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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Playing in Pairs: Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra November 4th, 2015 Béla Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra challenges the educated listener on several fronts, starting with the title itself. A concerto is a work for soloist and orchestra (or, perhaps, soloist versus orchestra!). What are we to think of a work where -
Telling Tales of War November 3rd, 2015 In 1918, Stravinsky was in dire straits: the revolution in Russia meant the loss of his property (and income), WWI meant the death of his brother fighting in Romania, his wife was ill, and then there were the four children -
Muses and Musings
Guillaume de Machaut and Péronne d’Armentières November 2nd, 2015It has long been suspected that intense sexual relationships are an impediment to artistic creativity. Don’t take my word for it, just read what Frédéric Chopin had to say about the disastrous effect the Countess Delphina Potocka had on his -
Julie Fuchs November 1st, 2015 ‘Take care of yourself because nobody is going to do it for you’ Recently returning from her Paris Opéra debut, singing La Folie in Rameau’s Platée, and finding a moment of respite before a run of Il viaggio a Reims -
Music and Art: Goya II November 1st, 2015 We looked earlier at the Spanish artist Francisco Goya (1746 – 1828) and how his ‘maja’ pictures influenced the 20th century Spanish composer Enrique Granados (1867-1916) to create his Goyescas. -
Continuous flow – In Touch with Sansara October 31st, 2015 The 2015 London International A Capella Choir Competition took place in September, and saw choirs from all corners of the globe descend to St John’s, Smith Square in the heart of London for a week that showcased the extraordinary healthiness -
Odd Instruments October 31st, 2015 What would you think of a 1-string violin with a metal horn attached? Odd indeed! The Stroh fiddle was once such instrument. The instrument was made of mahogany with a metal horn attached to a diaphragm to make the instrument -
A distinct division of Labor
Bohuslav Martinů and Charlotte Quennehen October 30th, 2015Ernest Hemingway once famously wrote, “If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.” For