In BriefPosted:1:47 PM PST March 6, 2025Image Credits:AnthropicAnthropics Claude Code tool had a bug that bricked some systemsThe launch of Anthropics coding tool, Claude Code, is off to a rocky start.According to reports on GitHub, Claude Codes auto-update function contained buggy commands that rendered some workstations unstable and broken. When Claude Code was installed at the root or superuser levels permissions that give programs the ability to make operating system-level changes the buggy commands would let applications modify typically restricted file directories and, in the worst-case scenario, brick systems.The problematic Claude Code auto-update commands changed the access permissions of certain critical system files. Permissions define which programs and users can read or modify files, or run certain apps. One GitHub user said that they were forced to employ a rescue instance to fix the permissions of files Claude Codes commands inadvertently broke.Anthropic told TechCrunch it removed the problematic commands from Claude Code and added a link in the program directing users to a troubleshooting guide. The link initially had a typo but Anthropic says thats been fixed, too.Topics

Firefox's latest update brings plenty of changes, but vertical tabs steal the show.

The Oura Ring 4 (left) has receded sensors that make it more comfortable compared to Oura Ring 3 (right). Nina Raemont/ZDNETConsidering buying an Oura Ring to track your sleep, activity, or stress? Oura is taking up to $200 off its third-gen smart ring, depending on the finish and size. This deal applies to the Oura Ring Heritage and Oura Ring Horizon, two third-generation smart rings.Also: The Oura Ring 4 is ZDNET's best product of the yearThe deal on the earlier generation Oura Ring 3 is so low because Oura recently unveiled the Oura Ring 4. The Oura Ring 4 is an impressive and well-designed smart ring that blows its competitors (and even the Ring 3) out of the water. But does that mean you should buy the newer Ring 4 over the less expensive Ring 3 that's on sale right now? It all depends on what features you prioritize in a smart ring. I break down the differences below. Specifications Oura Ring 3Oura Ring 4Battery lifeUp to seven daysUp to eight daysCharging timeBetween 20-80 minutesBetween 20-80 minutesSizes6-134-15MaterialTitanium exterior and epoxy interiorFully titanium FinishesBlack, brushed titanium, gold, silver, rose goldBlack, brushed silver, gold, silver, rose gold Starting price$300$350 You should buy the Oura Ring 4 if... Nina Raemont/ZDNET 1. You prioritize comfort One of the highlights of the new Oura Ring 4 is its smart sensors. Oura Ring 4's smart sensing technology uses 18 signal pathways, compared to the Oura Ring 3's eight, to capture more accurate data with fewer gaps.So, what does that have to do with comfort? These smart sensors allow the raised sensor domes that stick out on the Oura Ring 3's interior to flatten and recede on the Oura Ring 4 for a more comfortable and less constrictive wear. I wore the Oura Ring 3 for around eight months, and one of the few gripes I had with it was that the three domes would cling to the inside of my finger, resulting in dents that remained on my skin for days after.Also: I tested the Oura Ring 4 for weeks. Here's why it's the best health tracker right nowThe Oura Ring 4 is far more comfortable than the Oura Ring 3 thanks to the receded smart sensing technology. It's noticeably slimmer, both on the interior of the ring and the exterior, which results in a lighter feel. If you are more sensitive to health trackers around your wrist or finger and get easily annoyed with jewelry, I'd suggest the Oura Ring 4. 2. You want a smaller or larger ring size Sherin ShibuExpanded sizing is one of the major hardware upgrades that came with the Oura Ring 4. Where the Oura Ring 3 offers sizes six through 13, the Oura Ring 4 offers sizes four through 15. That's four more sizes on the larger and smaller ends of the spectrum. If you couldn't buy the Oura Ring 3 because the available sizes didn't fit your finger, the Oura Ring 4 might fit you better. 