November, 2016

39 Posts
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Unsung Concertos
Sergei Bortkiewicz: Piano Concerto No. 1, Op. 16 (1913)
Sergei Bortkiewicz (1877-1952) described himself as a romantic and a melodist, and he had an emphatic aversion of what he called modern, atonal and cacophonous music. His musical style builds on the sounds and structures of Chopin, Liszt and the
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Gesture in Piano Playing, Part 2
In my previous article on gesture, I talked about the physical gestures we can employ to influence and enhance the quality of our sound and how we can create certain effects at the piano, such as staccato, a rich cantabile
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Minors of the Majors
Johannes Brahms: Deutsche Volkslieder
“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!
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Movers and Shakers of Music World
The God among Impresarios: Alessandro Lanari (1787-1852)
Of the three great impresarios of 19th century Italy (Domenico Barbaja, Alessandro Lanari, Bartolomeo Merelli), Lanari stands out as the one who commissioned the most operas that have lasted to this day: Gaetano Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor and L’Elisir d’Amore,
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Mahler beyond the Couch
The 2010 film “Mahler on the Couch” provided a fictional reconstruction—dressed up as a grand historical drama—of the famous therapy session involving Sigmund Freud and Gustav Mahler! We do know that the meeting actually did take place, but how did
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Behind the Curtain
Tea for Two, and Two for Tea?
It all started with Hector Berlioz and his Evenings with the Orchestra! A group of bored musicians is stuck in a small town playing overrated operas. With nothing else to do, they tell tales, read stories and exchange gossip about
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Remembrance
Durufle: Requiem Op. 9 V. Pie Jesu From Remembrance (2016) Released by Harmonia Mundi Durufle: Requiem Op. 9 V. Pie JesuGraham Ross directs the Choir of Clare College, Cambridge in a wide-ranging and moving sequence of music for Remembrance, including
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Composers and their Poets: Beethoven I
When we think of Beethoven (1770-1827), we think of his orchestral music – great symphonies that brought a century-old genre forward. By the end, it wasn’t enough to have a large orchestra, he also had to have a chorus as
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