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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Dido’s Apocalyptic Romance June 26th, 2022Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas in Different Instrumentations At the tragic conclusion to English composer Henry Purcell’s opera Dido and Aeneas, Aeneas has been given a message supposedly sent by the god Jove to leave Dido and Carthage and to -
On This Day
26 June: Mahler’s Symphony No. 9 Was Premiered June 26th, 2022After listening to Mahler’s Ninth Symphony, the American physician and poet Lewis Thomas wrote an essay that addresses the anxieties produced by the development of nuclear weapons. “I cannot listen to Mahler’s Ninth with anything like the old melancholy mixed -
The Parents of Wi-Fi
Hedy Lamarr and George Antheil June 25th, 2022Do you know the joke about the Hollywood screen goddess and the bad boy of music collaborating to invent a remote-controlled torpedo? Funny enough, it actually isn’t a joke but a delightful anecdote from the pages of music and science -
Weird and Wonderful: Discovering Classical Music with a Difference June 25th, 2022 Sometimes composer break out of their box – make a new sound – make you hear music a new way – and sometimes it’s the performers who help as well. Take a listen to these performances and these interesting works -
Prince and Composer
Prince Johann Ernst of Saxe-Weimar (1696 – 1715) June 24th, 2022Johann Ernst died at age 18, in 1715, but in his few years, wrote 19 concertos and a trumpet sonata. Two of his concertos were arranged for keyboard by no less a composer than J.S. Bach. His importance lies in -
Whom Would You Have Chosen if You Had Been on the Jury of Cliburn 2022? June 24th, 2022 One of the most prestigious piano competitions worldwide, the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition 2022 has finally come to an end after an enduring 17 days, in which competitors had to go through 4 rounds and prepare solo recitals of -
Scandalous Tales of Society Told in Ceramic
Faustina Bordoni and Johann Adolf Hasse June 23rd, 2022The Italian mezzo-soprano Faustina Bordoni (1697-1781) started her career in opera in Venice in 1716. She created dozens of roles as she moved around Italy: Milan, Modena, Bologna, Naples before moving north and creating a sensation in Munich and Vienna. -
On This Day
23 June: Henning Kraggerud Was Born June 23rd, 2022Norwegian violinist and composer Henning Kraggerud, the Artistic Director of the Arctic Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, has been lauded for his versatility and passion for music and the beauty of his performances. A critic writes, “Kraggerud displays striking virtuosity which feels