Growing up in Canada Arthur Kaptainis was held in awe in the music world. He has been the music critic of The Montreal Gazette since 1986 and served on the Gazette editorial board from 1991 to 1999 and 2003 to

Shanghai Prelude From WEN, Deqing: Shanghai Prelude / The Fantasia of Peony Pavilion / Variation of a Rose (2016) Released by Naxos Deqing Wen: Shanghai PreludeDeeply influenced by Chinese traditional arts and philosophy, Deqing Wen composes in a style that

For many countries, their National Anthems are symbols of their place in the world. They may reflect many different aspects of a country, sometimes listing nature’s bountiful beauties, sometimes giving an encapsulated history of a country, or reflecting a particularly

Frequently referred to as the ‘New Testament’ of piano music (Bach’s ‘Well-Tempered Clavier’ being the ‘Old Testament’), Beethoven’s 32 Piano Sonatas rank amongst the high Himalayan peaks of the pianist’s repertoire. The primary appeal of these pieces, aside from the

A serious infection robbed Antonio de Cabezón (1510-1566) of his eyesight at a very early age. Blindness, however, could not prevent him from becoming a master of keyboard performance during the Spanish Renaissance. In addition, Cabezón was a pivotal transitional

An airliner of the 21st century has relatively little in common with the pioneering efforts of the Wright brothers on a North Carolina beach. Although the basic principles of flight have not changed over the last century, the practical applications

The recent article in the New York Times (August 10, 2016) titled “On the Bauhaus Trail in Germany” by Charly Wilder reminded me of the importance of the Bauhaus, and of my own travels to the region in which the

“Minors of the Majors” invites you to discover compositions by the great classical composers that for one reason or another have not reached the musical mainstream. Please enjoy, and keep listening!