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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The Best Performances
“Flower Duet” by Delibes July 12th, 2021One of the most famous duets in all of opera comes from Lakmé composed by Léo Delibes. The opera is set in British India during the late 19th century and was first performed in 1883. It brings together many popular -
The Music of Poetry
Giovanni Battista Guarini: “Tirsi wanted to die” July 11th, 2021The Italian lyric and dramatic poet Giovanni Battista Guarini (1538-1612) is credited with establishing a new literary genre, “the pastoral drama.” According to scholars, he was the poet “whose verses were most frequently set by Italian madrigalists and monodists in -
On ‘Letting Go’ as a Musician
Part 3 – Letting Go of the Notes July 11th, 2021In my first article on ‘letting go’ as a musician I explored how we know when it is time to “let go” of a piece of music we have been learning and set it free in a performance setting or -
Not a Niche, but an Opportunity
An Interview With Guillaume Descottes of Vialma.com July 10th, 2021Classical music is always viewed as a niche market with a big learning curve for admission. It’s often derided as being music for the elite or music for the wealthy. As a listener, people find it hard to break into -
Music and Bows and Clothes: Oh My!
More Musician Mishaps July 10th, 2021It’s hard to believe how many hilarious behind-the-scenes mishaps we musicians experience. Afterwards, once we’ve recovered from the embarrassment, we love to share these stories at parties! My friend cellist Clay Ruede recently told me this one: He was playing -
Dante Alighieri (1265-1321)
“Father of the Italian language” July 9th, 2021The poet, writer and philosopher Dante Alighieri—who died in Ravenna 700 years ago—is widely considered one of the most influential creative minds in Western culture. His “Divine Comedy” is not only one of the most important poems of the Middle -
Hiroyuki Fujikake
“Aqua Rhythms” July 8th, 2021Throughout human consciousness, the great rivers of this world have spiritually highlighted the paradoxical relationship between eternity and change. As metaphors for life itself, they simultaneously underscore all that is timeless and ephemeral in human experience and existence. Because rivers -
Stealing and Re-Imagining
‘Landscapes’ by Doug Thomas July 8th, 2021Most composers (and artists and writers too) steal from others. They learn their craft by copying; studying the works of others who’ve gone before them offers important insights into the nuts and bolts of the music (structure, harmony, texture etc)