Classical music

Pianist and conductor Leon Fleisher. After a neurological disorder disabled his right hand, he turned to piano works written for the left hand alone, and also began a successful career conducting. (Interview by Faith Middelton).

Violinist Yehudi Menuhin (Ya-hoo-dee Men-you-in). Menuhin's career began early: he was a child prodigy and made his debut in 1924 when he was seven. Since then, he has toured extensively and developed into one of America's most celebrated violinists. In recent years, he has become almost as well known for his deep interest in art, politics, psychology and philosophy. (Interview by Faith Middleton).

Fresh Air's classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz. It's part of our continuing series of conversations with Fresh Air's contributors. Schwartz is the classical music editor of the Boston Phoenix and writes for The Atlantic magazine and Vanity Fair. Schwartz was the winner of the 1987 ASCAP Deems Taylor for music criticism.

Andrew Porter. He's the classical music critic for The New Yorker Magazine. He's just published a collection of his articles in a book titled Musical Events.

Pianist Ran Blake. He heads the Third Stream Music Department at the New England Conservatory of Music. Third Stream music, a term coined by composer Gunther Schuller, integrates classical and jazz traditions. Blake has extended the definition to include other kinds of music. A CD of Blake's 1961 recording with singer Jeanne Lee has just been reissued by RCA.

Composer David Del Tredici. His works place him at the forefront of the neo-romantic movement. Del Tredici won the Pulitzer Prize for music in 1980 for his composition "In Memory of A Summer Day." From 1968 to 1985, his works evolved around themes from Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll's beloved fairy tale. It was his 1976 work, "Final Alice," commissioned by the Chicago Symphony, that first brought Del Tredici international recognition.

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.

The renowned soloist says the nature of his instrument demands that he be flexible about also playing supportively in ensemble settings. He talks about how the death of his parents, both of whom were musicians, contributed to his artistic development.

Avant-garde composer and saxophonist John Zorn's most recent album reinterprets the music of film composer Ennio Morricone. His forthcoming recording pays homage to detective novelist Mickey Spillane.

New music composer John Harbison was drawn to classical music because the genre leant itself to longer pieces and a deeper exploration of musical ideas. He often writes for his wife, the violinist Rosemary Harbison.