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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Hong Kong Festival Orchestra
Energy and Passion! September 14th, 201524 & 25 August 2015 City Hall Concert Hall, Hong Kong You hear about the Hong Kong Festival Orchestra well before ever going to one of their concerts. Their publicity materials almost rival that of the professional orchestras in Hong -
Meditations on humanity via the Guinness Book of Records September 13th, 2015 The quietest place on Earth. The tallest man on Earth. The oldest tree. The longest fingernails. Pi to 67,890 places. These are some of the world records featured in Sam Green’s new documentary-with-a-difference, The Measure of All Things. A self-confessed -
Hieronymus Bosch: Butt Song from Hell September 13th, 2015 Music is supposed to be a gift from Heaven. We have all seen beautiful paintings where the dove—representing the Holy Spirit—whispers sweet melodies into the ear of Pope Gregor. Gregor immediately started to write down these heavenly melodies and codified -
Alfred Schnittke: Moz-Art à la Haydn September 12th, 2015 During the 1970’s, the perceived elitism and dissonant sounds of atonal academic modernism were gradually giving way to artistic expressions that favored a synthesis of familiar styles. By reintroducing traditional elements of musical styles—openly influenced by popular music and world -
Sounds of Sorrow: Elegies and Laments III September 12th, 2015 As the 19th century idea of death as a close and regular companion faded away, the elegy in the 20th century began to change character. If we look at a work by the Hungarian composer Eugene Zádor (1894–1977), we can -
Applause is like Oxygen
Sergei Rachmaninoff and Marietta Shaginyan September 11th, 2015Sergei Rachmaninoff was deeply wounded when critics admired him as a pianist but never acknowledged him as a composer. Battling severe bouts of depression he dejectedly confided in Marietta Shaginyan “that he would concentrate fully on playing and would stop -
Linds and Clärchens: Women Musicians and National Currency September 10th, 2015 Who’s on your banknote? We took a survey of European bank notes and found a gratifying number of women singers and one composer who’ve appeared, past and present. Between 1996 and 2003, the Swedish Riksbank produced the Jenny Lind 50-kronor -
Music for Children: Russia September 9th, 2015 Russian composers have created some of the most memorable music for children, starting with Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker. Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) created the ballet The Nutcracker for the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg. It was given its premiere on 18