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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Messaien’s Light and Water Show August 23rd, 2022 Fete des belles eaux for 6 ondes martenot For six months in 1937, Paris was the place to see the latest and greatest in ‘art and technology in modern life.’ In other words, the 1937 Exposition Internationale des Arts et -
Pianists and Their Composers
Beethoven’s 32 Piano Sonatas – Scaling the Pianistic Everest August 22nd, 2022Beethoven’s 32 Piano Sonatas are often referred to as the ‘New Testament’ of the pianist’s repertoire, and for many pianists they offer a remarkable, quasi-religious journey – physical, metaphorical and spiritual – through Beethoven’s creative life. This is truly “great” -
On This Day
22 August: Claude Debussy Was Born August 22nd, 2022Claude Debussy once told a journalist in Vienna, “See how they are mistaken. Some think I am a melancholy northerner, other that I am from the south, from Provence, the country of Daudet—tireli, tirela! Well, I am just a native -
The Exotic Other Brought Home
Les pêcheurs de perles, Lakmé and Le roi de Lahore August 21st, 2022The world of opera is a world of fantasy – people fall in love just by hearing the other person, all rumours are instantly believed, and miscommunication rules. Three French operas stand out because of their use of exotic locations -
On This Day
21 August: Janet Baker Was Born August 21st, 2022Janet Baker, born in Yorkshire on 21 August 1933, considers herself perfectly lucky. “I have all the thing which, to the outward eye, spells success,” she writes. “A marvelous career, the kind any performer dreams about… All my working life -
The Wind, The Wind August 20th, 2022 Wind-Inspired Classical Music In depicting the meteorological phenomenon, one of the most interesting is the most invisible – the wind. It can be the gentle breeze of spring or the rough gales of winter, the cooling breeze of summer, or -
Ice Lollies and Classical Music Marketing August 20th, 2022 Scrolling through Twitter recently, this concert poster immediately jumped out at me: It’s striking, isn’t it? Not just the bright colours and simple design, but the choice of image which instantly says “summer” – appropriately, for a summer concert. It’s -
On This Day
20 August: Maxim Vengerov Was Born August 20th, 2022Maxim Vengerov, born on 20 August 1974 in Novosibirsk, combines “superb technical command with lyrical eloquence that easily captivates audiences.” He is hailed as one of the world’s finest musicians, and sometimes lauded as “the greatest living string player in