The solo violin has long been acknowledged as the perfect instrument to express emotions like love, longing, heartbreak, rapture, and romance. The Romantic era lasted from the early nineteenth century to the early twentieth century and produced numerous works that
Latest article
Spotlight
-
Full Steam Ahead
Musical Train Journeys III April 11th, 2018Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959) is rightfully credited with merging the music of his native Brazil with musical elements and stylistic features from a central-European classical tradition. Born in Rio de Janeiro but trained in the European Conservatory tradition, Villa-Lobos began to -
Brahms: German Requiem
Premiered Today in 1868 April 10th, 2018Johannes Brahms was highly indifferent to organized religion. Although baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran faith, he considered the bible “a repository of experiences and wisdoms rather than a definition of Christian creed.” It was the death of his beloved -
Zodiac April 10th, 2018 We know the animals and figures of the Zodiac, but how did composers take these on? Mystic composer John Tavener used the birth of his second daughter as inspiration for his work for solo piano, Zodiac (1997). The overtones of -
Pursuing Protein in Classical Music April 9th, 2018 Evolution has given human beings four types of teeth, each with a specific function. Incisors cut the food, canines tear the food and molar and premolars crush the food. Given that kind of evolutionary structure, it seems rather reasonable to -
Musical Migrations April 8th, 2018 The art of music is inexorably linked to the dimension of time. As such it fundamentally mirrors the sense of movement or journey that is an essential element of the human condition. Humankind has migrated to every corner of the -
Dartington International Summer School at 70 April 8th, 2018 For musicians, professionals and amateurs alike, the name Dartington evokes magical memories of intense and inspirational music-making in a beautiful secluded enclave of Devon, UK. -
On This Day
7 April: Bach’s St. John Passion Was Premiered April 7th, 2018It never fails to amaze that Johann Sebastian Bach was practically unknown during his early days. It took almost a year of negotiation, and the refusal of Georg Friedrich Telemann and Christoph Graupner, before the Kantor position at St. Thomas -
Forgotten Cellists: Eva Heinitz April 7th, 2018 Eva Heinitz, cello soloist of international repute, who performed chamber music with violinists, Heifetz, Menuhin, Milstein, Szigeti, and Stern, was an exceptional teacher before she became known as “The Wanda Landowska of the Viola da Gamba.”