The love story between Robert and Clara Schumann is often regarded as one of the most romantic in classical music history. Happily for historians, many of their love letters survive. They document their inner thoughts and emotions, as well as
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On This Day
19 March: Isabelle Faust Was Born March 19th, 2023Isabelle Faust was born in Esslingen, near Stuttgart, on 19 March 1972. When her father decided to take up the violin as a hobby, he took his five-year-old daughter along during his lessons. While her father only showed modest talents, -
New Recording of Chamber Music by Luis Humberto Salgado
An Interview With Dr. Ketty Wong-Cruz March 18th, 2023Luis Humberto Salgado (1903-1977) was a well-known figure in the musical world of Quito, Ecuador. Although he was a prolific composer, much of his music was unperformed and unpublished during his lifetime. Recently, Dr. Ketty Wong, and the ensemble Kansas -
“Narrative of a Dying Love”
Othmar Schoeck’s Elegie March 18th, 2023The world of music is numerously populated by compositions that openly celebrate courtship, love, sex, and marriage. Equally numerous, although less overtly advertised, are works that exult in the suspension of a partnership, the break-up of a relationship, or the -
On This Day
18 March: Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 4 Was Premiered March 18th, 2023On 18 March 1927, audiences in the city of Philadelphia, USA were in high anticipation as Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra had invited Sergei Rachmaninoff as the soloist for the premiere of the composer’s Fourth piano concerto in G -
Martinů’s Experiments with Jazz March 17th, 2023 Czech composer Bohuslav Martinů (1890–1959) started his music career as a violinist, giving his first public performances at age 15. Townspeople supported his career and at age 16, he was given funding to attend the Prague Conservatory. He didn’t take -
On This Day
16 March: Roger Norrington Was Born March 16th, 2023The historically informed performance movement has opened up the realm of interpretation by enriching the subjectivity of artistic expression with the objectivity of scholarly study. And while critics have suggested that such performances are not really historical but a performance -
Classical Music as a Constantly Evolving Organism
An Interview with Clarissa Bevilacqua March 16th, 2023A recent Nimbus recording brings us the violin music of American composer Augusta Read Thomas. Professor of Composition at the University of Chicago and founder of the University of Chicago’s Center for Contemporary Composition, Thomas can be considered on the -
Musicians, Artists and Poets
Paulus, Rivers and O’Hara March 15th, 2023Poetry and Music Inspired by “Washington Crossing the Delaware” In 1953, the New York painter Larry Rivers, considered the either Godfather or Grandfather of Pop art, took up an All-American subject, General George Washington’s crossing of the Delaware. To most