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Víkingur Ólafsson, 'Variation No. 1 (Goldberg Variations)'

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The young Icelandic pianist, once equated with Glenn Gould, exceeds the comparison in music by Bach that is played with transparent, lyrical joy. (Image credit: Courtesy of the artist)

New in Colorado skiing: Four resort improvements we can’t wait to try this winter

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The culmination of Steamboat Resort’s ambitious three-year redevelopment project tops the list of most exciting resort improvements in Colorado this winter with a new base-to-summit gondola that will dramatically increase uphill capacity and a 655-acre terrain expansion. There’s also a new lift at Keystone to serve above-timberline bowl skiing that previously was hike-to terrain, and a fancy new mid-mountain restaurant at Copper Mountain, but Steamboat’s $220-million transformation stands apart as the most significant upgrade in the resort’s 61-year history. Since 2021, Steamboat — which was pounded by snow last year — replaced an old gondola that ran from the base to mid-mountain at Thunderhead and demolished the old gondola building to make room for base area improvements that include an ice rink and a food hall. Last year, the first leg of a second gondola, the Wild Blue Gondola, opened from the base area to a new on-mountain learning center called Greenhorn Ranch. This y...

American cellist hunts for Gaspar Cassadó's nearly lost treasures

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American cellist Katie Tertell is seeking to recover from Japan forgotten manuscripts by Spanish composer Gaspar Cassadó. (Image credit: Brian Christopher/Appalachian Chamber Music Festival)

Everything you need to know to hike the Maroon Bells Four Pass Loop

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One of the best moments on any hike is when you turn the corner or take that last step before the view takes your breath away. On this loop, you’ll experience that moment over and over and over again. “There’s not a single bad view on this loop,” my dad, David Fries, said multiple times as we backpacked the Maroon Bells Four Pass Loop. You’ll see wildlife and pass waterfalls, alpine lakes and rivers while hiking over four summits above 12,000 feet that overlook colorful valleys with blooming wildflowers and those iconic red mountain peaks. If you’re a backpacker, this one must go on your bucket list. A map of the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness overnight permit zones. (US Forest Service) This guide will help you plan and complete an epic Colorado backpacking trip. PLANNING YOUR TRIP Permits To camp overnight in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness, permits are required year-round through recreation.gov . The best time to visit is between July and September. Yo...

North Carolina radio station plans to reject broadcasts of 'inappropriate' Met operas

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WCPE says that six contemporary operas being presented this season by the Metropolitan Opera — including ones dealing with violence, race and LGBTQ issues — are "unsuitable" for broadcast. (Image credit: Karen Almond/Courtesy of the Metropolitan Opera)

Former Aspen Times editor sues newspaper over his firing in wake of billionaire’s defamation case

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The former top editor at The Aspen Times this week sued the newspaper and its parent companies, alleging he was wrongfully terminated after he published previously spiked stories soon after taking the job. Andrew Travers, in a complaint filed Tuesday in Pitkin County District Court, alleges West Virginia-based Ogden Newspapers lied when leadership promised him editorial freedom to publish news and opinion stories on a controversial property at the base of Aspen Mountain and the billionaire real estate tycoon who purchased it. “This is about accountability,” Travers said in an interview Wednesday. “Going to court and affirming my legal rights is a way to deter them from doing this to other journalists in other communities.” The lawsuit names The Aspen Times, Ogden and Swift Communications, a Nevada publisher bought by Ogden in 2021. An Ogden representative did not respond Wednesday to requests for comment. Travers took the editor-in-chief job in June 2022 amid a tumultuous ...

Democrat hoping for rematch against Lauren Boebert touts $3.4 million in donations — biggest quarterly haul yet

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Adam Frisch, a Democratic challenger to U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, once again topped himself in fundraising as he seeks a rematch to represent Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District, bringing in nearly $3.4 million in the third quarter. The latest campaign reporting period covers July 1 through Sept. 30. Frisch’s Thursday fundraising announcement comes after the former Aspen city councilman raised $1.7 million in the first quarter of 2023 and another $2.6 million in the second quarter . Frisch, who barely lost to Boebert in November and faces four competitors for the Democratic nomination in 2024, now has more than $4.3 million on hand. Boebert, the hard-right GOP representative for the 3rd District since January 2021, has not yet filed her fundraising numbers for the third quarter. She and other candidates have until Oct. 15 to do so. According to Federal Election Commission data, Boebert had $1.4 million in the bank at the end of June. She trailed Frisch in fundraising ...

