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Venice Takes The Lead in Verdi's 'I Due Foscari'

Verdi's opera showcases the city of Venice's complex and lethal political history in a dramatic version of the life of 15th-century doge Francesco Foscari.

New Music Emerges From Elkhart's Instrument Past

Dozens of band instrument makers used to be part of the local economy in Elkhart, Ind. But since the city was battered by the economy, only three major companies remain. One says it will manufacture instruments only in the U.S. — and it will hire new workers to grow the business and regain market share.

Samuel Barber At 100, Reconsidered

He was once dismissed as a composer for "high middlebrow taste." But Barber, who wrote the famous Adagio for Strings, would not be criticized if he were an emerging composer today, 100 years after his birth.

Barber's 'Adagio': Naked Expression Of Emotion

There's a simple logic behind Samuel Barber's emotional Adagio. It progresses from a single note to high emotional wailing to release to final acceptance. On today's centennial of Barber's birth, take a guided tour of the music with commentator Rob Kapilow.

Suds And Sensibility: Barber's Violin Concerto

Barber's beautiful concerto came about at the request of a soap magnate named Samuel Fels. Although the business end of the commission was sullied, the concerto came out sparkling. Hear violinist James Ehnes play the piece in concert.

Bellini's 'Zaira': Misunderstood Melodrama

Despite its beautiful music, and a storyline filled with passionate romance, violent conflict and international intrigue, Vincenzo Bellini's Zaira was received coolly at its premiere, partially due to cutthroat musical politics.

The Life And Music Of Samuel Barber

In the middle of the 20th century, when composers were writing with angularity and dissonance, Barber forged his own lyrical, romantic style. By the time he was 26, he'd composed the iconic Adagio for Strings.

SXSW 2010: Brooklyn Rider, Live In Concert

Drawing from its globe-trotting experience with Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Ensemble, Brooklyn Rider blends genres and influences seamlessly, carving out its own unique space within the world of chamber music. The string quartet will perform as part of NPR Music's daytime party at The Parish in Austin, Texas, on March 18.

We Apologize In Advance: A Chopin-oply Of Chopuns

All day today, the staff at NPR Music has been consumed with finding new ways to rework composer Frederic Chopin's name. It all started because this year marks the 200th anniversary of Chopin's birth. NPR Music is celebrating the occasion with a series of live performances, interviews and essays, and someone mentioned that we were in a state of Chopin-demonium from all of our exhaustive coverage, followed by the appropriate groans.

A World Of Expression In A Tiny Chopin Mazurka

Chopin had the courage to believe that the expression contained in a three-minute Mazurka for solo piano could be as powerful as the expression in an entire four-hour Wagner opera. Hear pianist and composer Rob Kapilow, and radio host Fred Child, explain what makes Chopin great.