Just try rummaging through the standard repertoire to find a tender scene between a mother and child and you'll come up stymied. Why are so many operatic moms depicted as murderous women on the verge of a nervous breakdown?

The young Ingolf Wunder shines in Mozart, Jorge Federico Osorio reintroduces a Mexican classic and Elisveta Blumina reveals the gentle side of Valentine Silvestrov in three compelling new piano recordings.

With help from Franz Schubert and four stellar musicians, David Lang ponders the afterlife. Hear the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer's new album in its entirety.

What impressed most about Colin Davis wasn't his extraordinarily broad view of music and art, his eloquent turns of phrase, or even his naughty sense of humor, but it was instead something less tangible — his sense of self.

After a week on the town, with visits to the White House, the Opera House and Ben's Chili Bowl, NPR Music's Diva-in-Residence (and cardboard cut-out) makes her way to our brand-new headquarters.

In a recent lecture on the arts, the eclectic cellist made a plea for the power of diversity. When artists from divergent disciplines commingle, Ma says, it creates a "time and space for transformation."

From the radiant voices of a Latvian choir to a fresh young string quartet and a seasoned symphony, NPR's Tom Huizenga and host Jacki Lyden spin an eclectic mix of new classical releases.

In an art form filled with tortured souls, Robert Schumann stands out — even more than 150 years after his death. Hear one of America's finest young pianists and an emerging English string quartet play music by the visionary composer, as well as music by Mozart and artists Schumann influenced.

Carl Nielsen could have used a little more luck after he composed stunningly original music for a theatrical version of the Aladdin story. The director cut and jumbled the score. But in the end, the Danish composer rescued his music by turning it into a popular suite.

Before Easter, hear five powerful and diverse musical portrayals of Jesus' last days and crucifixion, from Bach's monumental St. Matthew to Golijov's brilliant Latin American mashup to a dark and terrifying Russian vision from Sofia Gubaidulina.

With its bright beat and direct quote from The Star Spangled Banner, Edwin Bagley's National Emblem march is an American favorite — that almost made the trash bin.

The mezzo-soprano with the smoky, sultry voice defined Carmen for generations — and earned Hollywood fame at the prime of her career. Stevens died Wednesday at 99.

The idea of transforming the children's song "Frère Jacques" into a funeral march was both creepy and ingenious, making Gustav Mahler's very first symphony a bold game changer.

New albums of music by the "Three Bs" prove that going back to the basics has its advantages. Hear a sweet-toned violin concerto, an audacious piano sonata and a solo cello suite caressed by a lute.

If you fell in love with oranges, would you scour the world to find them? Prokofiev's absurdist, citrus-scented opera features zany plot lines, curious characters and one little march that made it big.

London's Covent Garden opera house hosted a debate Monday about the barriers between opera and ballet and the people. What's your opinion?

In an art form notorious for its excesses, Verdi's Aida can take the bigger-is-better approach to nearly laughable extremes. But its grand "Triumphal March" is built on a simple foundation.

Opposites attract in Night, a genre-blurring album that pairs alt-country singer-songwriter Tift Merritt with classical pianist Simone Dinnerstein. There's a solemn intimacy to these songs, and how they're delivered, that speaks one-on-one.

In Hector Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique, brass snarl and winds shriek like feral beasts in an opium-fueled dream of passion, murder and execution by guillotine.

We can thank Alfred Hitchcock for giving new life to Charles Gounod's quirky little march about dueling puppets, funeral processions and a few refreshing cocktails.