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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My Beethoven by Oliver January 28th, 2020 Unlike many of my colleagues who grew up around Beethoven, either by hearing him in the home or studying his piano music, I managed to (unintentionally) avoid him for a long time, only really discovering Beethoven as I embarked on -
Forgotten Musical Siblings January 27th, 2020 The off-Broadway solo play “The Other Mozart” has been traveling the globe asking the question whether Maria Anna Mozart was the real genius in the family. To be sure, Maria Anna Walpurga Ignatia Mozart, commonly known under her nickname “Nannerl,” -
The Music of Poetry
Heinrich Heine “A Fir Tree Stands Lonely” January 26th, 2020Although Franz Liszt and Heinrich Heine had a massive falling-out, the composer and pianist could still recognize the musical invitation to music in Heine’s unique poetic voice. In fact, Liszt would create two versions of “Ein Fichtenbaum steht einsam” (A -
Seeking Diversity in Exam Syllabuses and Student Anthologies January 26th, 2020 We are very lucky as pianists/piano teachers to have such a wide repertoire, and one which is constantly being expanded as composers continue to write for the piano – which is why I find it rather disconcerting when new anthologies -
Year of the Golden Rat
Gong Hei Fat Choy 2020 January 25th, 2020In many parts of the world rats are met with revulsion. Western associations are generally negative, and the animals are seen as vicious, unclean, parasitic and the carriers of unspeakable diseases. Calling someone a rat is a grave insult and -
Rob’s 10 All-Time Favourite Music Pieces January 24th, 2020 Everyone has their favourite pieces of music, and usually, their choices cross genres. We all have our hidden gems that we think no one else knows; I’m no different in this case. While classical music plays the strongest part in -
Cooking with Leonard January 23rd, 2020 Inspired, as always, by the things around him, Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) took a cookbook off the shelf and created a set of 4 humorous songs. Émile Dumont’s La Bonne Cuisine Française (Tout ce qui a rapport à la table, manuel-guide -
Bringing Children to Music
Haw Par Music in Hong Kong January 22nd, 2020Music is seen largely as a private matter – the hours spent alone practicing, the emphasis on the personal interpretation, the solo spotlight. However, at the same time, music is a social activity: the number of composers and performers who