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
5 March: Heitor Villa-Lobos Was Born March 5th, 2022Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959) has been described as “the single most significant creative figure in 20th century Brazilian art music.” His quest to develop musical compositions using indigenous Brazilian elements fueled a number of ethno-musicological excursions into the northeastern states of -
Musicians and Artists: Cohen and Calder March 4th, 2022 American sculptor Alexander Calder (1898-1976) was known not only for his distinctive mobiles but also his ‘stabiles,’ non-moving sculptures. One of his best-known ‘stabiles’ is Cirque Calder (Calder’s Circus), a collection of over 70 miniature figures and animals with over -
On This Day
4 March: Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 27, K. 595 Was Premiered March 4th, 2022Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart completed his final piano concerto in January of 1791, shortly before his thirty-fifth birthday. Mozart could hardly have known that K. 595 was going to be his last piano concerto, and that 1791 was going to be -
What is Sight Reading? March 3rd, 2022 The end of January sees the UK deadline fast-approaching for self-employed people up and down the country to submit their ‘Self Assessment’ tax returns. Sight reading, much like filing tax forms, is something that makes sense in theory, but can -
On This Day
3 March: Mendelssohn’s “Scottish Symphony” Was Premiered March 3rd, 2022During his first visit to Britain in 1829, Felix Mendelssohn participated in a series of highly successful performances in London. During his London stay, Mendelssohn was in the care of his close lifelong friend Carl Klingemann. Klingemann was eleven years -
Mother and Maiden
Variations of “I Sing of a Maiden” in Classical Music March 2nd, 2022The fifteenth century poem ‘I syng of a mayden,’ also known ‘As Dew in Aprille,’ celebrates the Annunciation and coming birth of Christ. Although thought to be well-known in the 15th century, the poem comes to us now only in -
Tal-Haim Samnon March 1st, 2022 “Good for the Soul” Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat Major, “The Emperor” 3rd Movement (Tal-Haim Samnon, piano; Zubin Mehta, cond.) Israeli pianist Tal-Haim Samnon is based in Tel Aviv, and regularly performs as a concerto soloist in -
On This Day
1 March: Frédéric Chopin Was Born March 1st, 2022In my opinion, Frédéric Chopin was one of the greatest pianists the world has ever known. One of his students writes, “Chopin’s playing was always noble and beautiful; his tones sang, whether in full forte or softest piano…He demanded the