3. You want a longer battery life The Oura Ring 3 boasts a battery life of up to seven days, though I normally got around four. The newer Oura Ring 4 boasts a battery life of up to eight days, but during my testing I got around 5 and a half.If you forget to charge your tech constantly and want a smart ring that you can put on for a few days and not worry about, then I'd recommend the Oura Ring 4. If you are adamant about daily charging, however, I'd recommend the Oura Ring 3. You should buy the Oura Ring 3 if... Nina Raemont/ZDNET 1. You just want the newest softwareMost of the software updates that came to the Oura Ring 4 also are available on the Oura Ring 3. That includes automatic heart rate monitoring during workouts, the Oura app redesign, upgraded daytime stress features that help contextualize your physiological stress, and many new Oura Labs features you can test out, like meal logging.Automatic heart rate monitoring continues Oura's mission of autonomously logging health data with little assistance from the ring wearer. This means that, on top of the automatic workout detection feature, the Oura Ring now can monitor and record your heart rate during these activities without you clicking on the Record workout HR button.Also: I tested the Oura Ring 3 -- and it totally beat my Apple WatchOura upgraded its daytime stress feature by implementing the daily tags people use to document their meals, workouts, illnesses, and moods onto the daytime stress timeline. Let's say you just had an argument with a coworker and find that your heart rate is elevated. If you log that in the app, it will include that tag into the daytime stress timeline.Lastly, there are a few experimental features Oura Ring 3 users can take advantage of through Oura Labs, which is also available on both rings. One of my favorite features I tested was the meal-logging feature that uses your camera and AI to document what you're eating (and when).The AI was able to detect that I was eating yogurt with berries and bananas one morning, despite the yogurt being fully picked over and mixed with the other ingredients. 2. You don't want to spend more moneyYou can buy anOura Ring 3for up to $200 right now. The third-generation smart ring has been on sale since Oura unveiled a newer generation. If a starting price of $350 (plus that $6 monthly subscription to access all your data) is a little too much for you, the Oura Ring 3 is substantially cheaper. 3. Comfort isn't a concernIf you own an Oura Ring 3 and aren't disturbed by the raised sensors or the chunkier build, I don't see a need for you to upgrade to the Oura Ring 4. If you don't own either ring and are trying to make a buying decision, I'd recommend the Oura Ring 3 if you are unbothered by a tight and raised dome around your finger. Alternatives to consider Featured reviews

Google may now give you answers instead of links. GoogleGoogle Disrupts Itself With AI Mode. The search giant has launched a new search service that responds to queries with answers instead of links. If natural language is the new operating interface, and agents the ones doing the shopping, what good are links anyway? Whats the value of a click when mostly bots are doing the clicking? Googles innovators dilemma, writes Shelly Palmer, is, as the industry leader, how does it both protect its 260 billion dollar legacy business from disruption from the likes of OpenAI and Perplexity, while staying on offense. In essence, to retain dominance in search, or whatever comes after, Google must disrupt itself before someone else does.Congressmen try out Qualcomm AI Smart Glasses at Mobile World Congress 2025 in Barcelona, Spain, on ... [+] March 6, 2025. (Photo by Marc Asensio/NurPhoto via Getty Images)NurPhoto via Getty ImagesMobile World Congress (MWC) 2025 wrapped up in Barcelona. Like CES in two months ago, AI was everywhere. Audio and video smart glasses made a strong showing, sporting new AI features. Metas clearly in the lead here but there are many others doing AI smartglasses with AI models other than Llama, which powers Metas glasses.A woman tries on artificial intelligence and virtual reality glasses at the Mobile World Congress ... [+] 2025 in Barcelona, Spain, on March 5, 2025. (Photo by Marc Asensio/NurPhoto via Getty Images)NurPhoto via Getty ImagesRay-Ban Meta smart glasses were all over. They sold over a million units over the holidays, and offer solutions l ike real-time translation and hands-free communication, blending Luxottica Ray-Ban style with AI-powered functionality. It seems, the AI-driven audio smart glasses are adding features every month. Theyre now capable of remembering user preferences for a more personalized experience.Agility Robotics' robot is pictured on stage at the MWC (Mobile World Congress), the world's biggest ... [+] mobile fair, in Barcelona on March 4, 2025. Surrounded by investment and innovation projects, the Mobile World Congress (MWC) kicks off today in Barcelona amid a context of euphoria but also tensions over artificial intelligence (AI), whose rapid advancement is shaking up the tech sector. (Photo by LLUIS GENE / AFP) (Photo by LLUIS GENE/AFP via Getty Images)AFP via Getty ImagesTCLs RayNeo X3 Pro video display glasses for gaming and entertainment enlarge the small screen of a handheld device into a 200 inch screen. Brilliant Labs introduced open-source AI-powered eyewear, allowing developers to build custom applications.Samsung's Project Moohan headsets are on display during the 2025 