In classical music, the Romantic Era lasted from around 1810 to around 1910. That century gave us some of the most famous symphonies in the repertoire. Nineteenth-century composers like Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Dvořák, Schubert, Mahler, Rachmaninoff, and others elevated the symphony
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Classical Movements I
“Moving the Music; Changing the World” July 1st, 2017Have you ever wondered how entire orchestras and their staff are seamlessly moved from country to country when they are on tour? Neeta Helms and Classical Movements are the behind-the-scenes wizards who organize 55-70 symphony and choral tours each year. -
Leonardo Capalbo July 1st, 2017 On ‘The Integrity and Quality of Each Individual Moment’ Italian American tenor Leonardo Capalbo chats to me on his day off in Warsaw, in the middle of a production of La Traviata at the Teatr Wielki. His hotel room faces -
Bibliographic Ghosts June 30th, 2017 Have you ever come across the composers Gulielmo Baldini and Dag Henrik Esrum-Hellerup? Baldini hailed from the beautiful and ancient Italian city of Ferrara, and his most famous collection of madrigals for 5 and 6 voices was published in Venice -
More Than Just A Minute June 29th, 2017 Chopin’s ‘Minute’ Waltz has long fascinated the fleet of finger with its seeming titular challenge to a performance within the time indicated. The title, however, has long been deceptive – it’s generally read as a noun (as in ‘it will -
Not the Copland You Know, But the Copland You Should Know June 28th, 2017 In 1967, Aaron Copland wrote a commissioned work for the New York Philharmonic’s 125th anniversary. The twelve-tone piece Inscape opens with a bang – with 11 of the 12 tones of the scale sounding at once. -
Extraordinary splashes of colour
Music and Synaesthesia June 27th, 2017Synaesthesia is a physiological ‘condition’ which literally means “a fusion of the senses”. Its incidence is considered to be about one in every two thousand people, though it may be far commoner, and it is more common in women than -
Forgotten Pianists: Ely Ney June 26th, 2017 Beethoven specialist Ely Ney (1882-1968) made her name largely in Germany. She began her piano studies with the encouragement of her grandmother, studying first in Cologne and then in Vienna. She had 2 lessons with Theodor Leschetizky and more with -
Musical Giants of the 20th Century: Symphony Orchestra June 25th, 2017 It doesn’t matter how often I’ve been to concerts in the past. The incredible sounds and excitement of an orchestra plowing through the best and most beloved symphonies at full steam still sends shivers down my spine! The sheer range