archive
Movies
Like Gilbert And Sullivan? You'll Love These DVDs
June 20, 2011 You don't have to be an aficionado to enjoy Criterion's reissues of Topsy-Turvy and The Mikado. Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz says these operettas on DVD are indispensable for people who love G&S, and might just change the minds of those who don't.
Movies
A Night At The Opera (On The Silver Screen)
June 15, 2011 Senso, a 1954 Italian political melodrama, and Two Sisters From Boston, a 1946 Hollywood comedy, couldn't be more different — except they're both set at the opera. Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz says he loves them both.
Fine Art
Two Titian Masterpieces Traveling Through U.S.
February 3, 2011 Two Titian masterpieces — Diana and Actaeon and Diana and Callisto — are in the United States for the first time. Fresh Air's Lloyd Schwartz says art lovers will want to see them in person — particularly because there's a chance they may be permanently separated.
Music Reviews
Celebrating James Levine's 40 Years At The Met
February 1, 2011 In honor of Levine's 40th anniversary conducting the Metropolitan Opera, the Met has released two box sets of his live performances. Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz says the new releases prove what a vital figure Levine has been.
Movies
Music And Animation Combine In Disney's 'Fantasia'
December 23, 2010 Walt Disney's Fantasia, the first feature-length film to offer visual images of classical music, has just been re-released in a new box set. Music critic Lloyd Schwartz says the film is a delightful introduction to classical music — but doesn't always convey it convincingly on screen.
Music Reviews
In Berlin, A Musical Tribute To Composer Pierre Boulez
December 13, 2010 Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz recently attended the 2010 Musikfest Berlin's two-week-long tribute to 85-year-old French conductor and composer Pierre Boulez. Schwartz says the musical tribute was "sonically ravishing, with endlessly inventive combinations of sound and texture."
Music News
Remembering 'La Stupenda': Opera Singer Joan Sutherland
October 13, 2010 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."
Music Reviews
Benita Valente: An Exquisitely Pure, Operatic Voice
September 22, 2010 Soprano Benita Valente has retired from singing, though at 75, she's still remarkably active behind the scenes as an educator, organizer and fundraiser. She may not be the world's most famous singer, but a selection of her recordings leads off a new series on Bridge Records called Great Singers of the 20th Century. Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz agrees with the title.
Fine Art
At MoMA, A Look At A Pivotal Moment For Matisse
August 24, 2010 French artist Henri Matisse is probably best known for his decorative and colorful paintings, especially nudes and still lifes. But a show at the Museum of Modern Art, called "Matisse: Radical Invention," deals with a more experimental period in Matisse's life. Critic Lloyd Schwartz says the show allows viewers to see Matisse's growth as an artist.
Movies
A Star Named Marilyn (But Not The One You Think)
July 12, 2010 Marilyn Miller was one of the most adored and charismatic Broadway musical stars of the 1920s and '30s. She also had a brief movie career — before her death in 1936, at the age of 37. Critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews two of her movies, Sally and Sunny, just released on DVD.
Music Reviews
Composer-Conductor Pierre Boulez At 85
May 24, 2010 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.
Movies
Pre-MTV: 'Big Band, Jazz And Swing' Music Videos
March 31, 2010 In addition to newsreels, cartoons and coming attractions, movie studios used to show musical shorts before feature films. Warner Brothers has just released a six-DVD set of these shorts called Big Bands, Jazz and Swing. Classical musical critic Lloyd Schwartz says the new set is worth checking out.
Music Reviews
Hilary Hahn: Violin And Voices Entwined In Bach
March 15, 2010 Bach's cantatas contain some of his greatest music, but their individual sections are seldom performed out of context, least of all by celebrities. Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz says Hilary Hahn's new CD, Bach: Violin & Voice, provides a welcome exception to this rule.
Theater
Composer Robert Schumann And Sting: 'Twin Spirits'
February 17, 2010 2010 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of composer Robert Schumann. One of the most interesting Schumann commemorative items is the DVD Twin Spirits, a British music-theater piece about the intense relationship between Schumann and his wife Clara, performed by Trudie Styler and Sting.
Fine Art
From Bauhaus, A Visionary Mix Of Art And Industry
December 14, 2009 The Bauhaus was one of the most important and exciting social and artistic movements of post-World-War-I Germany. Founded by architect Walter Gropius, the movement lasted 14 years until the Nazis finally forced it to shut down. An astonishing exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art gives a thorough view of the precise but imaginative products of Bauhaus.
