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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Aleksey Semenenko June 1st, 2024 ‘You have to experiment, like with cooking’ A musician of fearless technical virtuosity and passionate lyricism, Ukrainian violinist Aleksey Semenenko is sought out internationally as a soloist and collaborator known for his thoughtful yet thrilling performances. Aleksey won places on -
Manchester Camerata to Host the UK’s First Centre of Excellence for Music and Dementia May 31st, 2024 The therapeutic benefits of music are well-known and widely documented. For people with dementia, music can help reduce anxiety and depression, help maintain speech and language, enhance quality of life, and have a positive impact on families and carers too. -
Fairy Tales and Metaphors
Elisabetta Brusa’s Favole May 30th, 2024The Italian composer Elisabetta Brusa (b. 1954) started composition as a child before attending the Milan Conservatory, where she studied composition. She graduated in 1980 and returned to Milan in 1985 to teach at the Conservatory. Fellowships (Fromm and Fulbright) -
Which Composers Wrote Nine Symphonies?
The Curse of the Ninth May 29th, 2024“The curse of the ninth” is an eerie quirk of classical music history. The phrase refers to a superstition that a composer will die after writing his ninth symphony. The superstition sounds silly, but the fact remains that a good -
Sergei Rachmaninoff “Vocalise”
Universe of Emotions May 27th, 2024Sergei Rachmaninoff wrote countless gorgeous and unforgettable melodies, none more famous than his “Vocalise.” That particular earworm comes from a collection of 14 songs, but the Vocalise has no text. As Rachmaninoff explained to a singer, “What need is there -
Hard and Fast: Percussion May 26th, 2024 The percussion section has to be the biggest section of the orchestra, not in terms of the number of players but of the number of instruments played. To start with the basic definition, a percussion instrument is one that is -
Schumann for Beginners: 10 Pieces to Make You Love Schumann May 25th, 2024 Robert Schumann was born in the town of Zwickau in present-day Germany in 1810. Along with his wife, the great pianist and composer Clara Schumann, he went on to become one of the leading figures of Romantic Era music. Here -
Grey Clouds Descending
Franz Liszt’s Failing Eyesight May 24th, 2024Franz Liszt first sought medical care in 1881, suffering from the early cardio-respiratory disease that would eventually take his life. Concurrently, Liszt also noted a gradual decline in the vision of his left eye. He had used corrective lenses for