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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Spotlight
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Are concerts “too long”? November 17th, 2016 British pianist Stephen Hough sparked a lively debate recently by suggesting that classical concerts could be “shorter” to attract younger or new audiences, or to allow venues and musicians to offer two concerts in one evening. He also hinted that -
The First German Requiem November 16th, 2016 When Prince Heinrich II, Count of Reuss-Gera, died on 13 December 1635, he knew exactly what would happen at his funeral as he had designed it all himself. The texts, from scripture and from 16th century writers, such as Martin -
Manuel de Falla November 15th, 2016 Nights in the Gardens of Spain The marriage of Napoleon III to Eugenie de Montijo in 1853 heralded a French artistic fascination with the Iberian peninsular. Some of the best Spanish music of the late 19th century, particularly in the -
Minors of the Majors
Richard Strauss: Macbeth, Op. 23 November 14th, 2016“Minors of the Majors” invites you to discover compositions by the great classical composers that for one reason or another have not reached the musical mainstream. Please enjoy, and keep listening! -
Paul Klee — Painting and Music November 13th, 2016 “One day I must be able to improvise freely on the keyboard of colors: the row of watercolors in my paintbox” Paul Klee (1879-1940), son of a German music teacher and a Swiss mother, started studying violin as a child, -
Exercises in Obsessive Love November 13th, 2016 When I was a starving music student—how do you like that cliché—I variously performed in venues ranging from medieval churches to lusty palaces filled with debauchery and sin! But no matter where I played, there was one single constant; my -
Sir Neville Marriner: Reminiscences November 12th, 2016 The world recently lost Sir Neville Marriner, a man who had a worldwide impact on music and musicians. Those of us who were lucky to know him and work with him have been forever enriched. -
Composers and Their Poets: Schubert V November 11th, 2016 One of the most enduring images of Schubert as a musician is an 1868 drawing of one of his musical evenings. The engraving by Moritz von Schwind.