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
Latest article
Spotlight
-
The Fabulous Arnold Bax Piano Miniatures
“In This Life, One Should Try Everything Once, Except Incest and Folk Dancing” January 7th, 2024Arnold Bax (1883-1953) was a fantastic pianist, but being shy and reclusive, he rarely appeared in public after he had reached his 20th birthday. The piano had always been his favourite instrument, and he was known for astonishing audiences by -
Arranging One’s Winter’s Journey II: Going on the Road Schubert’s Winterreise January 7th, 2024 Let’s continue to explore more re-arrangements of Schubert’s Winterreise. With Song 13, the village of disappointment is left behind, and our narrator sets his face on the road. But, inevitably, there are things that call his mind back. Just as -
Humanity
Erwin Schulhoff’s “Menschheit” January 6th, 2024The question as to what makes us human has been pondered for many thousands of years. While there are multiple theories, we can probably say that humans are unique. In fact, the very act of contemplating what makes us human -
David Popper (1843-1913)
“Very Few Luminaries Survive More Than One Generation” January 6th, 2024David Popper, born in Prague in 1843, was one of the most influential cellists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was a celebrated virtuoso of his time, lauded for his flawless technique and expressivity, with George Bernard -
Why Does Classical Music Make Us So Emotional? January 6th, 2024 Have you ever found yourself awed by a symphony? Have you ever been moved to tears by a delicate cascade of notes in a piano concerto? Have you ever wondered why this music makes me feel so emotional? Classical music -
The Avant-Garde of 1760s London
Carl Friedrich Abel’s Symphony in D Major, WKO 41 January 5th, 2024English musician and historian Charles Burney, in his History of Music, vol. 2 (1782), credited three people with being the style leaders of the day: Felice Giardini, the director of the Italian opera theatre; J.C. Bach (London Bach), and Carl -
On This Day
5 January: Maurizio Pollini Was Born January 5th, 2024The literary critic and cultural commentator Edward Said observed that “such complete satisfaction as offered by Maurizio Pollini’s consummately undemonstrative but unpretentious performances is very rarely found.” Pollini was able to conjure an infinite variety of tonal shades and inflections -
COVID in Music
Simaku’s Catena III, “Corona” January 5th, 2024The piece opens with a crash that quickly fades away. This is Albanian-British composer Thomas Simaku’s piano work Catena III–Corona. A product of the first lockdown that started in March 2020, when about half the world’s population had to stay