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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Staying Healthy: On Tour February 22nd, 2020 Touring is almost an inevitable aspect of many freelance musicians’ lives. Whether it’s a long or short trip away, time spent away from home can quickly take its toll. Lots of short journeys away make home seem like a pit -
More Concert Capers February 22nd, 2020 When the conductor walks on stage everyone has to be tuned and poised for the downbeat. It can come unpredictably fast. You never know if the Maestro will milk the applause for all it’s worth as they step onto the -
Mirella Freni: Remembering the Perfect Mimi February 21st, 2020 To fully experience the artistry of Italian soprano Mirella Freni, who died in February at age 84, one must only listen to her rendition of Mimi on Herbert von Karajan’s seminal recording of La Bohème from 1972. Freni’s voice is -
Inclusive Music February 21st, 2020 Music does not speak of position or place. It can be heard as English, French or German and it might sound like it comes from the voice of other countries, but music is also a language unto itself, and it -
Swine Flu H1N1
The Virulent Pig February 20th, 2020Science tells us, that we all got a lot of common with pigs. Since we are both mammals, we certainly share a good amount of genetic material, and we are both susceptible to catch the flu. Pigs are unusual in -
On the Cutting Edge of Technology
Schumann’s Concertstück, Op. 86 February 20th, 2020The horn has a long history, dating from the first time one of our ancestors took a cow horn and, holding it to his lips, found it could make a sound. Moving on from the simple cow horn to the -
Frances’ 10 All-Time Favourite Music Pieces February 19th, 2020 For someone whose musical tastes change fairly regularly, it’s rather unfair to be asked to choose just ten, but there are certain pieces which remain long-time favourites. Mozart: Clarinet Quintet, K581 – II. Larghetto My father was a fine amateur -
Beethoven’s Quartets: The Complete Recording
25 Years in the Life of a String Quartet February 18th, 2020Jean de Spengler interviewed by Alexis Galpérine 1 The Stanislas Quartet celebrated its thirty-fifth anniversary in 2019 … Yes indeed, about one year after I became principal cellist in 1983, I realized my dream of founding a string quartet with