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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More on Musical Quotation May 3rd, 2021 Musical quotation is the art of integrating one’s musical words and sentences into another one’s work. It is quite similar to how quoting works in spoken languages, but differs in the capacity in which the quote can adapt and almost -
The Most Famous Classical Clarinet Pieces May 3rd, 2021 The clarinet often feels a bit left out when sitting next to its windy friends in the orchestra. There they all are, the flute, oboe, and bassoon, sitting high and mighty, all firm fixtures in the group when the new -
The Music of Poetry
Pablo Neruda: “Body of a Woman” May 2nd, 2021Pablo Neruda published his “Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair” in 1924. “Daringly metaphorical and sensuous, this collection juxtaposes youthful passion with the desolation of grief.” It is drawn from the poet’s most intimate and personal associations, and -
Rekindling the Love for Music May 2nd, 2021 Few people would dispute that the last year has been difficult. Many of us have lived under extraordinary restrictions for months, unable to see family and friends. Largely confined to our homes, we have had to adapt to new ways -
J’Nai Bridges May 1st, 2021 ‘I Have Listened And Followed My Heart’ Gounod: Sapho: O ma lyre immortelle I chat to American mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges just as she is about to travel to Amsterdam to perform excerpts from Donizetti’s Tudor Trilogy with the Dutch National -
Fashion in Classical Music
“Naked people have little or no influence in society.” April 30th, 2021Mark Twain has always been one of my favorite writers. I just love the way he tells stories that focus on the follies of human nature. Twain was world-famous for his witty quotes and he once said, “Clothes make the -
Good Taste in Music and Geminiani April 30th, 2021 Francesco Geminiani (1687-1762) was, in his day, one of the great composers and musicians in Europe, often considered the equal of Handel or Corelli. Born in Lucca, Italy, he made his career in London and later Paris, arriving as a -
In Touch With Paul Wee April 29th, 2021 “I revel in every opportunity that I have to sit down at the keyboard” Paul C.K. Wee, an Australian with Singaporean-Malaysian heritage, is a London-based barrister, and also a concert pianist. He took up the piano as a young child,