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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From Ugly Duckling to Leading Composer
Tālivaldis Ķeniņš: Symphony No. 6, “Sinfonia ad Fugam” December 19th, 2021Latvian-born composer Tālivaldis Ķeniņš (1919-2008) was educated first in Latvia and then in France, and made his home in Canada, serving on the faculty of the University of Toronto. He composed across many genres, with his output including 8 symphonies, -
Leningrad Does Varietee
Wooding, Shostakovich, Dunayesky and Prokofiev December 18th, 2021Just a couple of years after Western Europe fell under the spell of popular American musical styles, it also debuted in the Soviet Union. As a musical language increasingly placed at the service of social commentary, and with its strong -
Antarctic Symphonies by Vaughan Williams and Maxwell Davies December 18th, 2021 Our incredible planet is in real trouble. Scientists have identified a triple-threat of climate change, biodiversity loss and overpopulation as humanity is racing “towards mass extinctions, health crises and constant climate-induced disruptions to society.” Earth has lost an estimated 50% -
Practicing Without Your Orchestra December 18th, 2021 It’s always been a problem – you want to practice your piano concerto and the orchestra is away for the day, or on a break, or just not able to assemble due to the new social distancing rules. You need -
Legitimatizing Jazz and Failing: Copland’s Piano Concerto December 17th, 2021 American composer Aaron Copland (1900-1990) only wrote one work for piano and orchestra, his 1926 Piano Concerto. To put this work in context, we need to listen to it not only as a work by the young American composer newly -
On This Day
17 December: Ludwig van Beethoven Was Born December 17th, 2021Ludwig van Beethoven probably wasn’t actually born on 17 December, but in the absence of an authentic record of birth, we rely on the registry of his baptism in the Catholic Parish of St. Remigius in Bonn on 17 December -
Hearing Beethoven a New Way
Michael Gordon: Rewriting Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony December 16th, 2021In 2020, the year the “Beethoven Year” met the COVID-19 virus, we heard hours and hours and miles of miles of Beethoven. We recently found, however, a different version of Beethoven that we found very intriguing. American composer Michael Gordon -
Camille Saint-Saëns December 16th, 2021 “I am an eclectic spirit” Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) was one of the leaders of the French musical renaissance during the later part of the 19th century. He was a scholar of music history and tolerant of a wide range of