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Massenet's Werther is thrilling, tuneful, and one of the saddest operas ever composed — it ends with a suicide on Christmas Eve. Tenor Neil Shicoff stars in the title role, in a recent production at the Vienna State Opera.

Born in the Soviet Union only 20 years ago, jazz pianist Eldar Djangirov has captivated audiences worldwide with his remarkable talent. Re-Imagination focuses on his compositions and musicianship while incorporating his re-interpretation of two jazz standards.

After establishing himself as an innovative jazz instrumentalist, Louis Armstrong was given a chance to sing — and turned the jazz world upside down. His singing voice would become one of the world's most recognized and enjoyed in jazz and popular music.

Pianist and vocalist Norah Jones' latest album, Not Too Late, strips her music to the core. She forgoes jazz and pop standards for original compositions and a much subtler approach. Hear Jones give an interview and in-studio performance.

Spoon's songs are rarely about any one ingredient, words included. "My Little Japanese Cigarette Case" serves as a prime example of how the band fits many disparate pieces together to create a structure that might well collapse if any one of them were removed.

Dirty Projectors' songs mix controlled cacophony and catchy melody. Those extremes dominate the band's new Rise Above, on which it attempts to reconstruct and remake Black Flag's 1981 album Damaged.

Like so many great songs about complex issues, Linda Thompson's cover of Tom Waits' "Day After Tomorrow" views the ethics and impact of war on the smallest possible scale, functioning entirely from the perspective of a disillusioned soldier preparing to return home.

Stars' albums toggle back and forth between fizzy pop and dark snapshots of relationships in distress. On "Personal," singers Amy Millan and Torquil Campbell demonstrate that they've mastered the art of he-said/she-said ballads that expose raw nerves and rawer emotions.

New York's Looker embraces the DIY approach on "Radio," and it seems at first that the band's enthusiasm outpaces its abilities. But the song works anyway, thanks to Looker's melodic sense and its original take on hoary topics.

After Charlie Parker returned to New York in 1947, he would finally find fame. Ever the innovator, he sought to expand upon his bebop breakthrough for the rest of his musical career.