March, 2018

48 Posts
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The Creativity Routine
Where does inspiration come from, the spark to create? ….even fairly mundane activities can feed in to the discovery of new insight, new knowledge and new means of expressing ideas in all sorts of ways – Professor John Rink
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Forgotten Cellists: Raya Garbousova
The eminent cellist, Raya Garbousova, had it all—a gorgeous cello sound, formidable technique, boundless energy, and movie-star allure. Born in Tbilisi, the Capital of the country of Georgia, in 1909, (there are some disputes about her age. Some sources list
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ROGER-DUCASSE, J.: Piano Works
Sonorités From ROGER-DUCASSE, J.: Piano Works (2017) Released by Grand Piano Roger-Ducasse: SonoritésJean Roger-Ducasse was a close friend of Debussy and a composer of considerable reputation in his day, one critic declaring that “all the best qualities of the French
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Life on the Road III
Life on the road sometimes takes unexpected turns. As we left the first part of our tour diary, midway through our week of six concerts in six days in Scotland, our singer had just lost her voice. Rapid replanning of
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The Voice as Pure Instrument
If there are two words that you cannot imagine in a row, it’s ‘coloratura’ and ‘concerto,’ but Russian composer Reinhold Glière wrote such a piece: his 1942 Concerto for Coloratura Soprano and Orchestra in F Minor, Op. 82. This work
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Composers of the World
In time for Women’s History Month, we should consider the women composers in our world. Hmmm. None come to mind? Expand your thoughts, think of bigger concepts. Think international. Chihchun Chi-sun Lee is a Taiwanese composer who studied in Taiwan
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Musical Voices of WWI (1914-18)
Vaughan-Williams, Stephan and Bliss
Ralph Vaughan Williams was already an established composer at the onset of the First World War. By 1914, he had created a considerable body of works, including two symphonies and various works for orchestra, an opera and a number of
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Placing Music in Context – An Interview with Ton Koopman
Ton Koopman will be coming to China and Hong Kong in May for 4 concerts that reflect many aspects of his career. His first two concerts, 20 May in Guangzhou and 25 May in Shanghai, are solid 18th century masterpieces
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