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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Drama in Mozart’s D minor Fantasy K397 June 3rd, 2021 Composers use a variety of means to create drama in music, from simple devices such as dynamics (level of sound) or tempo (speed) to repetitions, the use of rests and pauses, and changes of harmony or key (modulation). Mozart’s Fantasy -
Meet Percussionist Matthew Lau June 2nd, 2021 While I have been researching a lot of different topics for Interlude, I would like to turn my attention to classical musicians who are currently based in Hong Kong. For my first article highlighting Hong Kong artists, I am honored -
Geneva Lewis June 1st, 2021 Originally from Auckland, young violinist Geneva Lewis has already performed extensively throughout Europe and the USA. As a member of the Callisto Trio, she has played at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, and her solo work has seen her perform with orchestras including -
Impressionism, a Three-Part Series: In France May 31st, 2021 The following article is the first of a three-part series on impressionism around the world; in France, in Europe and in our Modern World. In these articles, I explore the genre of impressionism. Born in France, it is known to -
The Versatility of the Clarinet May 31st, 2021 You probably will have heard at least something on this list already, perhaps without even realising. The clarinet has a chameleon-like ability to change styles at the drop of a hat, and while there might not be many solo clarinet -
Behind the Curtain
Haydn’s Funeral Music May 30th, 2021The story of Haydn’s funeral and last remains is complicated and pretty macabre. It all starts in 1771, when Haydn was director of the Esterházy court orchestra. He conducted and wrote music for that ensemble for many, many years, and -
The Classical Music Profession May 30th, 2021 When we think of those who work in classical music we tend only to think of the musicians – soloists, ensemble players, orchestral musicians and conductors. But there’s a whole “back office” and “supply chain”, if you will, of other -
Musicians and Artists: Rorem and Picasso May 29th, 2021 The influence of Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) for the art world is clear – from his cubist works to his focus on mythological beings, with his effortless drawing and painting style, he created a 20th century that has never really been