On this CD of the Week, Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic offer a loving tribute to the legendary composer, capturing the heartbreak, suspense, and soaring power of the music of an American genius.

What do you get when you cross Lin-Manuel Miranda's rap stylings with Pachelbel's Canon in D? A very charming kids' song, that's what. Hear it and more in this week's link roundup!

Join us on another link roundup adventure, this time through Renaissance cutlery, Maurice Sendak's opera sets, and a swim in a Norwegian lake. Let's go!

The sun is shining, everything is green, and it's not too hot or humid yet -- there is so much to love about June in Boston. Spend the beginning of summer listening to our favorite music of the moment!

Also in this link roundup: Bradley Cooper, Albert Einstein, and a really huge viola. You ready?

This month in Tulsa, Okla., opera singer Lucia Lucas made her U.S. debut. She also made history.

At the Tulsa Opera, Lucas sang the title role in Mozart's Don Giovanni. Mozart's character is a ruthless, macho womanizer. Lucas is a transgender woman with a rich baritone voice and is the first known trans woman to sing a principal role on an American opera stage. In a conversation with NPR's Ari Shapiro, Lucas said she doesn't want her performances to be entirely defined by this historical marker.

Olivier Latry, one of the chief organists at Notre Dame Cathedral, was the last artist to record on the famous instrument before the catastrophic fire on April 15 that damaged the church and caused its spire to collapse. This pipe organ is the largest in France and dates back centuries. Though it was spared from the flames, it will still require extensive renovation.

Caroline Shaw's new album, Orange, is a love letter to the string quartet. The North Carolina native burst onto the music scene in 2013, when she was the youngest composer to win a Pulitzer Prize. She's still in her 30s and now, for the first time, there's a recording devoted entirely to her work.

Taeguk Mun's debut album, recently recorded in WCRB’s Fraser Performance Studio, is an homage to legendary cellist Pablo Casals.