For as long as composers have been writing music, they’ve been inspired by the mystery, mood, and mythology of the night. We’ve gathered ten pieces of classical music about the night that explore themes associated with the hours after dark,
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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 -
On This Day
4 January: Boris Berezovsky Was Born January 4th, 2024Pianist Boris Berezovsky, born on 4 January 1969 in Moscow, has been described as “a player of dazzling virtuosity and formidable power.” Winner of the 1990 International Tchaikovsky Competition, he has established himself as a virtuoso pianist and a gifted -
Sound and Feeling – ‘Emotional’ Dynamics January 4th, 2024 “Dynamics” in music refers to the variation in loudness or intensity of sound. The use of dynamics adds depth, emotion, and expressiveness to the music, and the term encompasses a wide spectrum of volume levels, from the softest pianissimo to -
On This Day
3 January: Donizetti’s Don Pasquale Was Premiered January 3rd, 2024The opera buffa Don Pasquale, which was first staged on 3 January 1843 by the Théâtre-Italien at the Salle Ventadour, was an instant success. No wonder, as it was introduced by four of the most celebrated singers of the day, -
Hélène de Montgeroult: Did This Great Composer Avoid the Guillotine By Playing Piano? January 3rd, 2024 The French Revolution was the dramatic backdrop to countless extraordinary life stories. Pianist and composer Hélène de Montgeroult had one of the most interesting. Over the course of her life, she faced political turmoil, violence, and unspeakable loss, but persevered -
Tiffany Poon January 3rd, 2024 ‘Expand Our Experience Of Music Beyond What We Might Expect’ Arranging an interview over Zoom with a musician based in New York brings with it certain assumptions: mostly that the background of the meeting will be punctuated by car horns, -
On This Day
2 January: Mily Balakirev Was Born January 2nd, 2024Mily Balakirev, born on 2 January 1837 in Nizhny Novgorod, is primarily remembered as the founder of the “Russian Five” and the Free School in St. Petersburg. He famously instilled a sense of nationalistic pride in the music of Russia,