The viola may be the less flashy sibling of the violin, but in the hands of these seven great women composers, the viola truly shines as a solo instrument. From the bold modernism of Marga Richter and Peggy Glanville-Hicks to
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Cats and Dogs in Concerts—Oh My! March 7th, 2020 When I was a student at The Aspen Music Festival and School, the conductor and music director at the time, Jorge Mester, brought his fluffy English Sheepdog to rehearsals. The enormous dog loved to stretch out on the podium while -
Nicolette’s 10 All-Time Favourite Music Pieces March 6th, 2020 Call me fickle, but as with food, I go through phases in terms of what I like to listen to and what I enjoy playing. However, I do have some favourites and they are mostly from the piano repertoire. Some -
The Psychology in Film Music II March 6th, 2020 In part I of this series, we heard several examples of how film music is designed to affect us psychologically. In this part, we look closer at why movie makers need to include music that pulls our psychological strings. In -
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
The Virulent Cow March 5th, 2020Watching cattle graze in their natural environment is one of life’s bucolic pleasures. As natural herbivores, they eat a lot of grasses and hay. Yet in commercial farming, various feeds are used, which may contain ingredients such as antibiotics, hormones, -
The Nature of the Elements
Bruce’s The North Wind Was a Woman March 5th, 2020What if we go back in time to when the world around us was made of personified elements? In Baroque opera, ideas were often personified, as in Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo, Music herself gives us the Prologue. In Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, -
Alexander Serov March 4th, 2020 Practice what you Preach The Russian composer and critic Alexander Serov (1820-1871) never held an official position, he never taught a student, and he never belonged to any organized group or faction. Regardless, he was one of the most significant -
Hamish Milne Remembered March 3rd, 2020 The British pianist Hamish Milne passed away on February 12 at the age of 80. Milne perhaps isn’t a household name for a pianist. His recording legacy was also far from prolific. Yet he shall always be remembered as the -
Ludwig van B.
A Universe of Dedications III March 3rd, 2020Count Ferdinand Ernst Gabriel von Waldstein (1762-1823) was Beethoven’s first great patron in Bonn. Originally he hailed from Vienna, and after receiving the knighthood of the Order by its Grand Master Archduke Maximilian Francis of Austria, he was sent on