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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Kinds of Conductors July 5th, 2015 Is there a difference in how a conductor acts depending on what ensemble is being conducted? Let’s first take a look at a variety of conductors and their styles: -
Music and Art: Rembrandt July 4th, 2015 The Dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijn (1609-1669) brought Dutch painting to its Golden Age – matching Dutch society’s great wealth and cultural achievements with an innovative and creative style of painting. He trained the generations of artists that followed him -
The Great Women Artists Who Shaped Music VII – Amy Beach July 4th, 2015 Women performers were accepted well before they were recognized as authors or composers. Clara Schumann and Fanny Mendelssohn are cases in point who achieved success more for their performing than music writing. Amy Cheney Beach defied traditional conceptions. She became -
The Castrato as Hero July 3rd, 2015 When castratos ruled the opera stage, two of the most famous worked closely with the leading composer for the London stage, George Frederick Handel, to make their names in his music. He, obligingly, cast them as the heroes of his -
In Touch – Nadine Koutcher July 2nd, 2015 Belarusian soprano Nadine Koutcher thrilled audiences at the 2015 Cardiff Singer of the World this month, and her glittering performances (and astonishing high notes) throughout the competition led her to the Main Prize. Though already an experienced performer on the -
Areta Zhulla July 1st, 2015 The Global Perspective Few musicians manage to balance teaching and performing as well as Greek-born violinist Areta Zhulla. A recipient of the Triandi Career Grant as well as the Tassos Prassopoulos Foundation Award, a passionate chamber musician with an equally -
Of Proms and Promming July 1st, 2015 The 2015 BBC Proms start in two weeks’time. As a child and teenager, I used to go to the Proms every year with my parents, who would pour over the programme as soon as it was published (this, of course, -
The Role of a Teacher
To Demolish and Rebuild, or to Plant and Nurture? June 30th, 2015‘Intense.’ ‘Gripping.’ ‘Unsettling.’ ‘Must-see!’ Several people have asked me whether I have seen Damien Chazelle’s film, Whiplash, and these were words they all used to describe the drama. Though apprehensive about films centred on musicians or on musical genres because