A rock critic's guide to classical: an NPR critic's tour of classic rock wormholes.

Roll Over Beethoven

A discussion of how Chris Thile's performance of Bach Violin Partitas for Violin on his mandolin hews to the baroque ideal. Tim Riley

CHRIS THILE, PAUL ELIE and BACH VIOLIN SUITES on MANDOLIN

TIM RILEY BIOGRAPHY

NPR Critic and Emerson College Journalism professor Tim Riley has written five critically-acclaimed books on rock history, including Lennon: the Man, the Myth, and the Music (Hyperion, 2011). Kirkus Reviews chose it one of their best biographies from that year, The New York Times praised it as "potently descriptive... a critical tour-de-force," and Rolling Stone called it "…the most reliable, least star-struck volume on Lennon to date...”

For over twenty-five years, Riley has reviewed pop and classical music for NPR's Here And Now, while contributing to shows like On Point, All Things Considered and Morning Edition, as well as Radio Silence, The Huffington Post, The Washington Post, Slate.com and Salon.com.

He was trained as a classical pianist at Oberlin and Eastman. In 2008, Brown University hosted Riley as its Critic-In Residence, and his first book, Tell Me Why: A Beatles Commentary (Knopf/Vintage 1988), often gets assigned in pop culture and rock history courses. Since 1990, Riley has given lively multi-media lectures at colleges and cultural centers like the Chautauqua Festival on "Censorship in the Arts." His current projects include the Riley Rock Index.com, music's meta-portal, and the Emerson journalism department's social media initiative.

For more info and hi-rez media, visit: http://timrileyauthor.com


Roll Over Beethoven

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