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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Women Conductors Breaking Through the Glass Ceiling
Simone Young February 8th, 2020Conductor Simone Young, the soon to be first female music director of the Sydney Symphony, and currently the orchestra’s Chief Conductor designate, has been in the news recently. On March 1st, she will lead London’s best Australian musicians to raise -
Avian Influenza H5N1
The Virulent Chicken February 7th, 2020Just when we thought that the virus news from China could not get much worse, comes a report from Wuhan province that a deadly strain of Bird flu has been detected on the southern border of Hubei province. The good -
The Philosophy in Music II February 7th, 2020 The reason there is so little discussion around the philosophy in music is due to music being a non-verbal medium. Instrumental music is abstract because it does not use words to say what it means. However, there are many papers, -
Bowing to History – Casadesus’ Homage à Chausson February 6th, 2020 Robert Casadesus (1899-1972) was far better known as a pianist than as a composer, but in his compositions, we find an interesting side view on this most French of French pianists. In his 1954 work, Homage à Chausson, Casadesus paid -
In Memoriam: Barry Tuckwell (1931-2020) February 5th, 2020 Barry Tuckwell (1931-2020), widely acclaimed as the preeminent horn player of his generation, has died on 16 January 2020 at a hospital in Melbourne. I still remember seeing and hearing him perform at a concert in Amsterdam, and like the -
Giuseppe Tartini February 5th, 2020 “One night I dreamed I had made a pact with the devil” His playing was renowned for its combination of technical and poetic qualities, and Italians proclaimed him “the finest musician in the world.” He also made a pact with -
Coronavirus nCoV-2019
The Virulent Bat February 4th, 2020As soon as you start trading wildlife for food, scary things can, and will happen. The newest virus capturing the world’s attention is a bug belonging to the coronavirus family that originated in a live-animal market in Wuhan, in Hubei -
Ludwig van B.
A Universe of Dedications II February 4th, 2020As a freelance musician, Ludwig van B. was always looking for ways to make money. The dedication of works to nobility and/or friends, although a rather uncertain source of income, was one possible revenue stream. However, much depended on the