January, 2017

49 Posts
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French Geography or Classical Composers?
Chédeville Picturesquely located on the banks of the Loire River, the settlement of Chédeville has been famous for its cultivation of wine since prehistoric times. Truth be told, however, it hasn’t, as a city by this name is only found
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PUTS, K.: Symphony No. 2 / Flute Concerto
Flute Concerto: I. With great sincerity and affection; flexible, with motion From PUTS, K.: Symphony No. 2 / Flute Concerto (2016) Released by Naxos Puts: Flute Concerto: I. With great sincerity and affection; flexible, with motionAwarded the Pulitzer Prize in
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Composers and Their Poets: Debussy I
We associate the sound of Debussy with his ‘impressionist’ music of works such as Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune or his piano music. In some of his most important songs, however, we have more of a Germanic influence, i.e., Wagner.
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Niels Gade
“A distinctive Nordic Voice”
Although the public reception of the works of Niels Wilhelm Gade (1817-1890) was left untouched by political and cultural censorship, he never quite achieved the fame of Felix Mendelssohn and Robert Schumann. Nevertheless, Gade is still regarded as one of
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Unsung Concertos
Paul Hindemith: Klaviermusik mit Orchester, Op. 29
The pianist Paul Wittgenstein tragically lost his right arm in World War I. Nevertheless, Wittgenstein decided to continue his pianistic career by commissioning the leading composers of his day to write dedicated piano works for his left hand. Lured by
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Mozartwoche Salzburg 2017
Vienna Philharmonic: Yannick Nézet-Séguin/Rolando Villazón
1 February 2017Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Concert Arias for Tenor and Orchestra, KV 420, 431, 36, 21 The vast majority of Mozart’s independent arias is composed for the soprano voice. However, there are a handful of concert arias for the tenor
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Forgotten Pianists: Josef Hofmann
Pianist Josef Hofmann (1876-1957) was born outside Kraków, Poland, to music parents. His father was Kazimierz Hofmann, who was a noted composer, conductor of the Kraków theatre, and professor of piano and harmony at the Warsaw Conservatory; his mother was
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Steady as a Rock
Niels Gade, Sophie Hartmann, and Mathilde Staeger
As long as anybody could remember, Niels Gade had always been in love with music! He taught himself to play a variety of instruments, and started composing at a super early age. Once his musical education was formalized, he steadfastly
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