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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Is My Team Ploughing? September 27th, 2016 The English poet A.E. Housman (1859-1936) is best known for his collection of poems about the countryside: A Shropshire Lad (1896). Houseman’s poems sold slowly at first but after the Second Boer War (1899-1902), its poems about life in the -
Minors of the Majors
Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns: Cello Concerto No. 2 in D minor, Op. 119 September 26th, 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! -
Musical Giants of the 20th Century: Clarinettists September 25th, 2016 It is not an enviable job to create a list of great players of an instrument that is so versatile, one that has changed so much even in the last 100 years. These Musical Giants of the clarinet have been -
Poetry in Music: Debussy’s Suite Bergamasque September 24th, 2016 The Essential Debussy’s Piano Music As a composer in the late 19th century, Claude Debussy (1862-1918) worked on the cusp of the new directions taking place around him in France: salon music mixed with the new art styles of impressionism -
Patriotism and Nationalism V: Australia and Ireland September 23rd, 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 -
Carmen Goes to the Ballet September 22nd, 2016 In many ways, Bizet’s Carmen can be regarded as a perfect little opera. It’s a drama in a very economical package and with a perfectly balanced orchestra / vocal distribution. The orchestra has its own role but never fights the -
Attachment: pianists and their pianos September 21st, 2016 “Your wonderful Bechstein has afforded me great joy.” Sviatoslav Richter Pianists have a curious relationship with pianos: unlike other musicians, who take their own instrument with them wherever they play, the pianist is expected to arrive at the venue and -
The Concerto That’s Not Concerto-like September 20th, 2016 Frederick Delius (1862-1934) was a rare English composer with an international outlook. Born in Bradford, England, to a family who had emigrated there from Germany, he spent 2 years in Florida in his early 20s, and shortly thereafter began composing.