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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Musicians and Artists: Liszt, Raphael, and Michelangelo March 2nd, 2023 Franz Liszt: Années de pèlerinage (Years of Pilgrimage) Over his life, Franz Liszt (1811–1886) travelled widely. From his start in Hungary, through his first concerts as a child, his training in Vienna, his life in Paris, living with Countess Marie -
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2 March: Haydn’s “Drumroll Symphony” Was Premiered March 2nd, 2023Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) was already considered the greatest living composer when the impresario Johann Peter Salomon invited him to compose and conduct first six, and later six more symphonies for the cosmopolitan audiences in London. The British press hailed him -
George Fu March 1st, 2023 Reconciling Worlds Described as ‘one of the most exciting young pianists of our time’ (Arts Desk), pianist-composer George Fu is based in London but splits his time between Europe and the US, where he has performed at venues including the -
Toni Morrison and André Previn
Four Songs for Soprano, Cello, and Piano February 28th, 2023Toni Morrison (1931-2019) was the first African-American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. Her best-selling works explored black identity in America, and in particular the often-crushing experiences of black women. She authored 11 novels, children’s books, and a -
The 10 Most Exciting Double Concertos February 27th, 2023 There is an old saying that “two heads are better than one” when it comes to reasoning and perceptual decision-making. That might well be true, but are two soloists in classical music better than one? This seems a tricky question -
History and Invention of the Player Piano February 26th, 2023 It sits there in the corner of the living room, dark, foreboding, and challenging all to make it show its true potential. The key home instrument for the rising middle class was the piano. The mark of gentility was knowing -
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26 February: Giuseppe Tartini Died February 26th, 2023Once Giuseppe Tartini returned to Padua from his two-year stay in Prague, he quickly set up his famous violin school “La scuola delle nazioni” in 1728. By that time he already had an international reputation, which brought students from all -
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25 February: Enrico Caruso Was Born February 25th, 2023Enrico Caruso, born on 25 February 1873 in Naples, was considered the greatest tenor of the century. For one, that assessment is based on the exceptional appeal of his voice, “fusing the full burnished timbre of a baritone with a