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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What’s the point of reviewing concerts? February 21st, 2016 I’ve been reviewing classical music concerts in London for my blog and for an international concert and opera listings site for over five years now. In many ways, it’s the ideal job for me as it combines my twin passions -
Music and Art: Schoenberg and Kandinsky February 21st, 2016 In January 1911, the painter Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944) was in Munich and went to a concert. He and the other members of the Munich New Artists’ Association heard something that changed Kandinsky’s whole artistic theory. The concert was of music -
Ernst Krenek (1900-1991): Composing the Chaos February 20th, 2016 The Reichsmusiktage (Music Days of the 3rd Reich) in 1938 featured a number of customary performances and lectures. However, it also marked the opening of an exhibit entitled Entartete Music (Degenerate music). The exhibit was intended to show the “cultural -
How You Should Feel in the Key of C Major February 19th, 2016 The Austrian composer and pianist Ernst Pauer (1826-1905) was a student of Mozart’s son, Franz Xaver Wolfgang Mozart, before moving to London in 1851. He is one of the first piano professors at the Royal College of Music and also -
Yamaha Pianos
The fastest way from Bach to Zappa February 18th, 2016In my youth, I spent countless Saturday and Sunday afternoons playing for weddings until I was finally able to buy my own wheels. Since playing for weddings does not really pay all that well, I had to settle for two -
The Musician as Sportsperson February 17th, 2016 The musician’s life is akin to the sportsperson’s: the many hours of specialist training, the constant need to hone and improve one’s techniques and skill base, to keep fit and build stamina to cope with the Herculean learning and upkeep -
When Trio doesn’t mean Three February 16th, 2016 Minuet and Trio; Scherzo and Trio; Trio Sonata. These are all examples of times when a ‘Trio’ doesn’t mean ‘Three.’ It might have originally meant three, but now it means something else. In the court dances of the Classical period, -
Minors of the Majors
Franz Peter Schubert: Psalm 23, Op. 132 February 15th, 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!