He is probably never going to live down that earworm canon, but Johann Pachelbel, baptised on 1 September 1653, is the most famous of a long line of composers working in or around Nuremberg. For the longest time, Pachelbel was

Violinist Vadim Repin combines fiery passion with impeccable technique, poetry, and sensitivity. To be sure, he can master the most dangerous challenges with an almost provocative serenity. In fact, the great Yehudi Menuhin once stated that Repin is “simply the

Mezzo-soprano Bernarda Fink has made her mark in the world of classical music by concentrating on concert and recital repertories. One of the most sought-after singers in the baroque repertoire, she has worked with René Jacobs, John Eliot Gardiner, and

As soon as Richard Wagner had put the finishing touches on Lohengrin on 28 April 1848, he got embroiled in the revolutionary stirrings of the 1848 Revolutions. In Dresden, barricades were erected and the king presented with demands for democratic

Once Lenny Bernstein, born on 25 August 1918 had graduated from Boston Latin High School, it was time to choose a university. He applied to Harvard, and although his grades had been high, his chances of getting into that most

Escaping his hectic work schedule in 1932, George Gershwin visited Havana, the capital city of Cuba. At that time, Cuba was a highly popular tropical retreat for wealthy Americans, “as well as a convenient place to consume liquor during the

By the death of Jules Massenet on 13 August, writes a correspondence for the Musical Times “France loses her most popular and most famous composer.” Contemporary critical assessment was rather less complimentary. “Massenet’s prolonged and widespread success,” according to Fuller

One of the most influential composers in the second half of the twentieth century, John Cage (1912-1992) was a leading figure of the post-war avant-garde. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, he