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An NPR Music producer recalls how a single singer from a bygone day triggered his love of opera. Once he heard the warmth and power of tenor Enrico Caruso's voice, he had to hear more.

Inspired by Sophocles' Theban Plays, George Enescu was one of the few to narrate the entire life of Oedipus in his Oedipe, an opera that is often hailed as the finest single work ever composed by a Romanian.

Jozef van Wissem would like to open our ears to the gorgeous sonorities of the lute. Simultaneously austere and lush, van Wissem's music draws inspiration from minimalism in an hour-long session from WNYC's Spinning On Air.

Saxophonist Phil Woods is a true master of all things bop. Woods showcases his imaginative and sultry saxophone sound with host Marian McPartland.

Piano-playing siblings from Utah, The 5 Browns' members were once the media darlings of classical music. They received the kind of mainstream press coverage most young classical musicians could only dream of. Now, a few years following the frenzy, the group is still building its career.

No One Knows About Persian Cats tells the story of Iranian musicians trying to put together a band in a country where heavy metal, rock and hip-hop are illegal. The film won two prizes at last year's Cannes International Film Festival, and opens in this week in the U.S.

The mid-40s are typically a transitional period for many jazz musicians. On Push, pianist Jacky Terrasson enlisted a young rhythm section, and the result has recharged his music. In a session from WBGO, Terrasson's trio opens with a tribute to Michael Jackson.

The Welsh bass-baritone is a superstar of the opera world, known for playing the vilest of villains. His new record, Bad Boys, features some of the best evil roles in opera and musical theater.

Doug Glanville is a former major league baseball player with an engineering degree from an Ivy League school who writes about baseball for The New York Times. Glanville's new book, The Game From Where I Stand, is an insider's look at the world of professional sports.

Elling's commanding, richly grained baritone voice is the perfect vehicle for jazz songs, whether reworked classics or original compositions. Fusing jazz and poetry, Elling performs a series of Ornette Coleman poems with freeform accompaniment by host Marian McPartland.