We all know Bess’ song from Porgy and Bess: ‘Summertime, and the Livin’ is Easy’. We decided to do a survey of what other composers thought about summer and were surprised at the very different moods and modes composers used
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Daniel Auber: La muette de Portici! February 5th, 2017The Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels hosted a rather special performance on 25 August 1830. William I, Prince of Orange and King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg was celebrating the 15th year of his reign, and -
Popularizing Music—Outstanding Classical Crossover Artists I February 5th, 2017 “Classical Crossover” is a relatively new term in music meant to describe musicians who are proficient in classical music but who also perform in other styles and genres. In the baroque and classical era improvisational skills were expected of a -
Italian Dishes or Classical Composers? February 4th, 2017 Italy, the veritable land of music and delicious food! Can you tell the difference between great Italian dishes and Italian composers? Cambini Although we might easily imagine Cambini to be a lightly sautéed seafood dish from the Tuscany region, it -
Composers and their Poets: Schoenberg I February 3rd, 2017 We don’t generally think of Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951) as a song composer but he wrote them from his earliest days as a composer in the early 1890s until the early 1930s. The poets that he set were some of the -
Charles-Marie Widor February 2nd, 2017 “A Vision of Eternity” Such was the enormous musical talent of Charles-Marie Widor (1844–1937) that he successfully competed for the job of organist at the lycée in his hometown of Lyons at the tender age of 11! Having received his -
Guanqun Yu February 1st, 2017 Mozart and the Met ‘My life is very simple,’ Guanqun Yu says. ‘I read the bible, and sometimes go to the cinema to see movies, and I like museums. It sounds like I’m a nerd!,’ she exclaims. ‘I have a - Unsung Concertos
Reinhold Glière: Concerto in F Minor for Coloratura Soprano and Orchestra, Op. 82 February 1st, 2017In our series of unsung concertos, here comes a composition that is actually sung but the words are not articulated! As we all know, the human voice has long been considered the quintessential musical instrument. Capable of producing an intricate -
“Less is More” – Marginal Gain Learning January 31st, 2017 “Marginal Gain Learning” (MGL) is a training concept employed by the British cycling team which has reaped brilliant rewards, as their success in both the London and Rio Olympics has demonstrated. The concept was developed by the team’s coach Dave
