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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Forgotten Pianists: Benno Moiseiwitsch March 6th, 2017 Benno Moiseiwitsch (1890-1963) was another of the great pianists who came onto the international stage in the 1930s and who brought an elegance of performance matched with a relaxed virtuosic style. -
Movers and Shakers of the Music World
Bartolomeo Merelli – Eagle of the Impresarios March 5th, 2017Bartolomeo Merelli (1794–1879) earned the sobriquet ‘Eagle of the Impresarios’ for his skill, vision and refined taste. Unlike his competitors, Merelli was an accomplished musical scholar and librettist, and his name is indelibly tied to that of the greatest Italian -
Classical Music Moments in Movies II March 5th, 2017 The quirky science fiction blockbuster The Fifth Element is set in the 23rd century and features an intergalactic struggle for the survival of planet Earth. This task falls on Korben Dallas (Bruce Willis), a taxi driver and former Special Forces -
Maurice Ravel’s Tzigane: Inspired by Jelly d’Aranyi March 4th, 2017 She was the great-niece of the influential violin virtuoso Joseph Joachim and had a decidedly psychic disposition! Her exotic and colorful name was Jelly d’Aranyi, and during a séance in 1933, Robert Schumann told her to premiere his “long-lost” violin -
Composers and Their Poets: Gerald Finzi March 3rd, 2017 We generally don’t think of Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) as a source for song texts but rather as the man for tales of the realism and drama of the Victorian English countryside. Yet, when the 20th century hit, nearly all Hardy -
Note Bashing March 2nd, 2017 I never thought I’d write an article on “note bashing”. In general it’s not something I advocate – mindless repetitive practise, thoughtlessly hammering away at the same phrase or group of notes. However, during my work on one of Schubert’s -
Valeriy Sokolov March 1st, 2017 ‘Be True to Yourself’ A Bartok concerto in Kiel and Hamburg, a Prokofiev concerto in Hong Kong, a Brahms concerto a week later in Tokyo… 30 year-old Valeriy Sokolov thinks nothing of having these giants of the repertoire at such -
Unsung Concertos
Jacques Ibert: Flute Concerto March 1st, 2017If you think that all classical music has to be deadly serious, let me introduce you to Jacques Ibert (1890-1962). Ibert was a graduate from the Paris Conservatoire who won the coveted Prix de Rome at his first attempt despite