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
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Paul Wittgenstein
All in One Hand February 7th, 2018When Ludwig Wittgenstein got word of his brother’s ordeal, he wrote in his diary “frightfully sad business. I keep having to think of poor Paul, who has so suddenly lost his career! How terrible. What philosophy is needed to get -
Bears and Hens February 6th, 2018 Many of Franz Joseph Haydn’s symphonies have nicknames, sometimes for the circumstances, such as “The Miracle” in Symphony No. 96, where the audience, in moving forward to greet the great man in London wasn’t in their seats when the overhead -
At the Center of the Musical Universe
Frédéric Chopin February 5th, 2018Chopin’s unique way of writing for the piano fundamentally changed how performers and composers thought about the instrument. His legacy was treasured in numerous compositions throughout the 19th century, and it remains colorfully vibrant in the concert repertoire of today. -
Why I Feel Compelled to Attend the 2018 Verbier Music Festival II
In Search of Talent – Verbier Festival Academy February 4th, 2018Every year, the Verbier Festival Academy invites 50 exceptional music talents from around the world to congregate for 3 weeks in the scenic Swiss Alps, to be mentored by elite artists in preparation for careers as soloists, chamber musicians and -
The Pianist’s Presence February 4th, 2018 The “concert pianist” is a relatively recent creation. In the middle of the nineteenth century, a time when the technology of piano manufacture allowed piano makers to build bigger, stronger instruments, the “concert pianist” as we understand the role today, -
Forgotten Cellists: Daniil Shafran February 3rd, 2018 Our next featured cellist, Daniil Shafran, was born in 1923 in Petrograd, now Saint Petersburg, and came by his talent honestly. His father was the principal cellist of the Leningrad Philharmonic and his mother Frida Moiseyevna, was a pianist. -
Destination Athens February 2nd, 2018 When Athens was at its height of development in the 2nd century BCE, the rest of Europe was nowhere. When Europe reached its height of development in the 19th century, Athens was nothing – a mere 100 houses huddling below -
In Memoriam: Igor Zhukov (1936-2018) February 2nd, 2018 Truth be told, as a young aspiring pianist I could never get my head around the music of Alexander Scriabin! Despite the best intentions of my teacher, and supreme technical challenges aside, I simply did not understand his musical syntax.