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A Symphonic, American Collage

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's recording of Charles Ives' Holidays Symphony, which draws its inspiration from four different American holidays. Ives incorporates folks songs, traditional music, and the background noise of everyday life into his compositions, often to haunting effect.

06:46
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Other segments from the episode on August 31, 1988

Fresh Air with Terry Gross, August 31, 1988: Interview with Edward Hirsch; Review of a recording of Charles Ives' "A Symphony: New England Holidays"; Interview with Ralph Beiting; Review of the art…
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27:39

How Poetry Disturbs and Consoles

Edward Hirsch was an All-American football player in college -- at the same time he became interested in poetry. He talks about how insomnia, sports, and restlessness affect his life and writing. He reads several poems for Fresh Air listeners.

Interview
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09:33

Serving Appalachia

Father Ralph Beiting's ministry serves the poor of the Appalachian region, which he says was overlooked by the reforms and social programs of the 1960s. He links poverty to the degradation of family life. Despite the difficulties associated with his work, Beiting has fallen in love with the area and its people.

Interview
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03:52

Creating a Poetry of Context

Language commentator Geoff Nunberg recently visited the Language in Art Since 1960 exhibit at New York's Whitney Museum. He says the work he saw revealed how words in art can create dynamic social commentary in a way distinct from text on a page.

Review

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Transcripts are created on a rush deadline, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of Fresh Air interviews and reviews are the audio recordings of each segment.

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07:27

Every Composer Needs A Great Storyteller

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.

Review
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08:09

Wilhelm Furtwaengler: A Complex German Conductor.

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.

Review
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07:24

Composer-Conductor Pierre Boulez At 85

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.

Review

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