Philip Glass Audio

Choreographer Twyla Tharp redeemed the Broadway jukebox musical with "Movin' Out," a narrative ballet set to songs by Billy Joel. Her latest work, "Rabbit and Rogue," which just concluded a series of performances at the American Ballet Theater, features an original score by composer Danny Elfman. She joins us to talk about the use of music in her work, and about her favorite dance scores.

Musician, conceptual artist and writer DJ Spooky (aka Paul D. Miller) looks at composition and digital media in his new book/cd Sound Unbound .

New York City Opera will be closing up shop during the 2008-09 season while its home, Lincoln Center's New York State Theater, undergoes major renovations. But big plans are in the works down the road including an opera based on “Brokeback Mountain.” Washington Post classical music critic Anne Midgette talks about Gérard Mortier, City Opera's new general manager, and the man behind this risky roll of the dice. Our blog : John Schaefer on risk and reward in the opera world.

Martha Plimpton talks about her roles in the new MTC revival of Caryl Churchill’s "Top Girls." It’s at the Biltmore Theatre, at 261 West 47th Street (between Broadway & 8th Ave).

One of the great curiosities of 20th-century music is "Ballet Mécanique," a 25-minute percussion-and-piano extravaganza featuring 16 player pianos, electric bells, airplane propellers, an alarm clock and a siren, by Trenton-born composer George Antheil. The groundbreaking work is now being staged in a performance...by robots. Charles Amirkhanian , the music executor of Antheil's estate, and Eric Singer , the director of the League of Electronic Musical Urban Robots, join us with a preview. "Ballet Mecanique" premieres with an automated orchestra as part of the performance Antheil's Legacy on Jun. 7 at 9:30pm at 3LD Art & Technology Center.

Airlines are taking a closer look at the entertainment options they provide passengers -- from new music systems with iPod connectivity to satellite radio to other on-demand programming. Some features even apply to coach. Guests include Mary Kirby , senior editor of Flight International magazine and proprietor of the Runway Girl blog. Also joining us is Jon Zellner , the Senior Vice President of Music Programming at XM Satellite Radio, which provides in-flight programming for several major air carriers.

Italian pianist and composer Ludovico Einaudi is unknown in the US, but he is huge in Europe. He joins us to talk about being an adept at both orchestral writing and modern electronic technology and being a fan of both pop music and the American minimalist music tradition.

Film composers struggle for recognition inside the classical music world. As the summer blockbuster season gets underway, we’ll hear from one music critic who believes soundtracks aren’t classical, and one who says they are. Tristan Jakob-Hoff , a classical music writer who blogs for London's Guardian newspaper; and John Mauceri , conductor, chancellor of the North Carolina School of the Arts and long-time director of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, debate whether film scores belong in the classical canon. Our blog : John Schaefer on film composers Weigh in : Film scores: Canon? Or "can it!"? Should film scores be considered "classical music?"

A classically trained cellist from Iowa who cut his teeth on New York's downtown '80s art scene, composer Arthur Russell recorded everything from disco to experimental music to haunting electronic ballads. He died in 1992 at age 40. Matt Wolf , director of the new documentary "Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell" and New Yorker pop music critic Sasha Frere-Jones join us to talk about Russell’s influence and work. "Wild Combination" screens on Thursday, May 15 at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. at the Kitchen. That venue also presents musical tributes to Arthur Russell on Friday, May 16 and Saturday, May 17, both at 8 p.m. More information here .

Go see it! Or such is the subtext, sometimes implicit, sometimes explicit, of commentator John Rockwell's review of Philip Glass's 1980 masterpiece, the opera Satyagraha , which has come to the Met in an exciting, puppet-filled production. The opera is based on the early travels in South Africa of Mahatma Ghandi and the formation of his philosophy of non-violent resistance and is in limited engagement here in New York. Read the transcript.