Colorado’s most expensive listed home on the market for $105 million in Aspen

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Prospective homebuyers in the market for riverfront property in one of Colorado’s most sought-after ski resort towns are in luck — if they’re willing to shell out $105 million for the state’s most expensive listed home. The 8.4-acre lot at 41 Popcorn Lane and 100 and 102 Difficult Lane in Aspen consists of a main house, guest house and caretaker’s house, built in 2013 along the Roaring Fork River. With property taxes set at more than $76,600 annually, the main house is priced at $72 million, while the other two are bundled at $33 million. The property sits on “the highest” end of the price range for Aspen real estate, said Mandy Welgos, broker associate at real estate agency Aspen Snowmass Sotheby’s International Realty. The Aspen property consists of a main house, guest house and caretaker’s house along the Roaring Fork River. (Photo courtesy of Evan Gaynor and Petr Wiese/Mountain Home Photo) The property was first listed at the end of August, and Welgos’ agency has en...

In Angélica Negrón's music, childlike wonder meets the pull of Puerto Rico

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The Brooklyn-based composer talks about the musical powers of her island homeland, writing music for America's top orchestras and making music with plants. (Image credit: Catalina Kulczar/Courtesy of the artist)

From opera to breakdancing and back again: Jakub Józef Orlinski fuses two worlds

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Polish countertenor and breakdancer Jakub Józef Orlinski talks about his new album with Il Pomo d'Oro orchestra. (Image credit: Monika Rittershaus/Bavarian State Opera)

How Corinne Bailey Rae and Theaster Gates are preserving Black culture

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On her album, Black Rainbows , Bailey Rae was inspired by the art, books and magazines at the Stony Island Arts Bank, a repository for Black history on Chicago's South Side, created by Gates. (Image credit: NPR)

Even Beethoven got bad reviews. John Malkovich reads them aloud as 'The Music Critic'

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A new live stage show features actor John Malkovich transformed into some of the meanest music critics ever — in real reviews skewering the work of great composers like Beethoven, Brahms and Chopin. (Image credit: Julia Wesely/Aleksey Igudesman)

Hauschka's prepared piano is a layered canvas of sounds in new album

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On Philanthropy , the artist's 14th studio album, Volker Bertelmann, also known as Hauschka, returns to his signature prepared piano sound in music he hopes will strengthen connections between people. (Image credit: Nina Ditscheid/Pitch Perfect PR)

Bear attacks St. Regis Aspen Resort security guard in hotel kitchen

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A bear attacked a security guard Monday night in the kitchen of the St. Regis Aspen Resort. The guard was treated for scratches on his back and later released from the hospital, but Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers were unable to safely capture the bear, according to a Tuesday news release . About 11 p.m., the security guard had been investigating reports of a bear in the hotel when he suddenly came upon the bear in the kitchen. He was rounding the corner to another part of the kitchen and surprised the bear, and the bear attacked the guard, swiping at him and knocking him to the ground, the news release stated. CPW officers arrived just after midnight to investigate and search for the bear. They learned the bear entered the hotel through a series of doors near the courtyard. Officers searched the area Tuesday morning and found the bear near the hotel but were unable to tranquilize and capture it due to public safety, the news release stated. Officers were set to re...

Independence Pass closed for season following significant early snowfall

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Independence Pass, the two-lane mountain highway connecting Aspen and Twin Lakes, closed for the winter on Monday. Related Articles Transportation | Colorado’s most expensive listed home on the market for $105 million in Aspen The earlier-than-usual seasonal closure of Colo. 82 was caused by continuing winter weather and significant early snowfall, the Colorado Department of Transportation said in a news release. The pass typically closes around Nov. 7. Independence Pass reaches 12,095 feet in elevation and features steep switchbacks that are unsafe to plow during the winter and at high risk for avalanches, according to CDOT. The highway is closed with gates near Aspen and Twin Lakes. Drivers can reach Aspen from Denver by taking Interstate 70 to Glenwood Springs and Colo. 82 south to Aspen. The pass usually reopens on the Thursday before Memorial Day, according to CDOT. Get more Colorado news by signing up for our Mile High Roundup...

