The love story between Robert and Clara Schumann is often regarded as one of the most romantic in classical music history. Happily for historians, many of their love letters survive. They document their inner thoughts and emotions, as well as
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Ravel’s Feline Family August 27th, 2016 In 1921, Maurice Ravel moved to a tiny villa outside of Paris, close to both culture and countryside. He named his cramped cottage “Belvedere.” It was his first house, and his dream house, and the last he ever had. Inside -
Patriotism and Nationalism I: France and the UK August 26th, 2016 For many countries, their National Anthems are symbols of their place in the world. They may reflect many different aspects of a country, sometimes listing nature’s bountiful beauties, sometimes giving an encapsulated history of a country, or reflecting a particularly -
The Many Mountain Kings
Grieg’s Peer Gynt August 25th, 2016In Act II of Edvard Grieg’s music of the play Peer Gynt, our eponymous hero enters the hall of the mountain king. As the scene’s introduction describes: “There is a great crowd of troll courtiers, gnomes and goblins. The Troll -
Mannes School of Music August 24th, 2016 Part of the New School University, the Mannes School of Music resides in New York City, attracting students from all over the globe who dive headfirst into Manhattan and form part of one of the world’s most bustling cultural hubs. -
Serenity, Melancholy, and Tragic Intensity:
Mozart’s Rondo in A minor K511 August 23rd, 2016I first heard this work live about ten years ago, at a concert given in London by the American pianist and noted Mozart scholar Robert Levin. Played on a fortepiano, whose relatively modest voice spoke so elegantly, from the opening -
Minors of the Majors
Franz Peter Schubert: Mass No. 1 in F Major, D.105 August 22nd, 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! -
Movers and Shakers of Music World
Paul Sacher: Plutocrat and Patron August 21st, 2016Without the extraordinary generosity of legendary conductor, patron, and impresario Paul Sacher, a myriad of masterworks by twentieth-century composers would simply not exist. An artist of unusual stature and one of the world’s richest men—he married the heiress of the -
“If music be the food of love, play on.” Shakespeare and Music IX – King Lear August 21st, 2016 You may be surprised how many quotes come from the 1606 play King Lear, perhaps William Shakespeare’s greatest of tragedies—a work, which continues to electrify and has stirred composers Debussy, Shostakovich, and Berlioz as well as some popular music. The