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
Latest article
Spotlight
-
2nd Hong Kong Early Music Festival 2021: A Historical Journey February 4th, 2022 In one way or another, this seemingly never-ending pandemic has greatly affected each and every one of us. It has severely restricted our freedoms and abilities to travel, affected our livelihoods, and occasionally left deep scars on our psychological wellbeing. -
Making Fun of Opera: Victorian Opera Burlesques February 3rd, 2022 As soon as an opera hit the London stage in the mid-to-late 19th century and everyone was familiar with the tunes, it immediately became subject of humorous versions. Beethoven’s Fidelio was turned into Pizzarro the Great Tyrant or the Little -
On This Day
3 February: Felix Mendelssohn Was Born February 3rd, 2022On 3 February 1809, Felix Mendelssohn was born in Hamburg into a highly prominent Jewish family. His grandfather Moses Mendelssohn was the “preeminent Jewish philosopher of the Enlightenment in Germany, who had argued for religious tolerance and the assimilation of -
On This Day
2 February: Jascha Heifetz Was Born February 2nd, 2022After the 19-year-old Jascha Heifetz played his London debut, Georg Bernard Shaw wrote to him, “If you provoke a jealous God by playing with such superhuman perfection, you will die young. I earnestly advise you to play something badly every -
A New Set of Planets
Piano Reflections by Tanya Ekanayaka February 2nd, 2022Conceived of and finished during the global COVID-19 pandemic, The Planets and Humanity is Sri-Lankan–British composer Tanya Ekanayaka’s reflections on ancient music in a modern world. She says ‘I see a uniquely powerful and delicate congruence between ancient music which -
Dominique Vleeshouwers February 1st, 2022 From Bach to Breakdancing Dominique Vleeshouwers Plays Double by Karmit Fadael Dominique Vleeshouwers is a musical powerhouse. The Dutch percussionist also turns his hand to producing, composing, curating and creating, and has earned a reputation for performances that are electrifyingly -
On This Day
1 February: Alexander Melnikov Was Born February 1st, 2022Born on 1 February 1973, the Russian pianist Alexander Melnikov began his musical studies at the Moscow Central Music School at the age of 6. Although he never considered himself a child prodigy, he did play Rachmaninoff’s first piano concerto -
A Galant Orchestra
By Johann Joachim Kändler February 1st, 2022The master ceramic designer Johann Joachim Kändler observed the world around him and re-created it for the ceramic company Meissen. Kändler, through his work, established the appropriate scale and style for porcelain figures, based on his previous training as a