Search results for

From the late 1950s up until her last stage appearance in 1990, Australian soprano Dame Joan Sutherland was one of the world's most admired and celebrated opera stars. She died Sunday at age 83. Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz looks back at the life and work of the singer known as "La Stupenda."

Owens is a up-and-coming name in the world of opera. His latest performance in the Metropolitan Opera's production of Das Rheingold has generated excitement and expectations for the versatile performer.

The lauded pianist picks a Schumann favorite -- a massive choral work that, while composed when Schumann was at the height of his powers, remains unjustly forgotten.

He's battled lymphoma and the loss of his wife. Now, composer Peter Lieberson returns with the long-awaited follow-up to Neruda Songs. The new song cycle is also based on the works of Chilean poet Pablo Neruda.

He's been at the forefront of contemporary music and conducting for more than half a century. Marking his 85th birthday this spring, a number of new Boulez CDs and DVDs have been released. Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews three of the latest.

An NPR Music producer recalls how a single singer from a bygone day triggered his love of opera. Once he heard the warmth and power of tenor Enrico Caruso's voice, he had to hear more.

Inspired by Sophocles' Theban Plays, George Enescu was one of the few to narrate the entire life of Oedipus in his Oedipe, an opera that is often hailed as the finest single work ever composed by a Romanian.

Jozef van Wissem would like to open our ears to the gorgeous sonorities of the lute. Simultaneously austere and lush, van Wissem's music draws inspiration from minimalism in an hour-long session from WNYC's Spinning On Air.

One opera singer's illness is another's opportunity. Marlis Petersen jumped in at the last minute to take on a leading role at the Met, in New York, when the star soprano pulled out. The only catch was that she had to learn and rehearse the rarely performed opera in just 48 hours.

Eschenbach, 70, has been called brilliant and erratic, but never bland. As the new conductor of Washington D.C.'s National Symphony Orchestra, he brings with him an eye for talent and a storied past.