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
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Medieval Animal Musicians: Cats November 24th, 2022 Hidden in the decoration of medieval books are many different kinds of illustrations – some of them show people doing everyday things, others show animals doing everyday human things. And then, in some special ones, we see animals playing musical -
On This Day
24 November: Angelika Kirchschlager Was Born November 24th, 2022Born in Salzburg on 24 November 1965, Angelika Kirchschlager is enjoying an international career, dividing her time between recitals and operas. Acclaimed as one of the foremost interpreters of Richard Strauss and Mozart, Kirchschlager counts herself lucky to have had -
On This Day
23 November: Krzysztof Penderecki Was Born November 23rd, 2022In a lecture delivered at the turn of the century, Krzysztof Penderecki said, “One must have the courage to be oneself. The period of stagnation, the wearing away of individual characteristics in art, cannot last forever. Art must be reborn. -
In Love with the Boss’s Daughter
Ferdinand David and Sophie von Liphardt November 22nd, 2022By a remarkable coincidence, the German violin virtuoso and composer Ferdinand David (1810-1873) was born in the same house in which Felix Mendelssohn had been born a year earlier. Like Mendelssohn, David was Jewish but later converted to Christianity. And -
On This Day
22 November: Stephen Hough Was Born November 22nd, 2022Stephen Hough has been described as “one of the most distinctive artists of his generation.” And while his achievements as a pianist are well-known and documented, Hough is also a published and frequently commissioned composer. But what is more, he -
Cellists and Their Composers
The Bach Solo Suites: A Cellist’s Inspiration November 21st, 2022The Bach Six Solo Cello Suites are considered a must for every cellist and when you look at lists of recordings of the Bach Suites they read like a who’s who of cellists. These pieces are an incredible inspiration and -
On This Day
21 November: Pablo Heras-Casado Was Born November 21st, 2022A critic writes, “Pablo Heras-Casado came roaring in like a lion. There was a thunderous physicality to his conducting that I don’t recall having witnessed before, a readiness to unleash the full sonic resources of the orchestra and to marshal -
American Art November 20th, 2022 A Short Summery of American Classical Music and Its Leading Figures A recent visit to Los Angeles triggered the intensification of my curiosity of American art in general, but particularly American classical music. While quite aware of many American composers