The solo violin has long been acknowledged as the perfect instrument to express emotions like love, longing, heartbreak, rapture, and romance. The Romantic era lasted from the early nineteenth century to the early twentieth century and produced numerous works that
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The Music of Poetry
Friedrich Hebbel: “Genoveva” June 27th, 2021Robert Schumann (1810-1856) devoted his formative years primarily to literature. Already at the age of 13, he had published articles, written large anthologies of poetry, a five-act tragedy, and translated many Latin works into German. He even tried his hands -
The Audience Is Not Your Enemy June 27th, 2021 Glenn Gould claimed to “detest” audiences, regarding them as “mob rule” and “a force for evil” (he retired from performing in public at 31), but most performers take a far more positive and generous attitude towards audiences. Audiences – real -
Four on the Floor: A Classical Music Video Adventure June 26th, 2021 I met the American composer Libby Larsen when we were both just beginning our careers. I had joined the Minnesota Orchestra and with three other colleagues formed The Minneapolis Artists Ensemble, whose mandate was to play a variety of chamber -
Musicians and Artists: Éric Montalbetti and Henri Matisse June 25th, 2021 Henri Matisse (1869-1954) was known for his fluid style and his use of colour and it’s those two attributes that French composer Éric Montalbetti (b. 1968) chose as the inspiration for the three vocalises for voice and clarinet he created -
Piano Music in the Key of D June 24th, 2021 D major is unquestionably one of the “bright” keys – perhaps the brightest, and, allegedly, for Mozart the “happiest” key (he wrote three piano concertos in D major and four piano sonatas, including the sonata for two pianos KV 448). -
The Sound Around: Rautavaara’s Cantus Articus June 23rd, 2021 Finnish composer Einojuhani Rautavaara (1928-2016) started his studies at the University of Helsinki and the Sibelius Academy before Jean Sibelius recommended that he study at the Juilliard School. There, in addition to his studies with Vincent Persichetti, and at Tanglewood -
The Best Performances
“Voi Che Sapete” by Mozart June 21st, 2021When it comes to Mozart operas, “The Marriage of Figaro” is one of my all-time favorites. Mozart composed this opera buffa in 1786 to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte. The libretto is based on a stage comedy by -
Dreaming of Summer
Piano Music Evocative Of Summertime and Holidays June 21st, 2021It’s still cool here in the UK, but when the sun is out I can already feel its warmth on my face, beckoning summer. The ongoing coronavirus pandemic may mean that summer holidays are limited but that doesn’t stop us