Specific cities have inspired a huge amount of classical music over the years. Today, we’re looking at a selection of classical works explicitly connected to major cities, examining how each composer responded to each place. Some pieces reflect civic pride
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On This Day
21 December: András Schiff Was Born December 21st, 2022The philosophical argument titled the “lottery of birth” avers, “no one chooses the circumstances into which they are born.” Essentially, we do not choose to exist and we are faced with a world that we played no part in creating. -
Not So Silent Night December 20th, 2022 I hate going to shopping malls around Christmas time. It is still a great place to meet friends, the shops are beautifully decorated, and there are many exciting bargains to be had, so why do I hate it? My dislike -
On This Day
20 December: Mitsuko Uchida Was Born December 20th, 2022The city of Atami is located in Shizuoka Prefecture, at the northern end of the Izu Peninsula. Built on the steep slopes of a partially submerged volcanic caldera, the name of the city literally translates as “hot ocean.” That name -
Chamber Music
The 10 Most Beautiful Piano Quartets December 19th, 2022What do you get when you add a piano to a string trio? That’s right, you get a piano quartet. Pairing a violin, viola, and cello with a piano is basically the standard instrument lineup for this type of chamber -
On This Day
19 December: William Christie Was Born December 19th, 2022The harpsichordist and conductor William Christie is internationally famous as the founder of “Les Art Florissants.” This vocal and instrument group, performing English, French, and Italian Baroque repertory and Classical opera, takes its name from the 1685 opera of the -
Violin Masterworks Inspired by David Oistrakh December 18th, 2022 By 1937, David Oistrakh was considered the leading Soviet violinist. He had participated in a good number of competitions and was under tremendous pressure from the government during that time. Gennadi Rozhdestvensky wrote, “Young musicians who took part in competitions -
Artists and Musicians: Nolan and Williams December 18th, 2022 Adrian Williams: Chamber Concerto, “Portraits of Ned Kelly” Many countries, particularly those with recent wild pasts, have their favourite bad guys – for the US, it can range from Billy the Kid in the 1880s, nicely made into a ballet -
On This Day
18 December: Tchaikovsky’s Capriccio Italien Was Premiered December 18th, 2022In October 1878, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky resigned from his post at the Moscow Conservatoire. The resignation followed on the heels of the disintegration of his disastrous marriage to his former student Antonia Miliukova. Psychologically and sexually mismatched, the couple lived