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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Camille Saint-Saëns’ Chamber Music
“A Conversation Between Friends” October 29th, 2018Going against the grain of French musical life in the mid-19th century, Camille Saint-Saëns’ main love was instrumental music. Extraordinarily active in the field of chamber music, not only as a composer but also as a performer, he might rightfully -
Mozart: Don Giovanni
Premiered Today in 1787 October 29th, 2018For a good many music lovers, Mozart’s Don Giovanni might well be the finest opera ever composed. The composer described it as a comedy, but the comic elements are basically driven by Giovanni’s devious schemes. Nevertheless, through Da Ponte’s libretto -
Orchestral Pipe Dreams
Symphonic Works with Organ III October 28th, 2018Musicians and composers in the 19th century clearly understood that the orchestral tone color could be significantly enhanced by the sometimes subtle, sometimes seismic impact of the pipe organ’s commanding voice. In his famous treatise on orchestration, Hector Berlioz wrote, -
Ways of Listening October 28th, 2018 How we consume and listen to music has been transformed by digital technology. Where once recorded music was available only on the radio and vinyl LPs, reel-to-reel tape (and later tape cassettes) and CDs, it is now possible to access -
Becoming a Musical Citizen of the World
An Interview With Tanya Bannister October 26th, 2018Pianist Tanya Bannister had her career in order – international performer, outstanding reviews of her recordings, leadership of the innovative Roadmaps Festival – and then Concert Artists Guild (CAG) asked her to consider becoming their President. She was familiar with -
Bruckner: Symphony No. 2 in C minor
Premiered Today in 1873 October 26th, 2018Plagued by crippling insecurities, Anton Bruckner endlessly revised his musical scores, and seemingly allowed outside influences to shape the content of his music. Untangling the relative merits of Bruckner’s various versions and finding a definitive musical text has been a -
The Programming Game: The Nash Equilibrium and New Classical Music October 25th, 2018 American mathematician John Nash gained recognition as a Nobel laureate but became really famous when he was portrayed by Russell Crowe in the hit film ‘A Beautiful Mind’. -
Strauss: Ariadne Auf Naxos (First Version)
Premiered Today in 1912 October 25th, 2018Written immediately after the enormous success of Der Rosenkavalier, Ariadne auf Naxos was the third collaboration between Richard Strauss and Hugo von Hofmannsthal. The hilarious plot looks closely at the tension between high and popular culture, by presenting an opera