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Commentator Miles Hoffman offers a classical variation on a political theme: insults and endorsements among the great composers. Invectives hurled at their colleagues and competitors were effective means of shaping public opinion. Whether positive, negative or the all-too-common flip-flop, classical-music criticism, just like political commentary, is little more than biased opinion in time.

From the swirling sounds of 18th-century Ottoman court music to hypnotic, modern chants from Kiev, NPR Music's Tom Huizenga and Weekend All Things Considered host Guy Raz spin an extra-wide assortment of new classical music.

From sensuous-sounding Chopin to a radical remix of Terry Riley's IN C, NPR Music's Tom Huizenga and All Things Considered host Guy Raz spin a wide assortment of new classical CDs.

Jazz icon Louis Armstrong didn't just leave behind a treasure trove of musical recordings; he also documented hundreds of his private conversations on tape. Those recordings served as the basis for Terry Teachout's new biography of the legendary musician, Pops: A Life of Louis Armstrong.

As a staff producer at Columbia Records in the 1950s, Macero produced jazz albums by Charles Mingus, Thelonious Monk, and Dave Brubeck. But it was his work with trumpeter Miles Davis, especially in the late '60s, that earned him the most recognition.

There's controversy at this year's Academy Awards, and it has nothing to do with the recent writer's strike. Andy Trudeau returns for his annual breakdown of the Oscar nominations for Best Original Score — and some puzzling rule changes.

With more than 80 different recordings available, just about every pianist of note has interpreted Beethoven's famous piano sonata. Yet pianists continue to return to the piece in order to make it their own.

From Osvaldo Golijov's cross-cultural musical fiesta to the chestnut-colored voice of Rolando Villazon, NPR Music's Tom Huizenga and All Things Considered host Guy Raz spin a few of the most notable classical recordings of the past ten years.

Nearly every classical pianist loves Chopin. But pianists from Poland have a special bond with the music of their countryman. NPR Music's Tom Huizenga and Weekend All Things Considered host Guy Raz spin great Chopin recordings by Polish pianists from 1917 up to today.

What defined Nat King Cole's greatness, and his groundbreaking success, wasn't his piano playing; it was his voice.