In essence

1707 Posts
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Albert Roussel and Blanche Preisach
Exotic Honeymoon
It has been said that there is no better way to celebrate your nuptials than going to an exotic honeymoon destination with your spouse and making it a magical and memorable event. I suppose, that’s exactly what Albert Roussel and
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Mozart’s Musical Journey
5 April 1778: Sinfonia Concertante, K. 297b
Wolfgang writes to his father from Paris on 5 April 1778. “I MUST now explain more, clearly what mamma alludes to, as she has written rather obscurely. Capellmeister Holzbauer has sent a “Miserere” here, but as the choruses at Mannheim
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Scenes from Oriental Life
Louis Étienne Ernest Reyer
In the preface of his 1829 collection of poems entitled “Les Orientales” Victor Hugo wrote, “in the age of Louis XIV one was a Hellenist, nowadays one has to be an orientalist.” French intelligentsia in the 19th century was clearly
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Mozart’s Musical Journey
29 March 1783: Piano Concerto in C major No. 13, K. 415
As always, Mozart provides his father Leopold with a detailed report of his concert activities at the Vienna Augarten. He writes on 29 March 1783: “I need not tell you much about the success of my concert, for no doubt
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Joan Tower: Paying Homage With a Unique Statement
The American composer Joan Tower has made her reputation as not only a composer but also as a pianist and conductor. Her works are bright and reflect her international upbringing, as well as her classical training.
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The Nancy Storace Project
We all have heard stories of how much Salieri and Mozart hated each other. Well, they really didn’t! Clearly they were competitors in the high-pressure, high-reward musical environment of Vienna with Salieri holding all the important government positions, but there
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Mozart’s Musical Journey
20 March 1784: Piano Concerto No. 14, K. 449
On 20 March 1784, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart sent his father the famous list of subscribers who paid an entrance fee of six gulden for three concerts at the Trattnerhof. “Here you have the list of all my subscribers,” he writes,
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Hector Berlioz: Enfant Terrible!
Whether we like it or not, Hector Berlioz is primarily associated with a single composition. Everybody knows his Symphonie Fantastique, but his religious works, the dramatic legends, his songs and even his operas are rarely scheduled for performance, and they
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