Symphonies

Concert halls and music venues around the world have been shuttered due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, but before closing its doors, the Philadelphia Orchestra gave one last performance on March 12 — to an empty concert hall. Conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin describes the experience of playing in a vacant hall and hearing silence at the end of each piece. And we listen to a 2019 interview with Yannick.

EMI has just reissued a broad spectrum of German conductor Otto Klemperer's recordings, including a box set of one of the composers he's most associated with: Gustav Mahler.

German conductor Wilhelm Furtwaengler is regarded as one of the greatest musicians of the 20th century, but his legacy was affected by his decision to stay in Germany during WWII. Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz looks at how Furtwangler is seen today.

Note: Wilhelm Furtwangler's last name is typically spelled with an umlaut over the 'a' character. The npr website does not support characters with umlauts over characters. A variation of Furtwangler's name without the umlaut is spelled Furtwaengler.

He's been at the forefront of contemporary music and conducting for more than half a century. Marking his 85th birthday this spring, a number of new Boulez CDs and DVDs have been released. Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews three of the latest.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews conductor Pierre Boulez's recording of Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique by the Cleveland Orchestra (Deutsche Grammophon). It received a Grammy nomination for Best Classical Recording of the Year.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews a new recording of Mahler's Seventh Symphony by Pierre Boulez and the Cleveland Orchestra (Deutsche Grammophon).

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz considers the changing reputation but enduring skill of Pierre Boulez who, after years dedicating himself to composition, has returned to conducting.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz recommends reissued recordings of conductor Sir Thomas Beecham on the Pearl label.

Conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein would have been 75 today: classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz is a converted fan after hearing the Haydn portion of Sony's new "Royal Edition" of Bernstein performances, complete in 100 compact discs.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews a new recording of the London Symphony Orchestra playing the composer's Adagietto, from his Fifth Symphony.