NPR Classical

By Tom Huizenga

Published June 20, 2019 at 12:01 PM CDT

Disco Beethoven says these joyful tracks will lighten your heavy load.

Updated January 22, 2026 at 7:44 AM CST

Updated Jan. 22, 2026: At a time when it seems like joy is in short supply try these ebullient tracks, packed with pure, unstoppable joy, by a broad range of composers from Bach and Beethoven to David Lang, Steve Reich Meredith Monk, Telemann, Thomson, Glass and many more.

Need a deep discovery experience? Try 1,000 years of music in this playlist from NPR Classical's Tom Huizenga, which explores everything from new releases to old favorites, and classics from the dawn of the recording era. Our mantra: Bach, Beethoven, before and beyond.

Stream: Spotify

Tom Huizenga

Tom Huizenga is a producer for NPR Music. He contributes a wide range of stories about classical music to NPR's news programs and is the classical music reviewer for All Things Considered. He appears regularly on NPR Music podcasts and founded NPR's classical music blog Deceptive Cadence in 2010.

See stories by Tom Huizenga