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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Classical Music for All October 12th, 2018 With the maturation of recording and streaming technologies, it is now possible to listen to the best of classical music in the comfort of our own places. This tremendous change, from having to dress up decently for “physical” concerts to -
Feeding the Muse October 11th, 2018 “Ideas lie everywhere like apples fallen and melting in the grass for lack of wayfaring strangers with an eye and a tongue for beauty, whether absurd, horrific, or genteel.” – Ray Bradbury, writer -
Prokofiev: Symphony No. 7
Premiered Today in 1952 October 11th, 2018In 1952, one year before his death, Sergei Prokofiev was financially broke. The Soviet government had condemned his Symphony No. 6 a couple of years earlier, and the composer was stripped of his reputation and of his state pension. Trying -
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
“Truly There Would Be Reason to Go Mad Were It Not for Music.” October 9th, 2018Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was, and still is, an international musical superstar. However, the first professional composer of consequence in Russia was an elusive man who simultaneously craved and loathed fame. In a letter to his music publisher, he writes, “I -
Music and Nature: Bugs October 8th, 2018 Bugs and music – hmm, not as common as birds, but then when you start to think about it, they start to creep up on you. Probably the first piece of bug music you might have learned was Frank Loesser’s -
Rimsky-Korsakov: The Golden Cockerel
Premiered Today in 1909 October 7th, 2018Russian folklore and literature is incredibly rich in colorful tales of supernatural magic with decidedly down to earth morals. And the fairy tale of the “Golden Cockerel,” written by the great Alexander Pushkin in 1834 is no exception. For Rimsky-Korsakov, -
Classical Music and Wine
“Either Give Me More Wine or Leave Me Alone” October 7th, 2018In Greek mythology, Dionysus was the god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine. The god is usually depicted riding in a chariot leading a procession of exotic beasts, wild female followers and bearded satyrs. Dionysus also functions as the -
Fluent Fingers October 7th, 2018 “Today, much more than in the past, no one can hope to play well who does not use his fingers correctly,”C. P. E. Bach. From our earliest time at the piano, we are taught a “5-finger position”, which follows the