Finding rhapsodic melodrama in high art, Akerman pulls Mozart out of the opera house and into the bedroom for an arch a-cappella duet for separated lovers.
America's collective intrigue with boeuf bourguignon can be nearly single-handedly credited to the food legend whose 1961 tome "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" held rhapsodic praise for the stew that she encountered when living in France.
Though his vocal parts sometimes meandered, Mr. Previn's orchestral writing was smart and evocative, encompassing hints of Benjamin Britten and touches of jazz, like the sinuous saxophone riffs that color the rhapsodic, earthy relationship of Stella and Stanley.