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27:56

Opera Star, Roberta Peters.

Coloratura soprano Roberta Peters made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in 1950, and has sung there every seasons since. Peters has performed in China and the U.S.S.R. Peters joins the show to discuss her life, career, and the current state of opera.

Interview
01:05:11

Composer Anthony Davis

Davis is an avant-garde composer whose work draws heavily from jazz traditions. He wrote a new opera called X, based on the life of Malcom X. He performs the overture live in-studio.

Interview
37:56

The Craft of Singing

Soprano Benita Valente knew from an early age she wanted to make a career as a singer. She studied at the Curtis Institute and lives in Philadelphia. She tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross about how performance, practice, and age have all refined her voice.

Interview
54:32

An Opera Singer Goes Behind the Scenes

Soprano Beverly Sills retired from singing in 1980 at the age of fifty, but still works in opera as the director of the New York City Opera. Rather than traveling abroad to hone her craft, she studied and built a career in America.

Interview
28:15

An Opera Singer Goes Behind the Scenes

Soprano Beverly Sills retired from singing in 1980 at the age of fifty, but still works in opera as the director of the New York City Opera. Rather than traveling abroad to hone her craft, she studied and built a career in America.

Interview
28:01

Soprano Jessye Norman

The African American diva says she faced few racial barriers in the opera world. She credits the work of black singers who came before her, as well as the myriad performance opportunities available to her in Germany, for helping launch her career.

Interview
09:41

Composer John Adams

Adams is often associated with other minimalist composers like Philip Glass and Steve Reich. His new album, The Chairman Dances, features parts of his new opera-in-progress called Nixon in China.

Interview
06:55

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."

Review
09:43

Soprano Benita Valente

Celebrated by critics and opera aficionados, the singer is finally reaching a larger audience with recent recordings, like her CD of Schubert, Hayden, and Mozart lieder. She joins Fresh Air to talk about her technique, and the differences between singing lieder and opera.

Interview
06:48

Rare Video Recordings of Maria Callas.

On the anniversary of soprano Maria Callas' death, classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz will review two new video cassettes of televised performances Callas gave in Hamburg, Germany in 1959 and 1962.

Review
07:00

Maria Callas's "Operatic Arias."

Classical Music Critic Lloyd Schwartz will review the discography of soprano Maria Callas, including several recordings now available on CD.

Review
06:55

New Recordings of Maria Callas.

Classical Music Critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews a new Angel Records CD of previously unreleased performances of soprano Maria Callas.

Review
07:10

Philip Glass's Colorful Opera "Akhnaten."

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews the new recording of Philip Glass's opera, "Akhnaten". The performance features Paul Esswood in the title role, and Dennis Russell Davies conducting the Stuttgart State Opera and chorus.

Review

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