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Bach's Goldberg Variations function not only as a brilliant investigation of a sublime theme, but also as a masterly compendium of style and a study in how to write idiomatically for the keyboard. Murray Perahia's recording combines energetic rhythms with seasoned musicality.

With its German text and emphasis on consoling the living, Brahms' decidedly non-Latin Requiem was unlike anything that had come before it. Hear conductor Otto Klemperer's soulful rendering of Brahms' personal and rapturous music.

NPR's Melissa Block has been asking musicians about songs that conjure up memories of summer. For legendary New Orleans singer Aaron Neville, that song is "Ting-a-Ling," by the rhythm-and-blues group The Clovers.

Host Liane Hansen talks to Raul Malo, the Grammy-winning performer and former leader of the country-rock band The Mavericks. He performs a few songs from his new album, Lucky One.

Piano Jazz showcases another bright young pianist, Jeremy Siskind. Having recently graduated from the Eastman School of Music, Siskind has already won several impressive competitions and attracted the attention of Piano Jazz's host. His skills have taken him to Japan and around the U.S.

The singer and songwriter's new double album, High Wide and Handsome: The Charlie Poole Project, is a tribute to the old-time country banjo player who died in 1931.

Wye Oak build songs around simple ideas that can seem opaque, but always pack an unexpected kick. Take It In could be about a fight between two people who know each other very well — in addition to being bandmates, Stack and Wasner are a couple — and bash at each other with everything they have in an effort to keep the relationship alive.

Seeger was a leading figure in the 20th century resurgence of American traditional music and a noted field collector of rural Southern music. He recorded hundreds of musicians in their homes and local performing venues.

Hear commentator Rob Kapilow demonstrate how Mozart sets up our expectations but takes us in unpredictable directions in the String Quintet in G minor. His music, like a hologram, flashes back and forth between the simple and the complicated.

Known for her honest and effortless live show, singer-songwriter Christina Courtin is as passionate about her music as she is about the honesty found within it. In a session from WXPN, she performs songs from her self-titled debut album.