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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Schubert for Beginners: Eleven Pieces to Make You Love Schubert January 31st, 2024 Composer Franz Schubert was born on 31 January 1797 in a suburb of Vienna. Here are a few brief facts about his life: Schubert wrestled with health problems throughout his life and died young. He was diagnosed with syphilis in -
On This Day
30 January: Lynn Harrell Was Born January 30th, 2024Cellist Lynn Harrell, winner of the inaugural Avery Fisher Prize and two Grammy Awards had the ability to generate a penetrating richness of sound, and to communicate with tremendous personal warmth. A formidable technician, Harrell was appointed principal cellist of -
A Surprising Start
Dohnányi’s Variations on a Nursery Song January 30th, 2024The orchestra is mighty, chords resonating in a large space, the timpani emphasizing the vastness of the concept. It’s a bit Wagnerian – some ideas seem like they might do well in Die Walküre or perhaps there’s a foreshadowing of -
Happy 150th Birthday Josef Suk January 29th, 2024 “I do not bow to anyone, except to my own conscience and our own noble Lady Music” January is a busy time for lovers of classical music as we celebrate the birthdays of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Franz Schubert on -
ECHO…..echo January 29th, 2024 Poor Echo. In Greek mythology, she was a nymph who came to the attention of Zeus and then of Zeus’ wife, Hera. Finding her husband in a compromising position and delayed in her discovery by Echo’s long conversations, Hera condemned -
Alone Yet Together: The Shared Experience of Live Performance January 28th, 2024 I’ve been going to live classical music concerts since I was a little girl – and not just professional concerts, but also amateur performances when my dad (a clarinettist) played in a local amateur orchestra. As keen music-lovers, my parents -
Mozart and His Divas
Catarina Cavalieri, Adriana Ferrarese del Bene and Luisa Laschi Mombelli January 28th, 2024Did you know that in the Latin language “Diva” is the word for goddess? We constantly hear it in connection with show business, where it is used to describe a highly temperamental and demanding person. In the world of opera, -
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Zaide Project January 27th, 2024 Something very exciting took place on 27 January 1866, the 110th anniversary of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s birth. The city of Frankfurt witnessed the performance of an unknown Singspiel, which Mozart had abandoned to work on Idomeneo. The unknown work carried