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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Four American Minimalists April 11th, 2019 Minimalism as a musical genre originated in the USA in the 1960s. It involves stripping music down to its bare essentials, to focus on pure sonic power, pulse and the internal processes of the music, without narrative or a defined -
Interview with Pianist Yoonie Han April 9th, 2019 Who or what inspired you to pursue a career in music? My parents inspired and encouraged me. They are not musicians, but they love romantic piano music. I grew up listening to Chopin and Liszt on the radio at home. -
Albert Roussel and Blanche Preisach
Exotic Honeymoon April 8th, 2019It has been said that there is no better way to celebrate your nuptials than going to an exotic honeymoon destination with your spouse and making it a magical and memorable event. I suppose, that’s exactly what Albert Roussel and -
Musicians and Artists: Apostel and Kokoschka April 7th, 2019 The Viennese art historian Karl Swoboda (1889-1977) sponsored concerts at his home in 1920. One of those present was the artist Oskar Kokoschka. As he listened, he drew 20 chalk portraits of two women in the audience, one of whom -
The Musician’s Mentors April 7th, 2019 Mentor – an experienced and trusted adviser (Oxford English Dictionary) A mentor is not necessarily a teacher. The musician’s journey is a complex one, requiring many years of highly rigorous, focused training, and a consistent routine of work (practising) and -
The Alchemy of a Symphony Orchestra April 6th, 2019 What alchemy produces the unique sounds of a symphony orchestra? When approximately 100 musicians play together the resultant fusion reverberates into our souls. -
What’s in Music? April 6th, 2019 What sort of things go into making a piece of music? There are many ways to hear a composition. From a composer’s point of view, you could come up with a concept or idea about your piece. That could come -
Mozart’s Musical Journey
5 April 1778: Sinfonia Concertante, K. 297b April 5th, 2019Wolfgang writes to his father from Paris on 5 April 1778. “I MUST now explain more, clearly what mamma alludes to, as she has written rather obscurely. Capellmeister Holzbauer has sent a “Miserere” here, but as the choruses at Mannheim