Reverbiage: Stories from NPR tagged 'genius'

Cincinnati Symphony's Uncommon Mahler

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 09:38:00 EST

Gustav Mahler's larger-than-life symphonies have become orchestra staples. With that in mind, conductor Paavo Jarvi and the Cincinnati Symphony programmed three of Mahler's lesser-known orchestral works. The result is a fresh take on the music of the monumental but troubled genius.

Baltimore Symphony Trains Disadvantaged Kids

Sat, 03 Jan 2009 05:00:00 EST

Modeled after a successful program in Venezuela, the Baltimore Symphony's OrchKids program aims to build an orchestra and enrich young lives. BSO conductor Marin Alsop contributed funding, passing along $100,000 from her MacArthur "genius grant."

Holiday Music from All Songs Considered

Sun, 14 Dec 2008 11:16:00 EST

Pour yourself some eggnog, throw on the shawl, and cozy up to the computer for our annual mix of holiday music, featuring fresh takes on old classics and a few new surprises. On this year's edition, we've got the dulcet tones of Winston... a pug, singing "Up On The Housetop." Electro-pop mashup genius The Real Tuesday Weld re-imagines a classic from Count Baise. Also on the program: A singing saw does "Frosty The Snowman," Christmas wishes from John Waters and Stephen Colbert, The Old 97's, and more.

Whiz Kid Hopes To Win Siemens Competition

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 06:00:00 EST

The Siemens Competition in Math, Science and Technology is the most coveted science prize awarded to American high school students. One of the finalists is Raphael-Joel Lim from Indianapolis, Indiana. His research project has been widely praised for its originality and depth. Being a 17-year-old genius can be a blessing and a burden.

Placido Domingo Conducts 'Don Giovanni'

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Is Don Giovanni the greatest opera of them all, as some have suggested? That's hard to say, but Mozart's brilliant combination of stark human tragedy and realistic comedy features music of limitless genius, and a drama that lives up to the score.

'Genius' Winner Zenon Brings 'Armageddon'

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 12:05:00 EDT

Miguel ZenÃ³n says he's obsessed with over-the-bar bass lines, and that's the first line he wrote in his arrangement of Wayne Shorter's "Armageddon." In an exclusive preview from JazzSet, he leads the SFJAZZ Collective in a spirited rendition.

Windshield Wipers Invented In 'Flash Of Genius'

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:38:00 EDT

In 1967, Robert Kearns received patents for inventing intermittent car windshield wipers. He offered his idea to automakers but was turned away. When Ford and Chrysler started manufacturing cars with wipers without crediting Kearns, he took the case all the way to the Supreme Court. A new film called Flash of Genius tells his story.

'Flash Of Genius': Through A Glass, Intermittently

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 17:00:00 EDT

Would you see a movie about patenting the intermittent windshield wiper? It's a modestly stylish movie, but critic Mark Jenkins says the answer may depend on your interest in, well ... patenting the intermittent windshield wiper.

'Jeanius' Is Genius

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 16:31:00 EDT

The critically acclaimed but not especially famous fapper Jean Grae has finally put out an album that she finished in 2005. Critic Robert Christgau hopes there'll be a lot more.

Greg Kinnear Has 'Flash Of Genius' In New Movie

Sun, 28 Sep 2008 09:40:43 EDT

In "Flash of Genius," Greg Kinnear plays Robert Kearns, a professor who invented intermittent windshield wipers. Based on a true story, Kearns claimed that Detroit automakers stole his idea and sued them in a long, drawn-out battle.

Music Abounds In 2008 MacArthur Grants

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 18:23:00 EDT

In the latest round of what are often called "Genius" grants, the MacArthur Foundation has just named 25 new fellows (each receiving a $500,000 award), including violinist Leila Josefowicz, writer Alex Ross, saxophonist Miguel Zenon, and sound artist and instrument inventor Walter Kitundu.

'Genius Grant' Winners Keep It Simple

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 12:42:00 EDT

On Tuesday, 25 people won this year's MacArthur awards, also known as the "genius grant." Two of them — a neurobiologist who investigates smell and a sound artist who builds instruments — discuss how they find novel solutions.

'Infinite Jest' Author David Foster Wallace

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 10:51:00 EDT

The novelist and essayist was found dead in his home Sept. 12, reportedly a suicide. Fresh Air remembers him with an interview first aired in 1997, the year he won the MacArthur Foundation's "genius" grant.

