October, 2018

51 Posts
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Orchestral Pipe Dreams
Symphonic Works with Organ II
Félix-Alexandre Guilmant (1837–1911) was one of the first performers and composers in a long line of French organists who took advantage of the versatility of the symphonic pipe organ. Devoted to the organ from an early age, he went to
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The Pianist’s Mystique
The concert pianist cuts a romantic, almost mysterious image: alone on the stage with only a shiny black minotaur of a concert grand for company, the pianist exists in a place other than ours, elevated – both physically and metaphorically
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When Touring Orchestras Face Travel Hell
Picture this: A touring orchestra in Travel Hell: one-hundred musicians, a team of staff, a cargo plane full of instruments, sheet music and equipment, unexpectedly brought to a halt. The performance, scheduled years in advance, in a famous concert hall,
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CPE Bach – Concertos for Cello & Symphony H. 648
Concerto for violoncello, strings and basso continuo H. 432 (Wq 170) A minor III. Allegro assai From CPE Bach – Concertos for Cello & Symphony H. 648 (2018) Released by Harmonia Mundi C.P.E. Bach: Concerto for violoncello, strings and basso
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La scala di seta (Farsa Comica)
Teatro “Cesare Caporali” sits in Panicale Umbria. Panicale is a jewel of a historic town as so many are in Umbria. You’ve never heard of it just as I’ve never heard of it either until 4 years ago, in spite
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Sibelius: Violin Concerto (revised version)
Premiered Today in 1905
The violin concerto by Jean Sibelius is, without doubt, one of the most frequently recorded and performed concertos. However, things did not look all that promising after the first public performance in Helsinki on 8 February 1904. Originally, Willy Burmester
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Concerts: A Social Affair
We go to concerts for a variety of reasons: to be moved emotionally, to be entertained, and as a social event. There was a time, prior to the nineteenth century, when engaging with what is now generally called “classical music”
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The Concert Preacher: Music in the Service of Politics?
When Polish pianist Krystian Zimerman told American audiences during his debut recital at Disney Hall in Los Angeles “Get your hands off my country,” he stirred up the seemingly endless debate whether classical music and political advocacy can or should
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