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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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Die Entführung aus dem Serail, K. 384 June 24th, 2015During its days of largest expansion and influence in the 17th century, the Ottoman Empire controlled much of Southeastern Europe, the Middle East and Northern Africa. Remaining a constant military threat to Central Europe over several centuries, Turkish troops famously -
The Modern Academy in Focus: Ripieno Ensemble June 23rd, 2015 Talk about off and running. The Manila-based Ripieno Ensemble only formally launched in January, and its debut performance in February featured an ambitious repertoire: the works of modern-day music stalwarts Schoenberg and Webern as well as those of contemporary Philippine -
The Castrato and Allegri June 23rd, 2015 Today, the idea of a castrato singer is a bit embarrassing. For our hyper-masculine world (would you like muscles on that?), the idea of a male singer who can only sing at a soprano pitch just seems wrong. -
The Dark Hours: Music for Introspection June 22nd, 2015 Sometimes we don’t want the brightly lilting tunes of a flute or the ecstatic runs of a violin or piano – our mood wants something slower, something sadder, something for the dark hours. Music not for melancholy but for introspection. -
Aeolian Harp: Music played without human hands June 21st, 2015 The ancients described the sound of the Aeolian harp as “music played without human hands.” As such, Romantic poets considered the instrument a source of natural and divine inspiration. Samuel Taylor Coleridge writes in his The Eolian Harp, of 1795: -
Chemical Alexander June 21st, 2015 An ancient Russian proverb states, “You cannot hunt two hares at the same time.” Sounds pretty self-explanatory to me, but Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin (1833-1887) disagreed! In musical circles, Borodin (1833-1887) is primarily known for his symphonies, the opera Prince Igor, -
Sergei Rachmaninoff: The Power of a Good Tune June 20th, 2015 Sergei Rachmaninoff certainly knew a good tune when he heard it. But recognizing a good tune was simply not enough for him. He frequently took it apart and closely analyzed its contents before reassembling them in new forms and guises. -
Music and Art: Arnold Böcklin June 20th, 2015 The Swiss symbolist painter, Arnold Böcklin (1827-1901) took the world of mythology as his source of inspiration. His most famous painting, Die Toteninsel (The Isle of the Dead), painted in multiple versions between 1880 and 1886, was the inspiration for