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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A Grand Work of Art Explores Cross-Cultural Currents
Michael Parekowhai’s ‘Maori’ Steinway January 18th, 2019Recently I had the opportunity to play a rather special Steinway grand piano as part of the fascinating ‘Oceania’ exhibition at London’s Royal Academy of Arts. -
Mozart’s Musical Journey
17 January 1778: Piano Sonata No. 9 January 17th, 2019On 17 January 1778, Mozart wrote to his father “Now for another subject. Last Wednesday there was a great feast to which I was also invited. There were fifteen guests, and the young lady of the house was to play -
The Inspiration of Imagination – Frodo & Bilbo January 16th, 2019 J.R.R. Tolkien created an entire world of high fantasy in his work The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Creating the world of Middle Earth beginning with The Hobbit in 1937, he fleshed it out in the three volumes -
Pulling out all the Stops
Celebrated Organ Concertos IV January 15th, 2019Princesse Edmond de Polignac, synonymous with the heiress to the Singer sewing machine fortune Winnaretta Singer holds the distinction of commissioning the most frequently performed organ concerto not written in the Baroque period. The Princess envisioned a work for chamber -
Mozart’s Musical Journey
14 January 1775: La Finta Giardiniera January 14th, 2019Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote to his mother on 14 January 1775, “God be praised! My opera was given yesterday, the 13th, and proved so successful that I cannot possibly describe all the tumult. In the first place, the whole theatre -
On This Day
14 January: Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major Was Premiered January 14th, 2019After months of careful planning, Maurice Ravel embarked on a 4-month tour of North America in 1928. In all, he visited 25 cities coast-to-coast, and performed and conducted the leading orchestras of Canada and the Unites States. Ravel also made -
From Mozart to Monk – Murakami’s Killing Commendatore January 13th, 2019 In Haruki Murakami’s many novels, there are always a number of references that will appear: Cats, Ears, Hokkaido, Wells or Deep Holes, Jazz, Classical Music, and so on. In his latest novel, Killing Commendatore, we have music in the very -
Prodigy Problems January 13th, 2019 prodigy ˈprɒdɪdʒi/ noun noun: prodigy; plural noun: prodigies 1. a young person with exceptional qualities or abilities. “a Russian pianist who was a child prodigy in his day” synonyms: child genius, genius, wonder child, wunderkind