June, 2018

51 Posts
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“The Family is Excellent”
Charles Gounod and Anna Zimmerman
Pierre-Joseph Zimmerman was well established on the Parisian musical scene as a retired Conservatoire piano professor with many accomplished students to his credit. Together with his beautiful wife Hortense and their four daughters, the family entertained a lively salon that
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Violin Concertos (British) – PATTERSON, P. / LEIGHTON, K. / JACOB, G.
Violin Concerto – II. Andante espressivo From Violin Concertos (British) – PATTERSON, P. / LEIGHTON, K. / JACOB, G. (2017) Released by Naxos Gordon Jacob: Violin Concerto – II. Andante espressivo Written for soloist and string orchestra, the Concerto by
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LA GIOCONDA
Teatro Valli, Reggio Emilia, 8 April 2018
P: “May I get a ticket for Emilia-Romagna?” CASHIER: “Emilia-Romagna? Which city?” P: “The city of Emilia-Romagna.” CASHIER: “Signore, Emilia-Romagna is not a city! It’s a region!!” P: “Wow! Really?” Briefly, I refocused. CASHIER: “Milano? Bologna? Reggio Emilia? P: “Ah!
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Wagner: Die Feen (The Fairies)
Premiered Today in 1888
When Richard Wagner died on 23 February 1883, his first complete opera Die Feen (The Fairies) had still not been performed in public. That premier had to wait until 29 June 1888, yet regardless, the work never established itself in
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When Boys are Girls
We looked last time at the role women could play in taking over voice types that don’t exist anymore – with the demise of the castrato and the changing taste in opera, women had more opportunities on the stage. However,
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The Chirogymnast
The importance attached to virtuosity at the beginning of the 19th century is evidenced by the publication of an enormous number of new methods for piano. The great majority was directed towards the acquisition of practical and technical perfection in
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The Hong Kong International Operatic Singing Competition 2018
The Hong Kong International Operatic Singing Competition 2018 starts on 29 June, after more than two years spent in establishing this new competition. It began with an idea from the offices of Musica Viva, a Hong Kong-based music institution better
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Janáček: Sinfonietta
Premiered Today in 1926
Leoš Janáček (1854-1928) was a married man of 63 and Kamila Stösslová a married woman of 25 when they met in a Moravian spa in the summer of 1917. What might have turned into an innocent and transient infatuation became
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