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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Frog Music September 23rd, 2022 Of all the water animals, the frog appears most often in music. Most of the time it’s for its repetitive and rhythmic sound, but sometimes, particularly in vocal music, as a representative of various human characteristics, most often envy of -
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23 September: Vincenzo Bellini Died September 23rd, 2022Vincenzo Bellini (1801-1835) was the quintessential composer of the Italian bel canto era during the early 19th century. His last opera I Puritani (The Puritans) was first staged in Paris in January 1835, and it is based on a deeply -
Musicians and Artists: Bingham in Rome September 22nd, 2022 Judith Bingham: Roman Conversions In her 2017 organ work, Roman Conversions, British composer Judith Bingham looks at ‘five metamorphoses’ that happened in Rome, beginning in ancient times and concluding in the Baroque. Her first movement describes the setting: San Clemente: -
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22 September: Richard Wagner’s Rheingold Was Premiered September 22nd, 2022Ludwig II ascended to the throne of Bavaria in 1864 at the age of eighteen. By that time, he was already demonstrating signs of mental illness, and he frequently heard voices. Eventually, Ludwig would be deposed based on a report -
Optimism Within Contradictions: Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5 September 21st, 2022 Having recently given a performance of Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5, I was reminded how lyrical, intense, and downright wonderful this piece is. With that said, Prokofiev’s music can take some getting used to. I speak from personal experience: it took -
What’s Better Than One Violin, Viola, and Cello? TWO! String Sextets III September 20th, 2022 Tchaikovsky String Sextet in D Minor Op. 70 Souvenir de Florence was composed in 1890 – a remembrance of the wonderful summer spent in Rome, Florence, and Venice away from harsh Russian winters. Although Tchaikovsky found composing for this complement -
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20 September: Pablo de Sarasate Died September 20th, 2022The Hungarian violinist and teacher Carl Flesch writes in his Memoirs, “for all who played the violin during the last quarter of the nineteenth century, Pablo de Sarasate was a magical name, and even more: he stood for aesthetic moderation, -
Yoonie Han: On Enriching Students’ Musical Experience September 19th, 2022 Dr. Yoonie Han, Assistant Professor of Piano at the Academy of Music at Hong Kong Baptist University, is also a Steinway Artist and Steinway Honorary Teacher. She has encouraged Hong Kong students to join international music festivals and competitions to