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, ... [+] Spain, on March 3, 2025. The 2025 Mobile World Congress MWC opened here on Monday, bringing together industry leaders, policymakers, and technology innovators to explore advancements in 5G, artificial intelligence AI, and advanced connectivity. (Photo by Zhao Dingzhe/Xinhua via Getty Images)Xinhua News Agency via Getty ImagesThe fully occluded mixed reality Samsung Moohan is poised to challenge Apple's stumbling Vision Pro with better specs and lower pricing, except for one important thing. Unless Samsung and its partners, Google and Qualcomm, have discovered a new consumer use case for fully occluded mixed reality, Moohan is destined for the same fate as the Vision Pro, languishing in a drawer for want of a reason to use it.The Mobile World Congress 2025 (MWC) kicks off in Barcelona, Spain, on March 1, 2025, becoming the ... [+] global epicenter of technological innovation. Organized by the GSMA, the event showcases the latest innovations and advancements in mobile technology, telecommunications, and digital connectivity, with a strong focus on the development of 5G, 6G, artificial intelligence, and augmented reality. This edition also highlights digital sustainability and the industry's transformation towards a smarter and more connected future. (Photo by Charlie Perez/NurPhoto via Getty Images)NurPhoto via Getty ImagesHonor announced a $10 billion investment over five years to expand into AI-driven devices. Their new three-phase strategy is to enhance smartphones with AI, including developing a personal assistant UI Agent, with Qualcomm and Google (who else?), that interacts with on-screen interfaces to perform tasks like booking reservations. Originally a Huawei sub-brand, Honor became independent in 2020 when it was sold to Shenzhen Zhixin New Information Technology Co., Ltd. to evade U.S. sanctions. Since then, it has secured substantial funding from China Mobile, China Telecom, CICC Capital Corp, and Shenzhens SDG Group, with strong backing from the Shenzhen government. The have since expanded beyond smart phones to AI-powered PCs, tablets, and wearables, including the MagicBook Pro 14, Pad V9, Watch 5 Ultra, and Earbuds Open.Peer raises $10.5M for metaverse engine, launches 3D personal planets. Peer launched its "personal planets" feature, enabling users to create 3D social hubs within the metaverse. Peer leverages AI to generate games, characters, and experiences, connecting users in real-time. Future plans include location-based mechanics, digital property sales, and premium experiences, aiming for accessibility across devices. This round brings Peers total capital raised to $65.5 million, all from angel investors. The sole investor in this round is the Family Office of Tommy Mai. You can download it now from the app stores.Some of the game levels or worlds that Welevel has created. WelevelWelevel raises $5.7 million in seed funding, led by BITKRAFT Ventures. The German game company will use the funds to expand its AI-driven game development tools. Welevel plans to double its development team as it works on a AAA sandbox survival game set to enter early access next year. Founded in 2021, welevel integrates AI to enhance world-building, NPC behavior, and quest generation. Investors include figures from Roblox, Shopify, Crunchyroll, Oculus, and ESL. With AI streamlining production, the studio seeks to compete with larger game developers while maintaining creative flexibility and reducing costs.Anton Dvorkovich, Founder & CEO of Dubformer. PETR TITARENKODubformer Raises $3.6M to Enhance AI Dubbing with Emotional Expression. Dubformers Emotion Transfer technology enhances dubbing by replicating emotional nuances rather than simply cloning voices, addressing the limitations of traditional AI-generated speech.Noctals AI sound design platform automates sound effect placement, synchronizing audio with video ... [+] actions while offering intelligent recommendations and a customizable sound library. Founded by Isaiah Chavous and James Paul, Noctal aims to streamline production workflows for creators, studios, and editors.NoctalNoctal Raises $1.8M to Launch AI-Powered Sound Design Platform. Noctals AI automates sound effect placement, synchronizing audio with video actions while offering intelligent recommendations and a customizable sound library. Founded by Isaiah Chavous and James Paul, LA-based Noctal will streamline production workflows for creators, studios, and editors. The round was led by Caruso Ventures, with participation from Media Empire Ventures (founded by Grimes, Daouda Leonard, and Mac Boucher), along with investors including Xs Head of Original Content Mitchell Smith and MLB player Tony Kemp.Animal Company, a free-to-play virtual reality game developed by Wooster Games, has rapidly gained