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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Pablo Ferrández June 1st, 2019 Pablo Ferrández, Berlin-based Spanish cellist and Instagram superstar, makes his Hong Kong debut this month with the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, playing Dvořák’s Cello Concerto. -
J.S. Bach and J.J. Bach: Departure and Farewell May 31st, 2019 We always think of J.S. Bach as a thoroughly German composer and always in terms of his own family – who he married, how many children he had, what those children did – but we rarely think of him in -
The Ferment of Life: Schubert’s Last Piano Sonatas II May 30th, 2019 Alfred Brendel describes Schubert as “a sleepwalker”, yet in his final three sonatas, we see Schubert’s innate sense of musical geometry and his bold treatment of traditional sonata form. These are tightly-organised woks with almost perfectly-balanced structures, perhaps most obviously -
Cooking with the Classics May 28th, 2019 I was in a shop recently and found BeepEgg, an egg timer that goes into the water with your eggs and lets you know when they’re done. I bought the one with Classical Music themes, called BeepEgg Nori, decorated with -
Theodor Leschetizky: For the Love of 4 Students May 27th, 2019 Theodor Leschetizky’s (1830-1915) unbelievable teaching career lasted the better part of 75 years! It is said that in excess of 1200 eager piano students passed through his studio, and that included piano superstars Schnabel, Gabrilovich, Friedman, Moiseiwitch, Yesipova, Vengerova, and -
Musicians and Artists: Berlin, Whiteman, Dove and others May 26th, 2019 As part of his six 1927 music paintings, Arthur Dove did three on George Gershwin’s music and one on Irving Berlin’s music. The link between Dove and these six paintings was Paul Whiteman and his Experiments in Modern Music concert -
The Weight of History May 26th, 2019 Politicians in particular talk a lot about the “weight of history” or of feeling “the hand of history on our shoulders”, especially when faced with a serious national crisis or significant policy decision. - Mozart’s Musical Journey
25 May 1782: “Concert at the Augarten” May 25th, 2019Mozart was incredibly successful in his appearances as a virtuoso at concerts in Vienna. Concerts were traditionally held during Lent, as all the theatres were closed. They were primarily held in private houses belonging to the aristocracy with invitations usually
