In classical music, the Romantic Era lasted from around 1810 to around 1910. That century gave us some of the most famous symphonies in the repertoire. Nineteenth-century composers like Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Dvořák, Schubert, Mahler, Rachmaninoff, and others elevated the symphony
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Franz Schubert and the Unfinished Lazarus January 7th, 2021 Between 1819 and 1820, Franz Schubert set to work on a large-scale, three-act dramatic work for six vocal soloists, chorus, and orchestra. Setting a libretto written in 1778 by August Hermann Niemeyer—modeled after Pietro Metastasio—Lazarus was originally intended to encompass -
On My Music Desk……
Samuel Barber – Excursions January 7th, 2021Excursions, Op. 20 is American composer Samuel Barber’s first published piece for solo piano, and remains one of his most popular pieces for the instrument. A neo-Romantic composer whose style was characterised by lyricism and expression, Barber takes small classical -
Lang Lang’s Goldberg Variations – Original or Sacrilegious? January 6th, 2021 Bach’s Goldberg Variations have long been regarded as “a musical Everest”. As soon as Lang Lang’s recording was issued by Deutsche Grammophon, it instantly attracted attention from classical music aficionados worldwide and very polarised reviews from music critics – from -
Johann Baptist Cramer January 6th, 2021 If you have ever taken formal piano lessons, there is a good chance that you will have played some of Johann Baptist Cramer’s celebrated set of 84 studies for the piano. Published in two sets of 42 each in 1804 -
Legendary Beethoven Performances
Sonatas, Quartets and Other Works January 5th, 2021By taking care of Symphonies and Concertos in the first two part of this survey, we’ve done the massive works. Now we look at the works for smaller ensembles and soloists, but the task doesn’t get any easier. Nearly every -
The Spirits of Music January 4th, 2021 In a previous article — entitled The Kitchen & the Pit —, I mention the relationship between music and food, and more specifically between the orchestra and the kitchen. I conclude by pointing out the similitudes in the training of -
Let’s Embrace 2021
The Most Uplifting Classical Tracks January 4th, 2021However you look at it, 2020 was not the most cheerful year; and that’s an understatement for sure. It certainly was a wild ride, and we are all wondering what 2021 will have in store for us? It seems that -
In Memoriam
Fou Ts’ong (1934-2020) January 3rd, 2021In the waning days of 2020, Covid-19 has claimed the life of Fou Ts’ong, the original Chinese poet of the keyboard and the first internationally acclaimed Chinese soloist. He was an introspective interpreter, who lived his life in the greatest