popularity since its early access launch on the Quest platform in July 2024. Drawing inspiration from titles like Gorilla Tag and Lethal Company, it features arm-powered locomotion and cooperative gameplay where players explore environments, collect loot, and evade monsters. As of March 2025, Animal Company surpassed one million monthly active users, becoming Quest's top-earning game for the week, overtaking Gorilla Tag. The game's revenue model relies entirely on in-app purchases, including cosmetic items and an in-game currency called Company Coins. Recent updates, such as the Tech Tree, Mining, and Planetarium, have significantly boosted user engagement and activity.Austin's annual music, film, technology and culture conference starts this week and runs through ... [+] March 15th.SXSWThe South-by-Southwest Festival is set to begin on tomorrow, March 7th and runs through March 15th, in Austin Texas. Founded in 1987 as a music festival, it has since evolved into a major film festival, and now includes a conference with famous speakers like Michelle Obama, an XR exhibition, technology, games, poster art, and comedy. The author of this column, Charlie Fink, is slated to have a fireside chat with Light Field Labs CEO Jon Karafin (founder of Lytro) about his development of naked-eye holograms, which presents 3D figures and objects made purely of light.What Were ReadingDoes anyone care about VR anymore? It still doesnt have that "killer" app (Zak Storey/TechRadar)

Aerial shot of Las Vegas, Nevada at night. Authorization was obtained from the FAA for this ... [+] operation in restricted airspace.gettyHIMSS 2025, the global healthcare conference, has brought together 28,000 attendees this week, with AI taking center stage as it did at the ViVE event two weeks ago. Healthcare CIOs are zeroing in on the following areas to fuel innovation and upgrade their existing solutions. Heres what's drawing their focus from the event.Clinical Decision MakingMicrosoft booth had a large attendance following their announcement of the Dragon Copilot. The company finally combines its voice dictation product with the ambient listening solution. Many healthcare provider organizations have both products, and this is an opportunity to consolidate them by having the products operate on a single platform. The Dragon Copilot announcement is another stickiness to the Microsoft ecosystem of Microsoft Fabric, Copilot Studio, and Azure AI Foundry. In my discussion with Microsoft, they have approximately thirty healthcare partners and are growing in their Copilot Studio platform.One of the partners, Wolters Kluwer, announced the integration of its UpToDate solution with the healthcare agent service in Microsoft Copilot Studio. Greg Samios, President and CEO of Clinical Effectiveness for Wolters Kluwer Health said "Seconds can make all the difference in clinical decision making, and through our collaborations, we're focused on speed to the right answer wherever you are in the clinical workflow".Google Cloud announced new generative AI capabilities called Visual Q&A that will search tables, charts, and diagrams to process diverse patient data, medical images, and others to help provide a comprehensive view of the patient. Enterprise search within the EMR has improved dramatically with generative AI capabilities, and the EMR companies are partnering with their preferred cloud vendor to incorporate this feature. MEDITECH EMR has developed its AI-powered search within its Expanse productOracle announced similar capabilities in Q4 last year with its clinical AI agent that can handle patient queries.Overall, every healthcare technology vendor is developing a solution incorporating generative AI to improve and speed up clinical decision-making.Patient EngagementEnsuring patients are efficiently scheduled and seen by doctors is a top priority for healthcare providers. With high turnover in contact center staff, healthcare operations leaders are turning to automation to improve efficiency. As generative AI accelerates clinical decision-making, it also enhances contact centers by providing agents with instant patient information, leading to better interactions.Webex has integrated its Contact Center features with Epics Cheers module and Hyperdrive interface. With this integration, Webex agents can manage conversations directly within Epic, eliminating the need to switch between windows or systems. This streamlined workflow enhances efficiency and simplifies the contact center/patient interaction.Similarly, RevSpring announced its virtual healthcare agent to enhance the patient and customer service staff experience. RevSpring president Nicole Rogas said, By combining AI, data-driven insights, and personalized engagement, we empower patients to better understand their financial obligations, simplify