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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A Feast in the Time of Plague
A Brand-New Opera Written in Direct Response to COVID-19 September 3rd, 2020A brand new opera written in direct response to the coronavirus crisis receives its premiere at Grange Park Opera (GPO) in September. Commissioned by GPO, with a libretto by director, producer and librettist Sir David Pountney, A Feast in the -
Turandot’s Chambers September 2nd, 2020 Several years before Puccini charmed the operatic world with his musical setting of Carlo Gozzi’s theatrical fairytale “Turandot,” Ferruccio Busoni completed his opera by the same name in 1917! As early as 1905, Busoni had composed incidental music for the -
Iveta Apkalna September 1st, 2020 Widor, Vierne, and variety in life ‘My hands and feet are full of notes again!’ exclaims Iveta Apkalna, as her concert diary is beginning to fill up again into the autumn. And as it should; Iveta has played with some -
Beethoven’s Lairs
“650 St. Petersplatz” September 1st, 2020Between 1796 and 1799, Beethoven did not have a permanent address in Vienna, at least not that we know. He was busily engaged in establishing his reputation, and rubbed shoulders with royalty and with Joseph Haydn. He played a piano -
Music Is Everywhere
Different Forms of Music in Our Modern World August 31st, 2020What is the function of music? Can it be considered as useful? If so, what is its value? There are many answers to these questions, and each is debatable. What is sure though, is that music is everywhere. In our -
Outspoken Performances III: Political Voices of Opera Singers August 31st, 2020 Anna Netrebko, one of today’s best-known sopranos has never shied away from speaking her mind. When she was asked about allegations of sexual assault against high profile conductors, including James Levine and Charles Dutoit, she publically stated “Any of this -
The Music of Poetry
Joseph von Eichendorff: “Mondnacht” August 30th, 2020The poet, novelist, translator, and playwright Joseph von Eichendorff (1788-1857) might not be a household name today. Yet, his poetry was set to music approximately 5,000 times, rivaling if not surpassing the number of musical settings of Goethe and Heine. -
The Language of Music August 30th, 2020 Music is a universal language and Italian is, largely, the language of music itself. It’s everywhere, nestled in amidst the dots and squiggles of the score, directing the musicians to play loudly (forte), or quietly (piano), or more quickly (accelerando)