When I was a young cello student, I was reprimanded for moving too much when I played. My teachers would say, “Don’t beat your foot! Don’t wiggle! It’s too distracting.” I just couldn’t play a Brahms Cello Sonata without moving,

André Campra: Sanctus From André Campra – Messe de Requiem (2013) Released by Harmonia Mundi André Campra: SanctusCampra: the missing link between Lully and Rameau? A rather simplistic view that meant this native of Aix-en-Provence was long excluded from the

Performers with extraordinary talent were often accused of having made a pact with the devil to achieve their seemingly un-human abilities. We’ve already seen the temptation of Tartini. This accusation has been levelled against performers from violinist Nicolò Paganini in

Like practically every composer working in the nineteenth century — regardless of their origin or nationality — Antonin Dvořák (1841-1904) was profoundly nationalist in many respects. In fact, he was expressively patriotic regarding Czech rights within the German dominated Habsburg

The 38th International Maria Callas Grand Prix will take place in Athens this autumn after a two-year hiatus brought about by the economic and political difficulties in Greece. The competition started life in 1975, immediately after the restoration of democracy

Modest Mussorgsky’s piano work Pictures at an Exhibition take us on a tour around an art gallery of the work of the Russian artist and architect Viktor Hartmann. The seemingly passive title might be clearer if we look at the

The Paganini of the 18th CenturyThe violinist Pietro Antonio Locatelli (1695-1764) was widely known as the “Paganini of the eighteenth century.” As a performer Locatelli systematically explored the uncharted regions of the instrument, including left-hand extensions, double and triple stops,

In Germany, in the early years of the 20th century, with rapid industrialization and growing urban populations, we see a return to, and a longing for, the simpler past of rural life, in opposition to the fast-paced life of the