August, 2024

86 Posts
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The Atypical Artist Spotlight Series
Evan Shinners – WTF Bach
Evan Shinners is the founder of ‘The Bach Store’, and perhaps the most adequate heir apparent to Glenn Gould and Wendy Carlos when it comes to reinventors, re-imaginers, and first-amongst-worshipers of J.S. Bach. With quotes like ‘Thank Bach for God’,
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On This Day
12 August: Gérard Poulet Was Born
Violinist Gérard (Georges) Poulet was born on 12 August 1938 in Bayonne in the south of France, and he won the Paganini Competition in Genoa at the age of eighteen. Poulet was never the most showy violinist, but from the
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The Magpie as Thief: Rossini’s La gazza ladra
Three of Rossini’s operas mark turning points in his development as an opera composer. Semiramide, Guillaume Tell, and La gazza ladra (The Thieving Magpie) each gather up a summary of his operatic development to that point and are made into
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We’ve Decided to Replace the Guest Conductor!
Credit: NPR Classical
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Seven Movies and TV Shows Filmed at Carnegie Hall
“How do you get to Carnegie Hall?” the old joke goes. “Practice, practice, practice,” is the customary response. However, if you’re feeling lazy, there is another easier way you can visit: by watching films or TV shows that use Carnegie
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At the Piano With Edvard Grieg
Lyric Pieces Books 5-7
One of my favourite quotes by Edvard Grieg reads, “Bach and Beethoven erected temples and churches on the heights. I only wanted to build dwellings for men where they might feel happy and at home.” It sounds a touch understated
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Bubbles – Many Different Kinds
When we think of bubbles, we think of floating air or just the utter joy of watching them catch the sunlight and turn to rainbow colours. In the driest definition, it’s ‘a thin sphere of liquid enclosing a gas’. Mostly.
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Gabriel Fauré and His Circle of Friends II
During his studies with Nadia Boulanger in Paris, American composer Aaron Copland (1900-1990) met France’s most important composers, including Saint-Saëns and Fauré. Once he had returned to America, Copland became an outspoken champion and advocate of Fauré’s music. He writes,
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