January, 2024

89 Posts
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Interlude Wishes You a Harmonious and Peaceful 2024!
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The Avant-Garde of 1760s London
Carl Friedrich Abel’s Symphony in D Major, WKO 41
English musician and historian Charles Burney, in his History of Music, vol. 2 (1782), credited three people with being the style leaders of the day: Felice Giardini, the director of the Italian opera theatre; J.C. Bach (London Bach), and Carl
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On This Day
5 January: Maurizio Pollini Was Born
The literary critic and cultural commentator Edward Said observed that “such complete satisfaction as offered by Maurizio Pollini’s consummately undemonstrative but unpretentious performances is very rarely found.” Pollini was able to conjure an infinite variety of tonal shades and inflections
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COVID in Music
Simaku’s Catena III, “Corona”
The piece opens with a crash that quickly fades away. This is Albanian-British composer Thomas Simaku’s piano work Catena III–Corona. A product of the first lockdown that started in March 2020, when about half the world’s population had to stay
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On This Day
4 January: Boris Berezovsky Was Born
Pianist Boris Berezovsky, born on 4 January 1969 in Moscow, has been described as “a player of dazzling virtuosity and formidable power.” Winner of the 1990 International Tchaikovsky Competition, he has established himself as a virtuoso pianist and a gifted
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Interview with Joanna Forbes L’Estrange
“I like to write music every choir can sing” Ahead of the release of her debut disc of choral music, I spoke to British composer, singer, and choir director Joanna Forbes L’Estrange about her influences and inspirations Your new album
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Sound and Feeling – ‘Emotional’ Dynamics
“Dynamics” in music refers to the variation in loudness or intensity of sound. The use of dynamics adds depth, emotion, and expressiveness to the music, and the term encompasses a wide spectrum of volume levels, from the softest pianissimo to
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On This Day
3 January: Donizetti’s Don Pasquale Was Premiered
The opera buffa Don Pasquale, which was first staged on 3 January 1843 by the Théâtre-Italien at the Salle Ventadour, was an instant success. No wonder, as it was introduced by four of the most celebrated singers of the day,
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