Surprising, as it may sound, some of the most intimate and convincing synergies between architecture and music were created in the 20th century. Take for example the “Philips Pavilion” designed to celebrate postwar technological progress for the World’s Fair Expo

If you are a connoisseur of classical music and an opera buff, today’s trivia question is going to be child’s play. Here it goes: What is the only theater still standing today in which Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart personally performed? Will

During the summer months of July and August, the city center of Vienna turns into a veritable assemblage of the United Nations. People from all corners and regions of the world visit the self-proclaimed “City of Music” to experience its

Viennese audiences, throughout the establishment of their city as a cultural and musical center, have not only been known for their artistic expertise, but also for their fickleness. A deep-seated reliance on musical and cultural traditions informed much of the

J. S. Bach: St. Matthew Passion, “Kommt ihr Töchter helft mir klagen” One of the most wonderful experiences while traveling in Europe is the ability to visit monuments, castles, churches and civic buildings, and the spaces within the urban or

Have you ever heard of Enrico Carella and Massimiliano Marchetti? There is really no reason why these names should be particularly memorable, except for the fact that these two knuckleheads deliberately set fire to one of the most famous opera

Giovanni Gabrieli, In ecclesiis I vividly remember my first visit to Venice. Mind you, I came prepared, at least in the literary sense, as I had eagerly plowed through various portrayals of the city in novels ranging from Lady Chatterley’s

Every year on 7 December something magical happens in the Italian city of Milan. For one, the city celebrates its patron saint Ambrose (340-397). A revered archbishop, he is widely recognized as one of the most influential ecclesiastical figures who