This catchy little phrase is part of the current classical music marketing for London’s Southbank Centre (which includes the Royal Festival Hall). It’s a great statement because it’s true: nothing beats the experience of live music. A recording is a

After many decades of performing, one would think everything that could possibly go wrong has… Wrong! Or am I a magnet for snafus? Last month, my pianist and I drove the two hours to a University in a nearby town.

The Austrian composer Joseph Marx (1882-1964) led Austrian musical culture and after his death, seemed to vanish completely from the musical scene. Born in Graz, he studied philosophy, art history, German studies, and music at the University of Graz. In

Long before the recent cultural revolution that wants us to slow down the pace of our lives known as the Slow Movement, we had the slow movement in music. Composers have always known that to balance their music, there needed

Richard Strauss (1864 –1949) was the major German opera composer of the late 19th to the mid-20th century. His life and music were controversial during his lifetime and remained so after his death. One can argue about his music, his

“Love Is the Idler’s Occupation, the Warrior’s Relaxation, and the Sovereign’s Ruination” At the height of his powers, Napoleon Bonaparte had established an empire that dominated much of continental Europe at the beginning of the 19th century. He was, and

Polish pianist Rafał Blechacz, laureate of all the five first prizes in Chopin piano competition in 2005 at the age of 20, gave a compelling recital in Taipei with a programme of Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann and Chopin. Blechacz’s Mozart Rondo

If you enjoy snow-covered endless plains, quaint traditional villages or splendidly illuminated cities, the ringing of church bells, hearty foods and a swift sleigh ride, you might enjoy spending your Christmas season in Russia. But you better get the timing