Let us continue with our exploration of unfinished classical masterpieces. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 7 Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 7 (Russian State Cinematographic Orchestra; Sergei Skripka, cond.) Roughly one year after completing his Fifth Symphony, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Rhythm, melody and harmony. This is the trinity behind all music, and the foundation of it. Rhythm, melody and harmony are the most basic elements, and the ones from which all musical progress has derived. A musician will spend a

Maria Malibran is one of the most intriguing and tragic figures in nineteenth-century operatic history, whose biography reads like an opera synopsis. She came from a renowned, influential, and extremely dysfunctional musical family. Her career was staggeringly successful. She sang

In her prime, Maria Callas was a symbol of jet-set elegance and a media phenomenon. Many credited Calles with one of the most dynamic bel canto voices in operatic history, yet her story of personal life often seemed to eclipse

Several years ago, I wrote an article entitled The Dog Ate My Music- Excuses for Not Practicing. Those of us who are musicians have tried these excuses with varying success; teachers have heard them all. Just like in other professions,

Let us continue with our exploration of unfinished classical masterpieces. Anton Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 “Finale” When Anton Bruckner died in 1896, he left a major symphony in D minor incomplete. Dedicated to “the beloved God,” this symphony No. 9,

Nuanced and colourful final chords of Gabriel Fauré’s Valse-Caprice in D-flat Major, Op. 38, performed by the 1st Prize Winner Manami Suzuki, provided the fitting conclusion for the 12th Hamamatsu International Piano Competition. It was a significant event as Manami

Hungarian composer Béla Bartók (1881–1945) wrote two ballets, one that has achieved some fame (The Miraculous Mandarin of 1926), but the other has faded from today’s stages. In its time, however, the first ballet, The Wooden Prince, was staged everywhere.