Matt Haimovitz & Christopher O'Riley

Tiny Desk Concerts - Video

Whether it's warranted or not, classical music wonks are perennially worried about the next generation of fans.It seems there's less need to fret when you hear cellist Matt Haimovitz and pianistChristopher O'Riley. Some 15 years ago, they were already chipping away at the barriers — both real and perceived — between classical and pop.Haimovitz played Bach in barrooms across America, and O'Riley (who hosts From The Top, NPR's classical radio show for young musicians) began including his own sophisticated transcriptions of songs by Radiohead and Elliott Smith in his recitals. On their double album Shuffle.Play.Listen., music by Stravinsky and Astor Piazzollamingles with Cocteau Twins and Arcade Fire.Comfortably ensconced behind Bob Boilen's desk, the duo plays a typically diverse set. The central work, "The Orchard," is a collaboration between Philip Glass and West African composer Foday Musa Suso. It unfolds like a lullaby, as the piano's rocking bass line provides a mesmerizing foundation for the cello's wistful song high above. Surrounding it are lyricism and outbursts by Beethoven, from his Cello Sonata No. 4 (sounding distinctly 20th century), and a cinematic movement from Leoš Janá?ek'sPohádka, where heart-melting melodies clash with nervous energy.