At age 19, Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873–1943) wrote his Op. 3, Morceaux de Fantaisie, including as its second movement, the Prelude in C sharp minor that would haunt him for years. Even considering the fame of the Prelude, all of the

Masaaki Suzuki, born on 29 April 1954 in Kobe, founded the Bach Collegium Japan in 1990. He simply wanted to introduce Japanese audiences to period instrument performances, and “to keep performing Bach cantatas one by one.” The ensemble began to

Today my husband and I were treated to the most overwhelming experience: hearing and seeing Der Rosenkavalier the comic opera in three acts by Richard Strauss transmitted live on Saturday April 15, 2023. How fortunate that those of us who

By 1915, Alexander Scriabin was working on a gigantic multi-media project called Mysterium. It was intended for performance in the foothills of the Himalayas over a period of seven days. “Bells suspended from clouds would summon spectators. Sunrises would be

A deceitful wife, an unsuspecting husband, three concealed suitors, and a room full of clocks: far from a simple farce, this one-hour comic opera is one of Ravel’s masterpieces. It was in 1911 that the world heard Ravel’s first opera:

Nikolai Lugansky has been described as a “pianist of extraordinary depth and versatility, capable of great refinement and crystalline beauty.” According to critics, “he combines elegance and grace with powerful virtuosity, and represents a true incarnation of the Russian tradition

Even people with no interest in classical music instantly recognized the famous “Minute Waltz” Op. 61, No. 1 by Frédéric Chopin. My mother, who never had any musical training, happily hums along as soon as she hears the first couple

The classical guitarist Miloš Karadaglić, probably better known by his first name Miloš, was born on 23 April 1983 in the Southeastern European country of Montenegro. Growing up during the Balkan wars, Montenegro was spared from direct conflict and Miloš