The Story of Classical: Part VI

The Story of Classical is your essential nine-part companion guide to classical music. In each of our commentaries, we unlock the mystery and beauty of every musical period—from the Middle Ages to the present day—by chronicling an encounter between vital figures in music history. If the first half of the 20th century saw music fragment into countless new directions, the second half saw composers question music itself. At the forefront of this febrile period were composers John Cage and Pierre Boulez who experimented with conceptual forms and thrust music into unimagined tonal spaces. By way of Messiaen, Stockhausen, Riley, Reich, and Glass, we take you to the threshold of the new millennium. Enjoy the commentary in full on the first track, and on subsequent tracks explore all of its featured music.