March, 2013

25 Posts
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Premiere at “La Scala”
Verdi, Lavigna and Rossini
Giuseppe Verdi was one of the most precocious musical talents of all times. At age three, he was given a spinet and took up studies with Don Pietro Baistrocchi, organist at his home village of Roncale. When Baistrocchi passed away
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How to say, “I do” in style!
Leopold I
Joseph I Regina coeli Leopold I Sonata piena Laudate Pueri Johann Heinrich Schmelzer Arie per il baletto a cavallo: Corrente per l’intrada di S.M.C. Antonio Bertali Missa Sancti Spiritus Kyrie Gloria Credo Sanctus Agnus Dei Antonio Caldara Te Deum laudamus
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John Dowland
Flow my tears! According to various theories of personality differences, regardless whether they are based on a biological, psychological or social analysis, each human being belongs to one of four types of basic temperament, or “humours.” The Sanguine bodily temperament,
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In touch with Dai Bo
When none of the primary schools in the northeast Chinese town of Dalian would admit the then seven-year old Dai Bo, his parents bought him a piano. Little did they know that Dai Bo would grow up to be an
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The Edge of Light – MESSIAEN and SAARIAHO
Messiaen Huit Préludes I : La Colombe Gloria Cheng, piano Calder Quartet From The Edge of Light – MESSIAEN and SAARIAHO (2013) Released by Harmonia Mundi Messiaen: Huit Préludes – I : La Colombe Grammy® Award-winner Gloria Cheng (“an invaluable
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It only happens every 5000 years:
Wagner, Cosima and Judith
Cosima Liszt was the illegitimate daughter of the Hungarian pianist and composer Franz Liszt and his mistress, Marie, Comtesse d’Agoult. In order to continue his independent lifestyle — he also forbade contact between mother and daughters — Franz placed Cosima,
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Music 101 – A Foray into Understanding Classical Music
Introduction to Classical Music I’ve been a professional classical musician for more decades than I care to disclose. By far the most common comment I’ve heard (other than, “Why, that cello is bigger than you are!) is— “I don’t know
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Richard Wagner’s Concept of the ‘Gesamtkunstwerk’
In many of Wagner’s theoretical writings, such as “Die Kunst und die Religion” (Art and Religion – 1849), “Das Kunstwerk der Zukunft” (The Artwork of the Future – 1849) and “Oper und Drama” (Opera and Drama – 1852), the concept
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