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Finnish Accordions, Schubert's Blues And A Soviet Concerto: New Classical CDs

Violinist Lisa Batiashvili grew up hearing her father play Shostakovich's music.
Courtesy of Deutsche Grammophon
Violinist Lisa Batiashvili grew up hearing her father play Shostakovich's music.

For classical music fans who can't survive on Bach and Brahms alone, and for curious listeners of all stripes, there's no lack of fascinating new albums to choose from. This happy fact is reflected in a multifarious mix of music that NPR Music's Tom Huizenga spins for Weekend All Things Considered host Guy Raz. Kronos Quartet teams up with a pair of Finnish composers and their tricked-out accordions, while pianist Gabriela Montero plays whatever comes to mind when someone mentions Argentina. And then there's baritone Matthias Goerne, relishing the dark side of Schubert, and young violinist Lisa Batiashvili, who conjures the sounds of Shostakovich from her childhood.

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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.