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On This Day
21 May: Heinz Holliger Was Born
He may well be one of the most versatile and extraordinary musical personalities of our time. The conductor, composer, oboist, and pianist Heinz Holliger has never stopped searching for the limits of human experiences. Celebrated for his versatility and technique,
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On This Day
20 May: Alexandre Kantorow Was Born
In 2019, Alexandre Kantorow won the first prize, gold medal, and Grand Prix at the 16th International Tchaikovsky Competition, becoming the first French winner in the history of the competition. Kantorow struck the piano world with the impact of a
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Why Learning to Play the Piano or Any Musical Instrument Saves Lives Part II
“Once you’ve sung in a choir, or played in a band or orchestra, or played in any music ensemble, you’re never the same again. Your ears, your eyes, and your heart are opened up in ways not possible by any
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On This Day
19 May: Ravel’s L’heure Espagnol Was Premiered
Maurice Ravel presented his one-act opera L’heure Espagnol, probably most idiomatically translated as “How They Keep Time in Spain,” at the Opéra-Comique on 19 May 1911. Based on the play by Franc-Nohain, which enjoyed great success at the Odéon in
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On This Day
18 May: Samson François Was Born
He supposedly felt physically ill when playing Brahms, and he considered the Beethoven sonatas boring because of their plastic imperfection. But what delighted him beyond all measure was to play Mozart on an old, out-of-tune Erard grand piano. Samson Pascal
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What Happened to Mozart’s Children?
Composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and singer Constanze Weber were married on 4 August 1782. Their courtship had been dramatic. They had started dating the summer of the previous year (after Wolfgang had initially fallen in love with Constanze’s sister). They
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Gustav Mahler’s Final Journey
If you find yourself in Vienna with a bit of free time on your hands, you might well consider taking a short excursion to Grinzing. This charming old wine village still preserves architectural objects from Roman times, but it is
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Where Did the Inspiration Go?
Is it true that success removes inspiration and the drive to create and explore? If it does not happen to all, it is certainly observable with many. Particularly with recent composers and artists. Throughout the first quarter of the 21st
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