The love story between Robert and Clara Schumann is often regarded as one of the most romantic in classical music history. Happily for historians, many of their love letters survive. They document their inner thoughts and emotions, as well as
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Coronavirus MERS-CoV
The Virulent Camel February 13th, 2020In September 2012, health officials in Saudi Arabia reported a mystery illness. Patients developed severe respiratory illness with symptoms of fever, cough and shortness of breath. Alarmingly, 3 to 4 out of every 10 patients died. It was originally assumed -
At The Beginning: Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 February 13th, 2020 For every composer, the first work of a series is a serious undertaking. For the composers who followed Beethoven, the symphony was a particularly daunting mountain. Gone were the days of a composer writing hundreds of symphonies: Haydn wrote 106, -
In Memoriam
Peter Serkin (1947-2020) February 12th, 2020The musical world is deeply saddened by the loss of Peter Serkin (1947-2020), who died after a long struggle with pancreatic cancer at the age of 72. Described as “a brilliant, resourceful instrumentalist, a sensitive, original interpreter and a performer -
The Monk, the Cardinal, and the Devil
Giuseppe Tartini and Elisabetta Premazore February 12th, 2020I don’t understand why a good many people think that classical music is deadly dull and boring. Many of the stories and anecdotes surrounding these exceptional expressions of human creativity could easily become box office hits at your local cinema. -
Beethoven’s Lairs
“Theater an der Wien” February 11th, 2020We primarily remember the Viennese theatrical impresario Emanuel Schikaneder as collaborator and librettist on Mozart’s Magic Flute. However, Schikaneder was also directly responsible for several compositions by Ludwig van Beethoven. You see, Schikaneder and his troupe of performers appeared in -
An Interview with Jessica Zhou, Boston Symphony Orchestra February 10th, 2020 Harpist Jessica Zhou left her studies at the Beijing Conservatory at age 13 and came to the US. At Beijing, she’d been at boarding school at the Conservatory so her introduction to American Society via a public school in California -
A Supreme Act of Kindness
Henriette Sontag February 10th, 2020Henriette Sontag (1806-1854) was an operatic soprano of international renown. No other than Hector Berlioz wrote the following glowing critique, “She unites all the qualities we like to find in an artist: sweetness never surpassed, agility almost fabulous, expression, and -
The Music of Poetry
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe “Mignon” February 9th, 2020With the possible exception of William Shakespeare, no other poet had such a profound influence on song as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832). For Germany’s greatest poet, music was an essential part of life, and it brought solace and redemption.