Conrad Tao and Caleb Teicher: Tiny Desk Concert

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In our very first tap dancing Tiny Desk, the artists created an experience so unexpectedly fresh and suffused with joy, it moved some to tears and others to cheer for more. (Image credit: Catie Dull/NPR)

Malcolm X arrives — finally — at New York's Metropolitan Opera

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An opera about civil rights leader Malcolm X opens Friday — nearly 40 years after X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X premiered. The creative team says its message feels more relevant than ever. (Image credit: Zenith Richards/Courtesy of the Metropolitan Opera)

The world's largest musical instrument is in the mountains of Virginia

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Luray caverns in Virginia have been a natural landmark for 50 years. They also hold the world's largest musical instrument, a Stalacpipe organ.

Emerson String Quartet: Tiny Desk Concert

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In one of its very final performances ever, the durable and beloved string quartet says farewell with music by Beethoven, Walker and Ravel. (Image credit: NPR)

Should skiers be allowed to pay for early access to Colorado chairlifts?

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Winter Park this year became the latest Colorado ski resort to offer early lift access for skiers and riders who are willing to pay for upgrades to their lift tickets. It’s a privilege that some love and others criticize as elitist. “Early ups” allow visitors to board lifts 30 minutes or more before they open to the general public, usually for $50 to $70, in order to get a crack at undisturbed snow. Other areas that offer early ups include Copper Mountain, Steamboat, Aspen Mountain and Snowmass. Beaver Creek and Keystone offer early ups on select days. Based on reactions to the announcement on Winter Park’s Instagram page, many Winter Park skiers and riders welcome the early-ups offer, as indicated by almost 1,000 likes. But many of the 108 comments on the Instagram post have been highly critical. Here is a sampling of those reactions: “I will be throwing snowballs (at) every single person I see getting on the lift with an early ups pass.” “Any caviar available at the Supe...

The Philadelphia Orchestra returns to China for anniversary of historic 1973 trip

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NPR's Juana Summers speaks with violinist Davyd Booth, who was part of the Philadelphia Orchestra's historic 1973 tour of China.

A disciplined plea for peace – and quiet – from composer Arvo Pärt

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A new album of music by the 88-year-old Estonian mystic seems to put an arm around you and whisper, "In troubled times, music can help." (Image credit: Luciano Rossetti/ECM Records)

This Aspen park is the most peaceful place in Colorado | Opinion

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Editor’s note: This is part of The Know’s new series,  Staff Favorites . Each week, we will offer our opinions on the best that Colorado has to offer for dining, shopping, entertainment, outdoor activities and more. (We’ll also let you in on some hidden gems). If you grew up in Colorado — and are of a certain age — then it’s almost a given that you listened to a lot of John Denver while riding in the back of your parents’ station wagon on road trips. His music was certainly the soundtrack to my family’s treks along Colorado’s country roads, from hits like “Rocky Mountain High,” “Sunshine on My Shoulders” and “Annie’s Song” to deeper cuts, like “Calypso,” “Fly Away” and “Grandma’s Feather Bed.” Associated PressFolk singer John Denver is shown in a undated file photo. One of those destinations every year was Aspen, John Denver’s home. My dad was a professor who attended a two-week conference there each summer – and brought us along to hike and take trail rides, go river ...

Aspen hotel taps Death & Co. creators for new restaurant and rooftop bar

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Venerable cocktail bar Death & Co. , which started in New York City before expanding to Los Angeles, Denver and Washington, D.C., has earned a reputation for its artfully crafted drinks that honor the history of bartending while infusing originality into recipes. And soon, local fans of the brand will be able to try a new concept from its ownership group, Gin & Luck — if they’re willing to drive to a scenic Colorado mountain town. The MOLLIE Aspen , a new boutique hotel slated to open in mid-December, tapped Gin & Luck to be the food and beverage operator for its onsite restaurant and bar, a lobby cafe, and rooftop terrace that features a plunge pool. The food and drink offerings will not be carbon copies of Death & Co., but Gin & Luck CEO David Kaplan said they will maintain the same spirit people have come to expect from the company. Death & Co. has routinely earned accolades as one of the best and most influential bars in the country. The Denver location inside the...

The curious mind — and hard work — of bassist Christian McBride

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The Grammy-winning bassist, bandleader and broadcaster talks about his love for music, family ties in the jazz world, and the thrill of sitting in with Wynton Marsalis as a teenager. (Image credit: Nickolai Hammar/NPR)




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