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Isolated, Cold, and Lonely
Schubert’s Winterreise
For all that the world assumes a frantic Christmas cheer, there remain those corners of the world where loneliness and cold seem to rule. If Schubert’s Die schöne Müllerin is a song cycle of spring and summer, albeit with a
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Isabella Colbran: The Tragic Story of Rossini’s Composer Wife
Although she and her talents were central to the work of her husband and creative partner Giacomo Rossini, there is no English language biography of Isabella Colbran. We want to change that. So consider this a basic overview of her
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Artur Schnabel the Composer
Artur Schnabel (1882-1951) is best known for the first recording of the complete cycle of Beethoven piano sonatas, which he issued between 1932 and 1935. He was never a virtuoso pianist but engaged with every nuance of meaning in the
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On This Day
18 July: Cherubini’s Lodoïska Was Premiered
Premiered on 18 July 1791 at the Théâtre Feydeau in Paris, Luigi Cherubini’s Lodoïska was immediately celebrated as a masterpiece. It ran for roughly 200 performances in Paris and was highly popular in the Germanic countries in the early 19th
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Refining Perfection
Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 “Eroica”
Beethoven’s orchestra in 1804, when he conducted the first performance of his Symphony No. 3, and Mahler’s orchestra a century later were very different. Developments in string technology, in brass and woodwind instrument construction, and in the very sound and
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On This Day
15 July: Hindemith’s Hin und Zurück Was Premiered
The operatic sketch Hin und Zurück (There and Back) was first presented at the Baden-Baden Music Festival on 15 July 1927. The Wikipedia entry, placing the premiere on 17 July will have to be amended, but that Music Festival was
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Viola d’amore: The Violin with Extras
The viola d’amore (or viol of love) is a violin with a difference. Instead of the usual 4 strings as on the violin, it can have up to 14 strings – seven bowed and seven that are ‘sympathetic’ strings, i.e.,
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On This Day
12 July: Richard Stoltzman Was Born
The American clarinettist Richard Stoltzman is known for his freely expressive style and individuality of phrasing and interpretation. A two-time Grammy Award Winner, Stoltzman is a captivating recitalist, chamber musician, and jazz performer, as well as a prolific recording artist.
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