July 22, 1987

Updating Don Giovanni

Director Peter Sellars helmed a modernized production of Mozart's iconic opera at this year's Pepsico Summerfare. Classical music critic Lloyd Schwarz saw the performance in Purchase, NY. He says not all of the updates worked, but the individual performances reached the audience "on a profoundly emotional level."

06:55

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Contributor

Lloyd Schwartz

Other segments from the episode on July 22, 1987

Fresh Air with Terry Gross, July 22, 1987: Interview with Gloria Steinem; Review of Peter Sellar's production of "Don Giovanni"; Interview with Bob Dorough; Commentary on linguists.

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July 22, 1987

27:40

Celebrating the 15th Anniversary of Ms. Magazine

Gloria Steinem returns to Fresh Air to discuss the history and workplace culture of the feminist magazine she cofounded, as well as the state of the women's movement today.

Interview

Gloria Steinem

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July 22, 1987

09:38

The Songs of Bob Dorough

The jazz singer and songwriter is known for his distinctive voice and, most recently, his work on the children's show Schoolhouse Rock. He performs several songs in-studio for Fresh Air listeners.

Interview

Bob Dorough

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July 22, 1987

03:48

What Does a Linguist Do?

Linguist Geoff Nunberg explains what people in his field actually study. It all boils down to the rules of language.

Commentary

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Transcripts are created on a rush deadline, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of Fresh Air interviews and reviews are the audio recordings of each segment.

Classical Music Critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews the final three performances of the PepsiCo Summerfare Arts Festival at Purchase, New York. For ten years, the Pepsi-Cola company has underwritten an annual international arts festival that will best be remembered for its ambitious presentations of operas by Mozart and Handel that were directed by Peter Sellars. In this segment, Lloyd reviews performances of Mozart's three great Italian operas, "The Marriage of Figaro," "Don Giovanni" and "Cosi fan tutte."

Review

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May 12, 2022

43:10

Anthony Roth Costanzo nearly lost his voice to cancer. Now he's back as 'Akhnaten'

A decade ago, Costanzo had surgery that threatened to destroy his singing voice. Now he stars as a gender-fluid Egyptian pharaoh in the Met Opera's production. Originally broadcast Oct. 7, 2019.

Interview

Anthony Roth Costanzo

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October 7, 2019

52:30

After Nearly Losing His Voice To Cancer, Anthony Roth Costanzo Takes On 'Akhnaten'

Counter tenor Anthony Ross Costanzo sings in what's considered a woman's range - in the range of the castrati, men who maintained their high voices by being castrated before puberty. He's about to star in the Philip Glass opera 'Akhenaten.'

Interview

Anthony Roth Costanzo

Search the Fresh Air Archive

Updating Don Giovanni

Contributor

Related Topics

Other segments from the episode on July 22, 1987

Celebrating the 15th Anniversary of Ms. Magazine

The Songs of Bob Dorough

What Does a Linguist Do?

Transcript

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PepsiCo's Final Season Offers Innovative Productions of Mozart Operas.

Anthony Roth Costanzo nearly lost his voice to cancer. Now he's back as 'Akhnaten'

After Nearly Losing His Voice To Cancer, Anthony Roth Costanzo Takes On 'Akhnaten'

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