December, 2015

39 Posts
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Vianna Da Motta: Symphony, “À Pátria” / Inês de Castro / Impromptus (Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, A. Cassuto)
Symphony “A Patria” (to the Homeland) Op.13 II Adagio Molto From Vianna Da Motta: Symphony, “À Pátria” / Inês de Castro / Impromptus (Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, A. Cassuto) (2015) Released by Naxos Da Motta: Symphony “A Patria” (to the Homeland)
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The Kids of Perugia
David Ilana and I were invited to the Silk Road Piano Festival in Xian in 2014. Xian is famous for its thousands of terracotta soldiers buried in 210–209 BCE by a paranoid emperor, Qin Shi Huang, who wanted to make
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Niccolò Jommelli: Requiem
When Niccolò Jommelli died on 25 August 1774 in Naples, the composer Gennaro Manno organized a magnificent funeral attended by the most prominent musicians and writers in the city. However, since Jommelli was considered one of the most important and
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The Moon and Moonlight
Along with the usual terrestrial subjects, composers have not hesitated to look to the skies for inspiration, starting with our own moon. In 1920, Leoš Janáček took two popular Czech novels by Svatopluk Čech and created The Excursions of Mr.
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Christmas Ballets
Around Christmas time, opera houses around the world open their stages to special seasonal productions. And it doesn’t get more festive than watching your favorite Christmas ballet! Combining highly technical performance dance, choreography, music and lavish costumes and staging, the
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School Music Teachers: Mischief, Mayhem and Magic
Schoolteachers mold each new generation—what a responsibility. But when it comes to how we value educators who tops the list—the math or science teacher, the reading instructor or the basketball coach? In my book, music teachers are the heroes.
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Magnificat: Heavenly Muse
Many passages in the Gospel according to Luke read like poetry. Among the most beautiful chapters is the story of Christ’s nativity and childhood. In Luke 1:46-55, the angel Gabriel has visited Mary and announced that she will bring forth
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Claude Debussy – Music and the Artists of the Fin de Siècle
In 1902, after the successful debut of his opera Pelléas and Mélisande, Claude Debussy published many articles as a music critic under the pseudonym Monsieur Croche (similar to Paul Valéry’s pseudonym ‘Monsieur Teste’) in the ‘Revue Blanche’ and other publications.
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