“I grew up in a house with art and artists,” Pollini said in an interview. “Old works and modern works coexisted together as part of life.”

“These period pianos, they all have the ability to play as soft as possible and I think still there’s something there, there is still a core inside.”

“It is a very simple dance… but at the same time it has an exceptional soul and one can express emotions in it in an exceptional way.”

Let’s take a step back in time to hear how classical music influenced some of the 20th century’s hits!

We want to hear your take! Help us create a definitive ranking of the Romantic composer’s greatest music.

The special bond between jazz and classical is growing closer by the day. So let’s appreciate these incredible renditions of timeless classical favorites!

Fast-rising pianist Beatrice Rana is heard in music by Chopin, Tchaikovsky, and Prokofiev.

Pianist Orli Shaham and conductor David Robertson, who are married, take the stage to perform music by Maurice Ravel, Frédéric Chopin, and Olivier Messiaen.

Jiao Sun, a US-based pianist originally from Harbin, China, visited Chicago for a captivating recital.

We all came to love classical music in different ways. Here are some of the musical first loves of our WFMT listeners, in their own words.

Cuban-American pianist Jorge Bolet performed music by Brahms, Schubert, Godowsky, Liszt, Chopin, and Moszkowski at the University of Maryland on August 7, 1979.

Wanderers, farewells, and sightseeing; people are always on the go. This week, Bill calls up, “A Little Traveling Music, Please” from the pens of Handel, Smetana, Duke Ellington, and more. Reflections from such travels infuse themselves into their works, as we will discover throughout the week. We will hear selections from Beethoven’s Les Adieux, Schubert’s Die Schöne Mullerin, and Haydn’s …

The French pianist in music by eminent Romantic composer Frédéric Chopin.

Including an all-women lineup of respected pianists.

Pianist Jiao Sun plays music by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, Franz Liszt, Claude Debussy, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Frédéric Chopin, live from the Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist, Chicago.

Pianist Crystal Zheyu Jiang plays music by Chopin and Prokofiev live from the Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist, Chicago.

With spellbinding aerial footage of Chicago, you’ll hear acclaimed artists playing wonderful, wintry classical music.

WFMT is honored to present a recital by two extraordinarily virtuosic collaborators who happen to share the same last name. The pair plays music by Gabriel Fauré, Frédéric Chopin, and Felix Mendelssohn.

Meet the incredible pets who inspired some of our favorite music!

A rich blend of music for calm, conversation, and of course, caffeine.

The last piano on which Frederic Chopin played and composed is being renovated by a U.S. expert who is giving it back its original mid-19th century characteristics.

Pianist Bruce Xiaoyu Liu of Canada joins a pantheon of winners including Martha Argerich, Krystian Zimerman, and Seong-Jin Cho.

Twelve pianists from around the world have been admitted to the final stage of the 18th edition of the prestigious Frederic Chopin piano competition, reputed for launching world careers for its winners and finalists.

The competition was scheduled for the fall of 2020, but authorities put the popular event off due to social distancing rules.

September is National Piano Month, so WFMT is sharing a supersized playlist – with one selection corresponding to each key on the keyboard.