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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Being a Musician Can Be a Pain in the Neck January 12th, 2019 After three decades of music making, teaching, and advocating for the arts, my career has been an inspirational calling. As a young musician, I understood the hard work and dedication, which would be required, but I wish someone had prepared -
Aleksandr Sergeyevich Dargomïzhsky January 11th, 2019 “Great teacher of musical truth” On 17 January 2019 we commemorate the 150th anniversary of the death of Russian composer Aleksandr Sergeyevich Dargomïzhsky (1813-1869). Born in the Tula district on 14 February 1813, Dargomïzhsky was a popular and highly skilled -
Mendelssohn: The Hebrides Overture
Premiered Today in 1833 January 10th, 2019Described as one of the natural wonders of Scotland, Fingal’s Cave is located on the uninhabited island of Staffa, in the Inner Hebrides. Formed from hexagonally jointed basalt columns it became known as “Fingal’s Cave” after the hero of an -
The Inspiration of Imagination – Alice January 9th, 2019 Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, the genre-changing 1865 novel by Lewis Carroll, takes us to a world populated by talking animals who pose questions of logic and behave in ways that make 7-year-old Alice question the sanity of it all. Characters -
Pulling out all the Stops
Celebrated Organ Concertos III January 8th, 2019During the second half of the 19th century it was common for young talented American composers to finish their musical education in Europe. New England born Horatio Parker (1863-1919) initially studied composition in Boston with George Chadwick, and in 1882 -
Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 2
Premiered Today in 1857 January 7th, 2019In the world of classical music, Franz Liszt (1811-1886) was the perfect storm! Handsome and fiery, Liszt quickly realized that a musical performance was much more than merely pressing down the correct keys in the correct order. That meant paying -
At the Center of the Musical Universe
Franz Schubert January 7th, 2019In my humble opinion, the richness and subtlety of Franz Schubert’s (1797-1828) melodic and harmonic language is unequaled in the world of classical music. For one reason or another, we are led to believe that Schubert’s music was not popular -
Scheherazade for all Ages and Tastes January 6th, 2019 The emergence of the new media of television, cinema and radio in the 20th century brought Scheherazade into the mainstream of popular culture. Hollywood went into overdrive, and The Adventures of Prince Achmed of 1926, is the oldest surviving feature-length