Bach, Ballet And 1-Bit Symphonies: New Classical CDs

NPR | By Tom Huizenga

Published August 14, 2010 at 12:00 PM EDT

Tristan Perich's "1-Bit Symphony" features hand-assembled circuitry housed in a clear plastic CD case.

Amid the dog days of summer, the mind tends to shift suddenly -- like the weather, which can pivot from blistering sun to flash-flood-inducing rainstorms in a matter of minutes. It's reflected in this fractious mix of new releases that NPR Music's Tom Huizenga spins for Weekend All Things Considered host Guy Raz. Dramatic soprano Christine Brewer delivers plenty of thunderbolts on her new CD of Strauss scenes, while accordionist Richard Galliano turnsBach's music into a soundtrack for a sultry Sunday afternoon. Sample the latest in classical music below.

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Tom Huizenga

Tom Huizenga is a producer for NPR Music. He contributes a wide range of stories about classical music to NPR's news programs and is the classical music reviewer for All Things Considered. He appears regularly on NPR Music podcasts and founded NPR's classical music blog Deceptive Cadence in 2010.