Soprano Jessye Norman left a number of recordings in the vault at the time of her death. Now some of them have been released for the first time. Decca Archives hide caption
Richard Wagner Richard Wagner artist page: interviews, features and/or performances archived at NPR Music
Richard Wagner
Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen's voice has been called one-in-a-million. James Hole/Decca Records hide caption
From Norway With Horsepower: Soprano Lise Davidsen Is Conquering Opera
Jeremy Denk's c.1300-c.2000 comes out Feb. 8 on Nonesuch. Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Osmo Vänskä conducts the Minnesota Orchestra in Havana, Cuba in May 2015. Yamil Lage/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
Ludwig Schnorr von Carolsfeld and his wife Malwina were Wagner's original Tristan and Isolde in 1865. Joseph Albert/Wikimedia Commons hide caption
Gods, monsters and Rhinemaidens populate Richard Wagner's 16-hour epic Ring cycle. Marco Secchi/Getty Images hide caption
Sarah Joy Miller as Anna Nicole Smith in Anna Nicole by Mark-Anthony Turnage, the final production from the New York City Opera, which closed its doors for good this fall. Stephanie Berger hide caption
It was a big year for extravagant classical box sets. Denise DeBelius/NPR hide caption
The Valkyries, led by Brunnhilde (soprano Debra Voigt, lower left), are the warrior maidens of Richard Wagner's epic Ring cycle. Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera hide caption
Rudolph Cronau's drawing of Wagner's opera house, Bayreuth, flanked by his birthplace (left) and place of death. Wikimedia Commons hide caption
Tenor Jonas Kaufmann. Petra Stadler/courtesy of the artist hide caption
Turkish-born pianist Fazil Say, who has been indicted for "insulting religious values." courtesy of the artist hide caption
In a production of Verdi's opera Rigoletto at the Sydney Opera House, the title character (baritone Jonathan Summers) reels at the discovery of his dead daughter. Patrick Riviere/Getty Images hide caption
Lorin Maazel conducting Mozart's Symphony No. 40 — with no score — live at Carnegie Hall on March 3, 2012. Melanie Burford for NPR hide caption
Seismic singing from the bottommost voices: Know your basso buffo from your basso profondo. iStock hide caption
Don't let a bounty of baritones leave you bewildered. iStock hide caption
Tenors may be characterized as head-strong and unpredictable, but they can produce pretty sounds. iStock hide caption