Gioachino Rossini : NPR

Songs We Love: Bryan Hymel, 'Asile héréditaire'

Tenor Bryan Hymel sings shining high Cs in the Rossini aria "Asile héréditaire." Dario Acosta/Warner Classics hide caption

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Dario Acosta/Warner Classics

Review

Deceptive Cadence

Songs We Love: Bryan Hymel, 'Asile héréditaire'

February 25, 2015 • A young tenor from New Orleans elegantly launches high Cs in a stirring but punishingly difficult Rossini aria. This is why we listen to opera!

01Asile héréditaire

9:04

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Song
Asile héréditaire
Album
Heroique
Artist
Bryan Hymel
Label
Warner Classics
Released
2015

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Drum Fill Friday: Classical Headbanging Edition

John Bonham of Led Zeppelin at the Los Angeles-area Inglewood Forum in 1973. Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage hide caption

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Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage

All Songs Considered

Drum Fill Friday: Classical Headbanging Edition

August 8, 2014 • In classical music, percussionists go wild with drums of all shapes and sizes. Can you guess which pieces spotlight the timpani, snare and bass drums?

Composers In The Kitchen: Gioachino Rossini's Haute Cuisine

Rossini once said, "I know of no more admirable occupation than eating." courtesy of Ira Braus hide caption

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courtesy of Ira Braus

Deceptive Cadence

Composers In The Kitchen: Gioachino Rossini's Haute Cuisine

November 25, 2010 • Though Rossini mainly composed comic operas, he didn't fool around when it came to food. He considered eating one of life's most admirable occupations.

Chopin At 200

Rossini, Riley And Remixes: New Classical CDs

November 22, 2009 • From sensuous-sounding Chopin to a radical remix of Terry Riley's IN C, NPR Music's Tom Huizenga and All Things Considered host Guy Raz spin a wide assortment of new classical CDs.

Rossini, Riley And Remixes: New Classical CDs

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Courtly Confusion: Rossini's 'Voyage To Rheims'

July 3, 2009 • The opera has a scatterbrained story, full of decidedly goofy characters. Yet Rossini's gift for musical profiling, plus a raft of bravura arias and ensembles, make this La Scala production a comic gem.

La Scala on World of Opera -- 'The Voyage to Rheims'

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Rossini's Subtle Sequel: 'The Turk In Italy'

May 15, 2009 • Superficially, Rossini's opera may seem like a blatant rehash of his famous comedy, The Italian Girl in Algiers. A closer look reveals a deceptive drama, with a shadow of sadness darkening its comic facade.

Rossini's "The Turk in Italy"

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Music

A Captive in Control: 'L'italiana in Algeri'

January 23, 2009 • The plot is more than a little silly — not to mention politically incorrect in the extreme — but wackiness was never done better, or more beautifully, than Rossini did it in The Italian Girl in Algiers, heard in a Washington National Opera production filled with world-class, Rossini singers.

Music

A Sly Cinderella: 'La Cenerentola'

December 26, 2008 • La Cenerentola is Rossini's uproarious yet touching version of the familiar Cinderella story — minus the magic pumpkin and the glass slipper, but with an added dose of human foibles. Vivica Genaux stars in a production from the Grand Theatre of Geneva.

Grand Theatre of Geneva on World of Opera -- 'La Cenerentola'

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Music

Beyond the Lone Ranger: Rossini's 'William Tell'

April 4, 2008 • Rossini's 'William Tell Overture' is more famous as the Lone Ranger's theme music than in the opera house. But the opera itself more than lives up to its inspiring curtain raiser.

An Audio Introduction to 'William Tell'

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Rossini's 'La Cenerentola'

November 16, 2007 • In La Cenerentola, Rossini's take on the classic story of Cinderella, the title character overcomes her dysfunctional family with an admirable combination of courage and tolerance. Joyce DiDonato stars in the tile role in a production from Houston Grand Opera.

Houston Grand Opera on World of Opera -- 'La Cenerentola'

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New Music

Rossini's 'Largo al factotum'

August 3, 2007 • Rossini's "Largo al factotum " — sometimes called "The Figaro Aria" — is the boastfully buoyant number sung by Figaro to explain exactly why he's the most famous barber in Seville.

Glimmerglass Opera on World of Opera -- 'The Barber of Seville'

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Music

Maria Callas, The Legend Who Lived for Her Art

September 16, 2007 • Opera superstar Maria Callas died 30 years ago Sunday, at age 53. But you'd hardly know she was gone, judging from the steady stream of releases from her record company. It's a testament to the continuing appeal of a great artist.

Maria Callas, The Legend Who Lived for Her Art

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Music

Rossini's 'The Barber of Seville'

August 15, 2008 • The Barber of Seville may be the perfect, operatic comedy. On World of Opera it comes to us from the jewel-like theater at Glimmerglass Opera, a perfect venue for the crystalline musical textures and intimate vocal detail of Rossini's masterpiece.

Music

Young Tuba Player Gets Nod from Phila. Orchestra

September 15, 2006 • Carol Jantsch, 21, soon will be the Philadelphia Orchestra's youngest member, and the first woman to be a principal tuba player in a top U.S. orchestra.

Young Tuba Player Gets Nod from Phila. Orchestra

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Music News

At New World, Young Musicians Expand Skills

January 23, 2005 • Miami's New World Symphony offers a unique educational environment for talented young musicians. The artists have all their expenses paid while they play a concert season, build their repertoires and study with veteran conductors. But the symphony fellowships don't just stop at musical training. NPR's Ari Shapiro reports.

At New World, Young Musicians Expand Skills

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Music

Thanksgiving à la Rossini

November 25, 2004 • Gioacchino Rossini, the great opera composer, was also a great gourmand. In fact, the man behind The Barber of Seville retired from composition when he was just 37 and spent the rest of his life — about 40 more years --enjoying food. On this Thanksgiving, NPR's Fred Child celebrates with a tribute to Rossini.

Music Interviews

Julia Child on NPR's 'Performance Today'

August 18, 2004 • In 1988, on the birthday of renowned Italian opera composer Giachino Rossini, chef Julia Child appeared on NPR's Performance Today, instructing the audience on how to prepare a tenderloin steak dish named for the composer, Tournedos Rossini.

Julia Child on NPR's 'Performance Today'

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Classics in Concert

Dudamel Conducts The L.A. Philharmonic

Classical KUSC

October 7, 2010 • Gustavo Dudamel has been dubbed everything from the "savior of classical music" to "a conducting animal." Hear the young conductor lead the L.A. Philharmonic, and tenor Juan Diego Florez, live in concert.

Dudamel Conducts The L.A. Philharmonic

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Talk Like An Opera Geek: Savoring The Bel Canto Sound

Maria Callas, a masterful bel canto singer, performs in the title role of Bellini's Norma in Paris, May 23, 1964. AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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AFP/Getty Images