I hate going to shopping malls around Christmas time. It is still a great place to meet friends, the shops are beautifully decorated, and there are many exciting bargains to be had, so why do I hate it? My dislike

The city of Atami is located in Shizuoka Prefecture, at the northern end of the Izu Peninsula. Built on the steep slopes of a partially submerged volcanic caldera, the name of the city literally translates as “hot ocean.” That name

What do you get when you add a piano to a string trio? That’s right, you get a piano quartet. Pairing a violin, viola, and cello with a piano is basically the standard instrument lineup for this type of chamber

The harpsichordist and conductor William Christie is internationally famous as the founder of “Les Art Florissants.” This vocal and instrument group, performing English, French, and Italian Baroque repertory and Classical opera, takes its name from the 1685 opera of the

Credit: Ynske Heeringa on Facebook

Before Schubert, works for piano four-hands were associated with music for amateurs to be played at home. Music that was too much for one player was easier with more hands helping. The work’s title, Fantasie, although given in French, has

By 1937, David Oistrakh was considered the leading Soviet violinist. He had participated in a good number of competitions and was under tremendous pressure from the government during that time. Gennadi Rozhdestvensky wrote, “Young musicians who took part in competitions

Adrian Williams: Chamber Concerto, “Portraits of Ned Kelly” Many countries, particularly those with recent wild pasts, have their favourite bad guys – for the US, it can range from Billy the Kid in the 1880s, nicely made into a ballet