billing and payments, and easily access financial assistance.The market is flooded with AI-powered virtual agents, all promising to transform patient interactions through phone, text, and online chat. These solutions tap into dynamic knowledge bases to answer questions, automate tasks, and enhance self-service options. While many will offer similar capabilities, the real differentiator lies in how effectively they reduce staff workload and refocus healthcare teams on patient care.Cybersecurity ScareCybersecurity keeps every healthcare leader on high alert. During the Vegas event, a client I advised faced a potential security scare. I got a call warning of a possible compromise. Fortunately, it turned out to be a false alarm, with no signs of an actual intrusion. The organization had received a letter similar to the one Arctic Wolf posted. Carter Groome, Chief Executive Officer of First Health Advisory, a veteran in the information security space, said, "Weve seen a significant uptick in phishing, brute force, and social engineering attacks in the last couple of weeks." This trend will continue, and it will not stop.Healthcare CIOs continue strengthening their security posture while keeping up with the recent HIPAA updates. It will be interesting if the guidelines from the previous administration on HIPAA will stay. Carter Groome said, I'm not sure if that will even be considered, but if healthcare entities need the government to guide them on how to protect their business, they have bigger issues.HIMSS 2025 had great energy on the show floor, with new product announcements everywhere. Zafar Chaudry, Chief Digital Officer & Chief AI and Information Officer at Seattle Children's Hospital, summed it up and said, At HIMSS 2025, AI and efficiency took center stage, fueling the next wave of healthcare transformation.The question remains about how many of these products healthcare organizations will adopt and whether they will help them provide quality care at a lower cost.

Who are they? Richard Sutton and Andrew Barto are pioneers of reinforcement learning, a machine learning technique modern AI models utilize. Sutton is often referred to as the "father of reinforcement learning" and serves as a professor at the University of Alberta. Barto is a professor emeritus at the University of Massachusetts. Both scientists are not particularly pleased with how AI companies are applying their life's work. Richard Sutton and Andrew Barto won this year's Turing Award, considered the Nobel Prize for computing, for their significant contributions to machine learning development. The two researchers are now speaking out against OpenAI, Google, and other AI companies releasing potentially dangerous software to end customers. They criticized ChatGPT as just a money-making machine that will never produce a working artificial general intelligence (AGI).Sutton and Barto developed reinforcement learning (RL) during the 1980s, inspired by behaviorist psychology. Reinforcement learning is one of the three basic machine learning paradigms, along with supervised and unsupervised learning. Reinforcement learning teaches AI agents, through trial and error, to make decisions that achieve the most optimal results, similar to how humans learn.OpenAI, Google, and other corporations build their AI platforms with RL. Financial Times notes that Barto believes that bringing this kind of AI software to millions of people without safeguards is inherently wrong. Using a metaphor, Sutton and Barto pointed out that most or all AI companies are building a bridge and testing its structural integrity by opening it to the public.Barto says that sound engineering practices suggest that developers try to mitigate the negative consequences of technology. Neither OpenAI nor any other AI-focused company is doing that. Current AI models make errors, hallucinating non-existing "facts" with binary confidence, but the companies behind them are collecting billions of dollars in unprecedented funding campaigns."The idea of having huge data centers and then charging a certain amount to use the software is motivating things, and that is not the motive that I would subscribe to," Barto said. // Related StoriesFor-profit companies only seek money-making opportunities. The eventual event of one of them bringing the first (AGI) onto the world is just bragging rights; even those are leveraged to boost sales.Proponents of AGI think that this kind of superhuman, all-digital intelligence is almost here and will radically revolutionize technology and everything else. Sutton suggested that AGI is just a buzzword for marketing campaigns. Barto remarked that companies developing AI need to gain a better understanding of how the human mind works before they can responsibly build systems with human-level intelligence.

