In classical music, the Romantic Era lasted from around 1810 to around 1910. That century gave us some of the most famous symphonies in the repertoire. Nineteenth-century composers like Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Dvořák, Schubert, Mahler, Rachmaninoff, and others elevated the symphony
Latest article
Spotlight
-
On This Day
5 January: Alfred Brendel was Born January 5th, 2023Alfred Brendel’s Family Background The legendary Alfred Brendel was born in Wizemberk, Czechoslovakia, on 5 January 1931. He considers himself a typical Austrian mix, with German as well as Austrian forebears, and a grandmother called Aloisia Guerra who came from -
Thoughts on Private Tuition January 4th, 2023 While many musicians learn from schools and academies, others learn from private teachers and through one-to-one lessons. But with all the different modes of education, teaching, and transmission of knowledge, there is a constant teacher, in common to all; the -
The Music of Poetry
Songs of Franz Liszt to Poetry by Victor Hugo II January 3rd, 2023Victor Hugo published his Les chants du crépuscule on 25 October 1835, as the second of four volumes commonly referred to as the July Monarchy collections. “Twilight Songs” includes a short preface, a prelude poem, and thirty-nine additional pieces. “If -
Dancing the Classics
Bach, Schubert, Debussy and Mozart January 2nd, 2023Bodily movement is such a natural and emotional response to music. I think that dance has been a part of human culture since the very beginning. It is a way of communicating, celebrating, and expressing an infinite number of feelings, -
On This Day
2 January: Pascal Amoyel Was Born January 2nd, 2023Pianist Pascal Amoyel has produced a number of award-winning recordings of the piano music of Liszt, Chopin, and Scriabin, and also received commendations for his duo performances with cellist Emmanuelle Bertrand. He has composed a number of smaller-scale compositions, but -
Happy New Year
Johann Strauss Jr.’s Die Fledermaus “Overture”: “The Bat” in Arrangement January 1st, 2023Ever since I was a little girl, my parents made me watch the New Year’s concert of the Vienna Philharmonic. Apparently, as they kept telling me, “it is good for you.” They needn’t have worried, because I loved to watch -
Nicholas Mulroy January 1st, 2023 Communicate Something Somehow to Everyone All the Time Tenor Nicholas Mulroy started his singing career in his native Liverpool’s cathedral choir, and after a hiatus from singing in his teen years, joined the chapel choir of Clare College, Cambridge, where -
Cellists and Their Composers
The Romantic Cello: Brahms Sonatas December 31st, 2022Cellists over the world relish playing the works of Johannes Brahms. The chamber music—his string quartets, piano trios, piano quartets, piano quintet, and the two string sextets are lush and rewarding to play. Brahms intended to perform the piano parts