Arts

Anxious About Going Out Alone? Research Suggests You're Missing Out

May 13, 2015 - 3:30pm

For many people, going to a place or participating in an activity alone is unappealing, and sometimes fear-inducing. But a new study suggests that going to places alone has benefits. A writer breaks down the latest research.

The Poisoned Referral

May 13, 2015 - 11:30am

During the late nineteenth century, nationalism became a force in music, and a leader in the cause of Russian music was composer Mily Balakirev. He was one of the five nationalistic composers known as The Mighty Handful. He thought that fellow Russian composer Anton Rubinstein had turned his back on...

But We Shall Have Tonight

May 12, 2015 - 11:30am

Puccini’s opera Tosca tells of revenge and murder—both of which were also in the air backstage after a notorious Saturday night performance at the Metropolitan Opera.

On the evening of the performance Met General Manager Schuyler Chapin went to see Franco Corelli, who was singing the part of Cavaradossi, and found him...

Wisconsin Life: A World of Accordions

May 11, 2015 - 4:15pm

In today's Wisconsin Life we meet the curator of A World of Accordions, a museum in Superior with over a thousand instruments, tributes to musicians, and some accordion jokes, too.

You Are Playing That Wrong

May 11, 2015 - 11:30am

Pianist Harold Bauer had never heard of the young woman dancing at the home of an acquaintance and took no notice of her name. But he watched with fascination as she gestured and posed to the sound of familiar classical music. He had never seen a performance quite like it....

Why They Really Built The Railroad

May 10, 2015 - 11:30am

The celebration marking the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad on May 10, 1869, was about uniting a country torn by Civil War, but long before that event, French composer Hector Berlioz suggested, tongue in cheek, why Americans were really so eager to unite east and west by rail. In his 1852 bestseller Evenings...

Resurrection

May 9, 2015 - 11:30am

In 1965, twelve years after his last stage appearance, virtuoso pianist Vladimir Horowitz felt again the urge to “communicate directly” with the audience. He decided to perform at Carnegie Hall.

The sixty-one-year-old Horowitz worried about being physically up to resuming his concert career and feared that his memory would fail...

Thai Summer Rolls

May 9, 2015 - 8:00am

In a bowl, toss together the chicken, cucumber, carrot, lettuce, and sprouts. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil, lime juice, and honey. Pour the soy sauce mixture over the chicken mixture and toss to coat.

The Catalyst

May 8, 2015 - 11:30am

During the course of a long career, Malcolm Arnold developed a reputation as a composer of classical music and film scores with a strong current of humor, but during the dark days of World War II, he struggled with tragedy.

In 1941, as war raged in Europe, Arnold’s brother Philip,...

The Case For Embracing, Not Fighting, Invasive Species

May 7, 2015 - 3:30pm

Invasive species are often public enemy #1 for conservationists and environmentalists. But what if we stopped fighting them...and actually embraced them? An environmental journalist and author makes the case that invasive species can benefit nature, and in many cases, actually enhance the ecosystems they enter.

Our Poet

May 7, 2015 - 11:30am

On May 7, 1783, Mozart got around to writing from Vienna to his father in Salzburg a letter in which he introduced the man who would collaborate with him on some of the greatest operas ever written.

I have looked at a least a hundred libretti or more, but I have barely...

Why Summer Superhero Films Keep Ruling The Movie World

May 6, 2015 - 4:20pm

As the latest Marvel movie "Avengers: Age of Ultron" demonstrates, superhero movies continue to be a major draw at the box office.

Author Examines Orson Welles' Life As A Young Man

May 6, 2015 - 12:00pm

Volumes have been written about Orson Welles' career—from War of the Worlds to Citizen Kane, but not much is known about Welles' childhood in Wisconsin.

A Tactful Approach

May 6, 2015 - 11:30am

In his memoirs librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte takes credit for using tact to bring about the debut of Mozart’s masterpiece The Marriage of Figaro.

[Mozart] asked me how hard it would be for me to make an opera of a comedy by Beaumarchais–The Marriage of Figaro. I liked the idea a lot...

The Test

May 5, 2015 - 11:30am

In the spring of 1799, Domenico Dragonetti was on his way back to London after visiting his hometown, Venice. He stopped in Vienna, where he went to meet Beethoven.

A mutual friend wrote a note to Dragonetti, saying, “tomorrow morning at eight o’clock precisely, go to Prince Lichnowsky’s. You will breakfast at...

Wisconsin Life: Orson Welles

May 4, 2015 - 4:15pm

We celebrate the 100th birthday of Kenosha's very own film and radio legend, Orson Welles.

Slightly Different

May 4, 2015 - 11:30am

No one doubted that Domenico Dragonetti was one of the greatest bass players the world had ever seen. There was some disagreement, however, as to whether he was a true eccentric or just a performer with a sense of promotion and a highly developed sense of humor.

Dragonetti left his...

'Star Wars' Day: May The Fourth Be With You

May 4, 2015 - 6:00am

May 4 has been deemed the unofficial "Star Wars" Day by fans around the world. People celebrate by watching the movies, dressing up as their favorite characters, and making "Star Wars"-themed food. And of course, they greet each other with the pun, "May the Fourth be with you." According to...

Love in Time of War

May 3, 2015 - 11:30am

It began the way many love stories have begun ever since young men began giving music lessons to young women. In 1910, a wealthy St. Petersburg family, the Meshcherkys, welcomed nineteen-year-old Sergei Prokofiev into their musical gatherings as an alternative to the straight-laced young men in uniform who were prospective...

Menu

Listen Live

Program Schedule

Program Notes

Program Schedule

Music Playlists

Program Schedule

Music Playlists

Anxious About Going Out Alone? Research Suggests You're Missing Out

The Poisoned Referral

But We Shall Have Tonight

Wisconsin Life: A World of Accordions

You Are Playing That Wrong

Why They Really Built The Railroad

Resurrection

Thai Summer Rolls

The Catalyst

The Case For Embracing, Not Fighting, Invasive Species

Our Poet

Why Summer Superhero Films Keep Ruling The Movie World

Author Examines Orson Welles' Life As A Young Man

A Tactful Approach

The Test

Wisconsin Life: Orson Welles

Slightly Different

'Star Wars' Day: May The Fourth Be With You

Love in Time of War

Search form

The Ideas Network

Program Schedule

Program Notes

NPR News & Classical Network

Program Schedule

Music Playlists

All Classical Network

Program Schedule

Music Playlists

Subscribe To WPR Newsletters