December, 2017

45 Posts
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Mapping the Musical Genome:
The Lassus Family
According to popular legend, Orlande de Lassus, born in 1530 or 1532 in the Franco-Flemish province of Hainaut, was abducted three times because of the beauty of his voice! Probably pure fabrication, it nevertheless provides a fictional narrative that explains
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LEVINA, Z.A.: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 2
Piano Concerto No. 1 I. Allegro From LEVINA, Z.A.: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 2 (2017) Released by Capriccio Levina: Piano Concerto No. 1 – I. AllegroZara Aleksandrovna Levina was a pianist and composer. She was from a Jewish family.
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Destination Tokyo
You want to check out the city ahead of the crush of the 2020 Summer Olympics, here’s a bit of travel music to see the city. City sounds, traditional sounds, the modern and the antique are all part of Japanese
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Dmitry Kabalevsky
“Music helps children to see the world” Dmitry Kabalevsky was destined for a career in mathematics and economics, but his fascination with the arts steered his career in entirely different directions. Hailed by Soviet authorities as the guiding light of
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Preludes for Piano
There is a great tradition of prelude writing which stretches back to J S Bach, and beyond to the Renaissance, when musicians would use an improvisatory Praeludium (Prelude) as an opportunity to warm up fingers and check the instrument’s tuning
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Ring Bells! Sing Songs!: The Musical II
The musical changed during WWII – the themes were less fantastical, the stories were set in more realistic backgrounds, and the international exposure that so many people had during the war made its appearance on the stage.
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The Lighter Side of Music
French Cabaret
If you were looking for dinner and a song during the Second Empire in France—basically during the reign of Napoleon III from 1852-1870—the Parisian café-concert was the place to be. Providing a combination of food and entertainment that included strolling
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Dmitri Hvorostovsky (1962-2017)
Elvis of Opera
Affectionately known as “Dima” to his family and closest friends, Dmitri Hvorostovsky commanded the operatic stage with his smoldering good looks and one of the most distinctive voices of his time. His velvety yet dark-grained baritone timbre, seamless legato and
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