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
Benjamin Britten Benjamin Britten artist page: interviews, features and/or performances archived at NPR Music
Benjamin Britten
Raveena performs during a Tiny Desk concert, on Oct. 8, 2019. Catie Dull/NPR hide caption
Don Giovanni (Gerald Finley, left) is pulled down to hell by the ghost of the Commendatore (Alastair Mills) in a Glyndebourne production of Mozart's Don Giovanni. Robbie Jack/Corbis via Getty Images hide caption
Madama Butterfly is one of many unhappy moms in opera. Patrick Riviere/Getty Images hide caption
Every inch of the immense Carnegie Hall was filled with musicians as music director Robert Spano leads his Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in Benjamin Britten's stunning War Requiem. Melanie Burford/For NPR hide caption
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra At Carnegie Hall
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
A singer takes the stage during the first performance of "Grimes on the Beach," an outdoor production of Benjamin Britten's opera Peter Grimes, on June 17, 2013 in Aldeburgh, England. Bethany Clarke/Getty Images hide caption
Benjamin Britten takes a cup of tea during rehearsals for his War Requiem at Coventry Cathedral, in Coventry, England in May, 1962. Erich Auerbach/Getty Images hide caption
Consumed By Violence, With Hope For Peace: Britten's 'War Requiem'
Tenor Nicholas Phan and harpist Sivan Magen perform at a group house in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. Mito Habe-Evans/NPR hide caption
A portrait of the composer Benjamin Britten from 1948. Denis De Marney/Getty Images hide caption
Benjamin Britten's War Requiem, written in response to the devastation of both World Wars, premiered in 1962. Getty Images hide caption
Benjamin Britten's 'War Requiem'
Audio for First Listens is no longer available after the album is released.
The cast of Moonrise Kingdom. courtesy of Focus Features hide caption
Coventry Cathedral in ruins, November 1940. Britten's War Requiem was written for the church's reconsecration more than 20 years after it was destroyed by Nazi bombers. Central Press/Getty Images hide caption
A portrait of Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau taken circa 1965. Erich Auerbach/Getty Images hide caption
György Ligeti's surreal opera Le Grand Macabre was the hit of the New York Philharmonic's 2009-2010 season, in a semi-staged production that featured Barbara Hannigan (left) as Gepopo and Anthony Roth Costanzo as Prince Go-Go. Chris Lee/New York Philharmonic hide caption
American tenor Nicholas Phan. Balance Photography/courtesy of the artist hide caption
Countertenor Bejun Mehta. Marco Borggreve hide caption
Hear Bejun Mehta Sing Ralph Vaughan Williams' 'Silent Noon'
Composer Nico Muhly: "I'm positive I understand how augmented chords change an emotional texture because of Nintendo music." Samantha West/courtesy of the artist hide caption
Coventry Cathedral in ruins, November 1940. Britten's War Requiem was written for the church's reconsecration more than 20 years after it was destroyed by German bombers. Central Press/Getty Images hide caption
Conductor Carlos Kalmar leads the Oregon Symphony in music inspired by war. Leah Nash/Oregon Symphony hide caption
The Oregon Symphony In Concert
Audio is no longer available
Janine Jansen's career took off when she released one of the first classical hits on iTunes. Sara Wilson/Decca hide caption