It’s still quite unusual these days to attend a concert where the programme begins with a quiet and/or slow piece. Often performers have a favourite “warm up” piece, one with which they feel very comfortable, which is a helpful way

In his ground-breaking pre-Surrealist drawings, the French illustrator Grandville (born Jean Ignace Isidore Gerard) (1803–1847) created worlds of anthropomorphic vegetables and zoomorphic figures that would influence artists up through the 20th century. His 1843 book Un autre monde (Another World),

We always listen to music, whether voluntarily or involuntarily. Recently, I met my friends at a music conference that was held at a casino resort. Our conversation about classical music in our lives began when we heard Beethoven’s Ode to

Franz Liszt divides opinion. For some he is regarded as one of the greatest pianist-composers of the Romantic era; for others, he is a showman and a charlatan who wrote vulgar, showy music. In fact, he was a remarkable musician

Pianist Yunchan Lim exploded onto the international music scene in 2022 when he won the gold medal at the prestigious Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, joining the ranks of past winners like Radu Lupu and Olga Kern. Yunchan Lim was

One of the new artistic partners of The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Tabea Zimmermann is an astounding artist, multiple award-winning violist, and a mesmerizing personality. Currently the artist in residence with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, previously holding the same

New York audiences and music lovers were treated to a momentous occasion in May 1891. Specifically, they witnessed the inaugural concert at Carnegie Hall, a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 5 May 1891. Carnegie Hall

Here is a racy story for an operatic play. Imagine a Caribbean island under colonial rule as the site of an interracial love story that ends with a kiss onstage. So what, I hear you say, it’s 2023 after all.