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Lloyd Schwartz Lloyd Schwartz is the classical music critic for NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross.
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Music Reviews

Stunned Silence, Then A Standing Ovation For 'Let Me Tell You'

Danish composer Hans Abrahamsen explores questions of time, memory, nature and human isolation. His recent collaboration with soprano and conductor Barbara Hannigan has garnered worldwide attention.

Stunned Silence, Then A Standing Ovation For 'Let Me Tell You'

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Fine Art

Met's 'Unfinished' Exhibit Offers A Glimpse Of The Artistic Mind At Work

Fresh Air

The inaugural show at the Metropolitan Museum's Met Breuer branch raises the question of what makes a finished work of art. Critic Lloyd Schwartz calls it "an astonishing gathering of masterpieces."

Met's 'Unfinished' Exhibit Offers A Glimpse Of The Artistic Mind At Work

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Music

'No Orpheus' Revisits The Dreams And Passions Of An Aging Mother

Fresh Air

When his mother was turning 90, music critic Lloyd Schwartz wrote poems that put her memories into verse. Composer Mohammed Fairouz set three of the poems to music on the new recording, No Orpheus.

'No Orpheus' Revisits The Dreams And Passions Of An Aging Mother

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Review

Music Reviews

New Recording Revives Ravel's 'L'Enfant Et Les Sortileges'

Fresh Air

The opera, by the late composer Maurice Ravel, spins a modern fairy tale about a naughty child at bedtime. Critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews a new recording of it by conductor Seiji Ozawa.

New Recording Revives Ravel's 'L'Enfant Et Les Sortileges'

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Theater

Revisiting Mary Martin's Lighter-Than-Air Exuberance In NBC's 1955 'Peter Pan' Live

Fresh Air

In 1955 and '56, NBC aired live telecasts of the Broadway hit Peter Pan, starring Mary Martin. Critic Lloyd Schwartz calls the performances, now available on Blu-ray, a "tribute to freedom and youth."

Revisiting Mary Martin's Lighter-Than-Air Exuberance In NBC's 1955 'Peter Pan' Live

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Review

Music Reviews

New Complete Recording Restores A Forgotten Trojan War Musical

A two-CD set featuring performers from the Lyric Stage of Irving, Texas, revives the complete score of the 1954 musical, The Golden Apple. Critic Lloyd Schwartz calls it a "game-changing" recording.

New Complete Recording Restores A Forgotten Trojan War Musical

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Dance

Rediscovering The Thrill Of George Balanchine's New York City Ballet

Fresh Air

Lloyd Schwartz discusses the timeless appeal of the late choreographer George Balanchine. "[He] was our Shakespeare. ... watching a Balanchine ballet is like watching music come alive," he says.

Rediscovering The Thrill Of George Balanchine's New York City Ballet

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Review

Music Reviews

Revisiting The Crystal Clarity Created By The 'Decca Sound' Revolution

In the 1940s, recording engineers perfected new sound techniques that were used in World War II — and which launched a hi-fi revolution. Lloyd Schwartz reviews the new 53-CD Decca box set.

Revisiting The Crystal Clarity Created By The 'Decca Sound' Revolution

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Music

Brooklyn Rider Blurs Classical Boundaries On 'Almanac'

Fresh Air

The string quartet invited composers like Vijay Iyer and Bill Frisell to compose pieces inspired by something outside of their world.

Brooklyn Rider Blurs Classical Boundaries On 'Almanac'

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Music News

Remastering 78s: A Company Brings Clarity To Pianist Artur Schnabel's Works

Many historic recordings have been transferred to CD, but not always as accurately as desirable. But a small record company in France has been remastering these recordings in a revolutionary way.

Remastering 78s: A Company Brings Clarity To Pianist Artur Schnabel's Works

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Music

Schneider Quartet's Haydn Recordings Reissued

Among the best loved recordings from the 1950s were 15 LPs of Haydn string quartets. They originally appeared on the Haydn Society label, but were never reissued on CD until now.

Schneider Quartet's Haydn Recordings Reissued

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Art & Design

Spanish Artist Francisco Goya On Display In Boston: An Extraordinary Exhibit

The Boston Museum of Fine Arts has assembled one of the largest exhibits of Goya's artwork ever seen in the U.S. His paintings, prints and drawings range in technique from exquisitely refined to raw.

Spanish Artist Francisco Goya On Display In Boston: An Extraordinary Exhibit

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Music

Every Composer Needs A Great Storyteller

EMI has just reissued a broad spectrum of German conductor Otto Klemperer's recordings, including a box set of one of the composers he's most associated with: Gustav Mahler.

Every Composer Needs A Great Storyteller

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1936 'Show Boat': A Multiracial, Musical Melodrama, Now Out On DVD

Allan Jones plays debonair leading man Gaylord Ravenal and Irene Dunne is the enchanting Magnolia in the 1936 film version of Show Boat, which has just been released on DVD. Courtesy of Warner Bros. Digital Distribution hide caption

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Courtesy of Warner Bros. Digital Distribution

Theater

1936 'Show Boat': A Multiracial, Musical Melodrama, Now Out On DVD

With an unforgettable story and score, the 1927 musical tackled complex racial issues. Music critic Lloyd Schwartz says the 1936 film version of Show Boat is the best — and it's now out on DVD.

1936 'Show Boat': A Multiracial, Musical Melodrama, Now Out On DVD

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