When we think of concertos, except in very special cases, we think of an individual instrument (violin, flute, piano) and orchestra. In the case of Catalan composer Marc Timón, he’s replaced the orchestra with a cobla. The cobla is a

In imitation of the French model, salon culture developed in Russia in the second half of the 19th century in St Petersburg. French became the language of choice, as a substantial number of French noblemen and noblewomen had fled from

Argentinian composer José Antonio Bottiroli (1920–1990) started his career with works influenced by folk music of his country before going more international and following a more Romantic style. His piano music frequently has an improvisational character while his orchestral works

Let’s continue to explore more concertos for unique instruments. Einojuhani Rautavaara: Cantus Arcticus “Concerto for Birds and Orchestra,” Op. 61 Einojuhani Rautavaara (1928-2016) has been called “one of the most colourful and diverse figures in Finnish music. He is an

Alicia de Larrocha is universally recognized as one of the finest pianists of the 20th Century. Her extraordinary musical abilities emerged at a seriously young age, and she demanded piano lessons at the age of 3. Progressing rapidly, she was

In 1938, American composer Walter Piston (1894–1976) wrote his only ballet, The Incredible Flutist. The Boston Pops under Arthur Fieldler commissioned it and premiered it on 30 May 1938. At the premiere, Hans Wiener and His Dancers, with Orchestra, performed

Audiences can never resist a duel. For hundreds of years, audiences have enjoyed watching confrontations between virtuoso pianists that showcase both their technical prowess and competitive spirits. Today we’re looking at six of the most famous piano duels in the

Mauricio Kagel (1931–2008) wrote Exotica on commission for the 20th Olympic Games, held in 1972 in Munich. In the work, he explored the idea of confronting musicians with instruments they’d never played before and challenging them to come up with