February, 2025

70 Posts
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Bach Babies in Music
Leopold Augustus Bach (1718-1719)
A raging family feud soured Bach’s working environment in Weimar in 1717. The Duke of Weimar, William Ernest, who resided at the “Wilhelmsburg” household, became a sworn enemy to his nephew, Ernst August, who lived at the “Rote Schloß.” As
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Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina’s (1525-1594) fame in music history is unmatched. While most of his predecessors and contemporaries faded from view, Palestrina maintained his prestige at an ever higher level for 200 years after his death. As Lawrence B. Porter
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Seven of Leonard Bernstein’s Lovers
Composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein was famous not only for his compositions and performances but for his love of people and his wide-ranging love life. In late 2023, Bradley Cooper released a biopic called Maestro, which charts Bernstein’s life, with
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From John Field to Alexander Scriabin
The Russian Nocturne
In our last blog we listened to some of the most beautiful Nocturnes by John Field. He is considered the father of the Nocturne, and his smaller-scale character pieces emerged from a growing salon culture throughout Europe. Field made fantastic
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SeokJong Baek
“Consistency is the Key to Confidence” A tenor of ‘thrilling vocalism’ (The Stage) and ‘technical perfection’ (The Arts Desk), SeokJong Baek has quickly made a name for himself as one of the most accomplished young singers of his generation. Turandot:
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A Requiem Worth Hearing
Józef Kozłowski’s Requiem
In 2023, Music Director Hans Graf restored Osip (Józef) Kozłowski’s 1798 Requiem in its original version and recorded it with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. While that story holds interest, it’s the music itself that will captivate you. Polish-born Kozłowski (1757/9-1831)
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