Blogs

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Music Lab at Wilton’s Music Hall
The Hong Kong Music Series is part of a wider series of events marking the twentieth anniversary of the transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People’s Republic of China. The Hong Kong Special Administrative
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Pierre Henry (1927-2017)
“The Father of Modern Music”
A substantial number of classical music lovers have probably never heard the term “musique concrète.” It was coined by the French experimental musician and composer Pierre Schaeffer in 1948, and describes electroacoustic music that uses natural sounds—not electronically generated tones—as
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A special relationship
Thoughts on teachers and pupils
Music is the only field of study that requires regular and extended one-to-one interaction between student and teacher. The student-teacher relationship is a very special one, based on mutual trust and respect. Young students are often hungry for knowledge and
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Forgotten Pianists: Magda Tagliaferro
Magda Tagliaferro (1893-1986) was born in Brazil to French parents and learned piano from her father, who had studied at the Paris Conservatoire with Raoul Pugno. With the encouragement of Pablo Casals, Magda also attended the Paris Conservatoire, entering it
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Ending with a Crash and Series of Tinkles: Andy Akiho’s Ricochet
Andy Akiho’s new concerto, Ricochet, takes the idea of rhythm and makes it the center point of his whole piece. The piece opens with an extensive violin solo, but not a cadenza in the way that we’ve come to expect
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Dvořák’s Legacy
Jiří Bělohlávek (1946-2017)
Acknowledged as “the most profound proponent of Czech orchestral music,” conductor Jiří Bělohlávek has died aged 71. He is best remembered for his radiant interpretations of Janáček and Martinů, two towering voices that forcefully carried the rich legacy of Czech
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Not your Grandma’s Harpsichord
Elisabeth Chojnacka (1939-2017)
I am sure you have seen popular culture caricatures of double-chinned, middle-aged chaps with fluffy powdered-wigs playing keyboard instruments producing a metallic sound? The instrument, of course, is the harpsichord and it has been around for a while. The earliest
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Forgotten Pianists: Mieczysław Horszowski
At his death at age 100, just one month short of his 101st birthday, the Polish and later American pianist Mieczyslaw Horszowski (1892-1993) had one of the long-lasting careers in the performing arts. His age puts him with other pianists
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