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
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 -
Music Inspired by the Tiger January 31st, 2022 The year of the Tiger is coming! Tigers are courageous and competitive. According to the Chinese zodiac, tiger people have strong personalities who like to fight for themselves, but they can also be friendly and generous. How about classical music -
On This Day
31 January: Franz Schubert Was Born January 31st, 2022Franz Schubert was born in the early afternoon of 31 January 1797 in a one-room apartment in a house called “The Red Crab”, then located in the district of the “Himmelpfortgrund,” an area northwest of the bustling and overcrowded center