving, and more on WETA Classical this week

Sun, 11/12/2023 - 10:16 pm

Classical Breakdown dives deep into Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliete fantasy overture, Choral Showcase looks ahead to Thanksgiving with a thanksgiving mass from the 17th century, and more on our special programs this week.
ShakespeareFest: Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet

Fri, 11/10/2023 - 10:10 am

Tonight's ShakespeareFest feature with James Jacobs delves into Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet, the outcome of "government meddling" which "broke his spirit" but left us with a powerful masterpiece.
Exploring Music and Architecture with PostClassical Ensemble

Fri, 11/10/2023 - 9:01 am

Artistic Director of the PostClassical Ensemble, Ángel Gil-Ordóñez, and Pulitzer Prize-winning Senior Art and Architecture Critic of The Washington Post, Philip Kennicott, discuss PCE's upcoming program exploring music and architecture.
ShakespeareFest: Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet

Thu, 11/9/2023 - 9:39 am

Tonight on our ShakespeareFest feature, James Jacobs explores Tchaikovsky's telling of Romeo and Juliet through his fantasy-overture. Find out more about his journey with one of his most beloved works!