Arts

The Experimenter

January 20, 2020 - 11:30am

The work that made Edgar Varèse known internationally was Amériques. He finished it in 1921, by which time he was thirty-eight years old. What happened to all the music he wrote before it?

In 1913 Varèse and his wife were living in Berlin, and, after six years of marriage, decided...

Food Friday: Expand Your Korean Cooking Knowledge With the Internet's "Korean Mom"

January 17, 2020 - 3:00pm

One of YouTube's most popular chefs joins us to talk about her new book, a definitive guide to Korean food, and Korea's food-crazy culture.

Florent Schmitt was an innovative French composer whose 1907 ballet La tragédie de Salomé in some ways anticipated Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, and the Russian composer expressed admiration for his works.

His music had what someone called “an aggressive masculinity,” and when it came to judging the music of others, Schmitt could...

First Hearing

January 16, 2020 - 11:30am

The composer was all caught up in conducting the debut of his first really big work. For several days, Ralph Vaughan Williams had been too nervous to sleep or eat right. He was unaware of friends and musical personages in the audience–Charles Villiers Stanford and the promising composer George Butterworth among...

The Façade

January 15, 2020 - 11:30am

Poetry had prompted William Walton to write the music for Façade, but the provocative melodrama propelled the young composer into some very prosaic situations.

The poet, Edith Sitwell, had goaded the reluctant Walton into the project. Her brother Osbert came up with the idea of reciting the words through a kind of...

Learning With Live Theatre

January 15, 2020 - 7:30am

A recent study out of Purdue University shows live theatre can serve as a beneficial teaching tool for teachers. Our guest explains why students connect with individuals performing on stage. Plus, we gain insight on the educational benefits.

I Feel Sorry for All of Them

January 14, 2020 - 11:30am

In his 1928 autobiography John Philip Sousa describes a concert in which he felt that he had to make a statement.

On January 14, 1792, Joseph Haydn wrote from London to Luigia Polzelli in Italy a letter that gives some insight into the rough-and-tumble music business:

My dearest Polzelli! I...

Tips For What Gardeners Can Do In The Winter

January 13, 2020 - 3:00pm

A horticulturist says winter pruning, perusing gardening catalogs and researching plant trends will keep you plenty busy during the slower gardening months this winter.

The Meanest Thing in My Life

January 13, 2020 - 11:30am

In his 1928 autobiography John Philip Sousa describes a concert in which he felt that he had to make a statement.

During San Francisco’s midwinter fair in January 1894, the Sousa band was asked to perform in conjunction with Scheel’s Imperial Orchestra, which had been playing in a large auditorium...

The Link Between Hobbies and Happiness

February 1, 2018 - 3:30pm

As Americans, our identities are often defined by our careers. But as Susie Neilson writes for The Cut, shifting our identity to our hobbies can actually make us happier. She joins us to share why.

The Price of Originality

January 10, 2020 - 11:30am

Not yet nineteen years old, Francis Poulenc was already one of France’s promising new composers, but in January 1918, with World War I consuming manpower, France had a more immediate need for soldiers, and young Poulenc would find the two occupations a strange mix.

From the start, Poulenc was at...

Menu

Listen Live

Program Schedule

Program Notes

Program Schedule

Music Playlists

Program Schedule

Music Playlists

The Experimenter

Food Friday: Expand Your Korean Cooking Knowledge With the Internet's "Korean Mom"

Blunt

First Hearing

The Façade

Learning With Live Theatre

I Feel Sorry for All of Them

Tips For What Gardeners Can Do In The Winter

The Meanest Thing in My Life

The Link Between Hobbies and Happiness

The Price of Originality

Wisconsin Weekend: The Mechanics And History Of Skijoring

Wisconsin Weekend: Motorsports And Winter Driving

Exploring The Public Domain

Peddling A Paper City: How Madison Became Wisconsin's Capital

Learning About Racism In The College Classroom

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