August, 2019

42 Posts
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Pianists Behaving Badly
‘From the outset all manner of unacceptable behaviour, whether manifesting itself emotionally in false rapture or facial grimace, the stamping of feet to mark the rhythm, accompanied by an all-embracing unsightly body movement, the shaking and nodding of the head
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Theodor Wiesengrund Adorno (1903-1969)
“Behind Every Work of Art Lies an Uncommitted Crime”
Some consider him one of the most important philosophers and social critics in Germany after World War II, while others declare him to be “preposterously over-rated.” Whatever the case may be, Theodor Wiesengrund Adorno (1903-1969) was a leading member of
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Playing Music Is It for Everyone?
People are exquisitely attuned to sound from our very beginnings, through our mother’s soft cooing voice, which leads to language. Music has had a special place in the hearts and minds of virtually all cultures across time. The discovery of
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Silvestrov Piano Works
Naive Music no. 7 Waltz Elisaveta Blumina From Silvestrov Piano Works (2013) Released by Grand Piano Silvestrov: Naive Music – no. 7 WaltzAbout Valentin Silvestrov (b. 1937) This recording is devoted to piano works, by the Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov,
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Music’s Dark Side
Are you threatened by the music you like? We’ve seen it all too often, a composer or popular musician is found out to have a dark side. Does this change how much their music once meant to you? For most
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Liszt’s Ultimate Masterpiece – the B Minor Piano Sonata
Liszt’s B-minor piano sonata is regarded by many as his ultimate masterpiece and it ranks alongside other “greats” in the pantheon of piano repertoire. This was not always the case, however, and in the nineteenth century it was met with
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The Maharaja of Music
Nikhil Sardana explores the strangely uncelebrated story of an Indian maharaja’s invaluable contribution to Western classical music. The year was 1948. Europe was limping back to normalcy after seven terrible years of a world war. Richard Strauss had managed to
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Médée in Salzburg: When Visuals Devour Their Musical Children
Luigi Cherubini’s Medea is nothing if not firmly and consistently associated with Maria Callas. The Greek American soprano revived this masterpiece from relative obscurity, and committed it to stage, disc, film, but most importantly to legend. Any Medea needs to
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