August, 2014

38 Posts
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Italianize Yourself
From Jacob Liebmann Beer to Giacomo Meyerbeer
The composer Jacob Liebmann Beer (1791-1864), frequently described as the most successful stage composer of the 19th century, is more commonly known under his stage moniker Giacomo Meyerbeer. That name arguably represents the best combination of his parents’ names, Jakob
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Talking with the Talich
We were recently in Paris, speaking with the 2 members of the Talich Quartet. Vladimír Bukač, Violist and Roman Patočka, Violin II, took time out from their busy concert schedule to sit down with us.
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Robert Kyr: The Cloud Of Unknowing
Part II “Songs Of Dawn”: V. Surrendering From Robert Kyr: The Cloud Of Unknowing (2014) Released by Harmonia Mundi Robert Kyr: The Cloud Of Unknowing Part II “Songs Of Dawn”: V. SurrenderingCraig Hella Johnson leads Conspirare, soprano Estelí Gomez, baritone
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Lullaby of Tears
Claude Debussy: Berceuse héroïque
The Battle of the Somme was fought between 1 July and 18 November 1916. One of the largest and most brutal engagements of the First World War, almost one million men were wounded or killed! Among them was the young
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On Pilgrimage with Murakami and Liszt
Haruki Murakami’s latest novel, Colourless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage, has just been released and there’s that curious phrase in the title: “Years of Pilgrimage.” The reference, of course, is to Franz Liszt’s celebrated piano works about his
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An Introduction to East meets West – featuring Jonathan James
Now well into the second decade of the twenty-first century, we well and truly live in a global age. News breaks across the globe within minutes; we enjoy food from the other side of the planet in our own kitchens;
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Singing the Country
Joseph Canteloube (1879-1957) was a skilled composer but it’s for his unique preservation (and improvement) of the songs of his area of France that he is best remembered. Canteloube came from a départment in south central France called the Auvergne.
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“I drink, therefore I am”
Modest Mussorgsky
When the legendary British surreal comedy outfit “Monty Python” announced a reunion show in 2014, tickets sold out in a matter of minutes and additional shows had to be hastily arranged. Performing in London’s O2 Arena, satellite live feeds broadcast
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