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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“The Fantastic Whirl of Destiny”
Ravel’s La Valse July 4th, 2019What is Ravel’s La Valse about? Is it a portrait of the disintegration of decadent pre-First War Europe, the dying embers of the Belle Epoque? Or simply a rollicking dance, a sensuous hommage to the Viennese Waltz? -
Mozart’s Musical Journey
3 July 1778: “Mum is dying” July 3rd, 2019Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart could not have known that his time in Paris in 1778 was about to take a tragic turn. He reports to his father “my dearest mother is very ill.” Suffering from shivering and feverishness, diarrhea and headache, -
Alexander Dreyschock July 2nd, 2019 “The Pianistic God of Thunder” Countless highly talented individuals populate the musical universe, but very few get immortalized in poetry. But that’s exactly what happened to the Czech pianist and composer Alexander Dreyschock (1818-1869). The prolific Danish author Hans Christian -
Alondra de la Parra July 1st, 2019 ‘Variation and Contrast’ Mexican conductor Alondra de la Parra has made waves as the first ever Music Director of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra. Born in New York, she has worked with orchestras all over the globe, including the Berlin Radio -
Mozart’s Musical Journey
30 June 1770: “I shall describe my unfortunate accident” June 30th, 2019We all know that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart did a lot of traveling. In fact, it has been calculated that he spent over 10 years, roughly one third of his short life on the road. Mozart visited ten countries and more -
On Being a Pianist June 30th, 2019 What does it mean to be “a pianist”? Pianists do not devote their lives to their instrument simply because they like music….there has to be a genuine love simply of the mechanics and difficulties of playing, a physical need for -
Is Some Music Just Noise? June 28th, 2019 Music has directed me since the age of five. As a composer, if I am not pulled towards music it always finds me. No matter what music I hear, I discover something in it that moves me or makes me -
Poised on the Cusp of Romanticism
Mozart’s Fantasy in D minor K 397 June 27th, 2019Familiar to performers, piano students and audiences alike, Mozart’s Fantasy in D minor is one of his most popular and much-loved works, and it offers intriguing insights not only into his piano music but also his compositional output in general.