Table of ContentsTable of ContentsSmile 2 (2024)The Birdcage (1996)Contagion (2011)Like most streaming services, movies on Amazon Prime Video range from absolute classics to genuinely awful, with plenty of stuff in between. That means when youre looking for something to watch on Prime, you can find yourself stuck trying to decipher whether your options are any good.Thats why weve pulled together this list of three titles available on Prime Video that are well worth your time. Whether youre looking for psychological horror or uproarious comedy, this list should have something for you.Recommended VideosNeed more recommendations? Then check out the best new movies to stream this week, as well as the best shows on Netflix, best shows on Hulu, best shows on Amazon Prime Video, and best shows on Disney+.RelatedSmile 2 | Official Trailer (2024 Movie) - Naomi Scott, Lukas GageThe originalSmilewas a surprisingly successful horror movie when it hit theaters in 2022, but Smile 2 ups the ante in all the right ways. As the haunting smile makes its way to a troubled pop star, she begins to experience the usual blend of terror and torment and realizes that she cannot trust any piece of her own reality.The brilliance of Smileis the way it convinces its audience that this story could have a happy ending, only to pull you into a dark, sinister world. Although they have other kinds of scares, the Smile movies are about what its like to lose control of your own mind, and Smile 2 features an awe-inspiring performance from Naomi Scott at its center.You can watchSmile 2 on Amazon Prime Video.Birdcage (1996) Trailer | MGM StudiosGene Hackmans death has many revisiting some of his most iconic performances, but Hackman was never funnier than in The Birdcage. Hackman plays a conservative United States senator who slowly realizes that the boy his daughter is marrying was raised by two gay men. The Birdcagemines so much incredible comedy out of a relatively straightforward premise.The Birdcagemanages to be lightly political, even as it is also just one of the funniest movies ever made. Additionally, it doesnt hurt to have Robin Williams, Nathan Lane, and Diane Wiest alongside Hackman.You can watchThe Birdcageon Amazon Prime Video.Contagion (2011) Official Exclusive 1080p HD TrailerA movie that still feels a little haunting in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, ContagionContagion follows the story of a fictional disease spread across the United States, told from several different perspectives. Contagionalso strangely becomes a tribute to the competence of regular people whose job it is to manage unimaginable horrors. No one wants to live through a pandemic, but when one comes, you really want the right people in place to make sure it doesnt kill us all.You can watchContagionon Amazon Prime Video.Editors Recommendations

SpaceX has successfully launched the massive Starship rocket for the eighth time, and also landed the first-stage Super Heavy booster. But in a repeat of its last flight test in January, SpaceX lost the upper-stage Starship spacecraft before it could reach its targeted landing point in the Indian Ocean.The latest flight test of the most powerful rocket ever to fly got underway from SpaceXs Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas, at about 5:30 p.m. CT on Thursday, March 7.Recommended VideosLiftoff of Starship! pic.twitter.com/OL7moLdZ2u SpaceX (@SpaceX) March 6, 2025Please enable Javascript to view this contentMinutes after separating from the Starship spacecraft, the Super Heavy booster returned to the launch tower where it was secured by two giant mechanical arms. This is the third time for SpaceX to achieve the feat, and allows the company to reuse the booster for future missions.Mechazilla has caught the Super Heavy booster! pic.twitter.com/JFeJSdnQ5x SpaceX (@SpaceX) March 6, 2025But an anomaly caused the spacecraft to spin out of control, ending its mission ahead of time. SpaceX has landed the Starship in the Indian Ocean before, but on its last flight in January, and now on its latest test too, the spacecraft has suffered a catastrophic failure in flight.SpaceX issued a statement soon after Thursdays mission ended, saying: During Starships ascent burn, the vehicle experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly and contact was lost. Our team immediately began coordination with safety officials to implement pre-planned contingency responses. We will review the data from todays flight test to better understand root cause. As always, success comes from what we learn, and todays flight will offer additional lessons to improve Starships reliability.An investigation revealed that Januarys loss was linked to unexpected vibrations that occurred during the flight. The vibrations caused extra stress on the vehicle, leading to propellant leaks and fires that eventually caused the Starship to disintegrate. Its too early to say what went wrong in Thursdays mission.While SpaceX engineers will be feeling confident about their ability to bring home the Super Heavy booster, there is bound to be disappointment, if not concern, over the loss of the Starship in two consecutive missions.NASA is hoping to use the vehicle for the Artemis III mission, currently scheduled for 2027, in which a modified version of the Starship spacecraft will put the first woman and the first person of color onto the lunar surface. There is also hope that it will be used for the first crewed mission to Mars. SpaceX boss Elon Musk wants that to happen before the end of this decade, but some time in the 2030s seems more likely.Editors Recommendations

Revenue from custom AI chips soars, with more potential customers in the pipeline.

The New York company recently opened two underpowered productions: Jake Heggies 2010 adaptation of the Herman Melville classic, and Beethovens tale of a political prisoner and his wife featuring the star soprano Lise Davidsen.