King Khan On Being A 'Genius'

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 12:00:00 EDT

International alternative rocker King Khan talks about his musical inspirations, and his new album, The Supreme Genius of King Khan.

Norman Granz: Jazz Genius Behind The Scenes

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 06:00:00 EDT

Although he never played a note, Granz has no equal in the history of popular music. Under his own family of independent labels, the concert and record producer organized hundreds of the landmark jazz performances and albums of the 20th century.

Stars Like Fleas: 'You Are My Memoir'

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 10:46:00 EDT

Stars Like Fleas' music is disjointed, meandering, chaotic, and wonderfully unique. The group's second full-length release, The Ken Burns Effect, is a gorgeous jaunt through experimental orchestral pop that is as engaging as it is utterly confusing. The record seems at times aimless and at other times perfectly composed, if insanely so. With a wealth of instruments (at the album's recording the group was a 12-piece collective) that clash as often as they harmonize and tracks that drift from beautiful symphonies to discordant pandemonium on a whim, the album stands as a work of mad genius. Stars Like Fleas have created a sound that, though certainly not easily digestible, is extremely rich.

British Poets Launched Lyrical Revolution

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 08:49:00 EDT

During a brief, but incredibly productive year at the end of the 18th century, British poets William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge joined forces to launch a literary revolution: the English Romantic movement. The story of their partnership "cuts so directly against the myth of the solitary artistic genius," reports Wisconsin Public Radio's Steve Paulson, who goes to the Quantock Hills of Somerset, to follow in the steps of those poets. Wordsworth and Coleridge fed off each other's enthusiasm and intoxicating ideas, according to Paulson. Coleridge was only 24 — and known mainly for his fiery political speeches; Wordsworth was 26 — and completely unknown as a poet. Somehow, they convinced each other they could launch a revolution.

The Legendary Bill Evans On Piano Jazz

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 10:38:00 EDT

Pianist Bill Evans was a giant of jazz piano and one of Marian McPartland's first guests on Piano Jazz in 1979. On this program, the usually quiet and reserved musical genius opens up about his approach and philosophy.

Mugison: 'George Harrison'

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 12:21:00 EDT

Iceland's Mugison is the brainchild of one Ã�rn ElÃas GuÃ°mundsson. The mad genius concocts music that is as engaging as it is odd and eclectic, running the gamut from electronic trip-hop to guitar heavy arena rock to earnest acoustic singer-songwriter work.

Excerpt: 'The Invention of Everything Else'

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 16:28:00 EDT

Samantha Hunt's fictional take on the genius inventor Nikolas Tesla explores power, time, love and curiosity, with a little bit of lightning thrown in for good measure.

The Young Genius Behind BitTorrent

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 17:20:00 EDT

Bram Cohen, 26, wrote a groundbreaking program called BitTorrent. Affected by Asperger's Disorder, he says he sometimes needs his friends to remind him what's socially appropriate.

How to Revamp the Oscars: A Genius Plan

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 13:00:00 EST

This year's Academy Awards got the worst ratings in ceremony history. Madeleine Brand talks to comedy duo Frangela, former Seinfeld writer Peter Mehlman and others about how they'd fix the show. Prince, gambling and bare midriffs are part of the plan.

Behind the Super Bowl's Steely Coaches

Sat, 02 Feb 2008 08:00:00 EST

Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots is described as a coaching genius. Tom Coughlin of the New York Giants is credited with rallying his team after a dismal start. But both men are taciturn and stone-faced with the media. Do they ever lighten up?

Ex-Chess Rival Kasparov Remembers Bobby Fischer

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 16:26:00 EST

Bobby Fischer, the reclusive chess genius, has died of kidney failure at a hospital in Iceland. He was 64. Russian chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov talks with Melissa Block about Fischer's influence on the chess world. While in recent years Fischer seemed to have slipped into madness, his impact on the game is still unquestioned.

Mozart's 'Don Giovanni'

Fri, 02 Nov 2007 20:25:00 EDT

Many have called Don Giovanni the finest opera ever composed. Mozart's classic is a brilliant combination of stark human tragedy and touching comedy, set to music of limitless genius. It's heard in a new production from Houston Grand Opera.