April, 2013

28 Posts
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Giuseppe Verdi: A True Revolutionary? A True Romantic?
Later mythologized as a true Italian, Giuseppe Verdi was born on October 10, 1813 in Busseto as a French subject, which seems to have disturbed him enough to lead him to represent that he had in fact been born in
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The Reversed Musicians
Left-handedness does not only affect one’s writing, it can also bring about problems when playing music. The truth is that most instruments are designed for right-handed people, making lefties seem disadvantaged in comparison. However, the elasticity of the human brain
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A Recipe for Success?
Verdi, Pacini,and Rossini
Almost immediately after the premiere of Oberto in 1839, a contemporary critic considered the question of Verdi’s personal musical style. “Many salient features of this style are not Signor Verdi’s own,” he wrote. “The crescendo and the use — not
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Searching for Aida
Verdi and Giuseppina Strepponi I
Giuseppe Verdi, Oberto, Tutto ho perduto! (Leonora) Scholars have suggested that the inherent pathos and drama of Verdi’s operas was the direct result of the composer attempting to cope with the cruel loss of his two infant children and the
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Frommel: Piano Sonatas nos.1-3
Piano Sonata No. 2 in F major, Op. 10 III Allegro Tatjana Blome From Frommel: Piano Sonatas nos.1-3 (2012) Released by Naxos Grand Piano Frommel: Piano Sonata No. 2 in F major, Op. 10 – III Allegro Gerhard Frommel rejected
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Bach Marathon
This all-day event at the Royal Albert Hall was a celebration of not one but two creative artists – J.S. Bach, and the conductor John Eliot Gardiner. Gardiner is 70 this year, and this Bach Marathon was principally led by
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Xavier de Maistre
The Prince of Harp Tall, charming, intelligent were words that came to my mind when I first met French harpist Xavier de Maistre for a recording session at a radio station. Xavier shines through his beautiful playing, eloquence, and polite
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Music to make Mona smile!
Throughout most of his life, the Renaissance polymath genius Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (1452-1519) kept a daily journal. He meticulously recorded daily events and engagements, including shopping lists and people who owed him money. Yet, these journals also
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