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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Charlie Siem May 1st, 2015 Seeing with Fresh Eyes Charlie Siem is one of very few violinists to have undertaken solo tours to Norway and Holland, be the centrepiece of a dedicated Buzzfeed article, and have modelled for Vogue, Armani and Boss. -
American-ism May 1st, 2015 The strong public nationalism in America is often a puzzle to visitors – the national flags hanging on people’s houses, the T-shirts that declare one’s love for country, etc. are highly unusual elsewhere. At most, you might have things in -
The Character of a Basso: An Interview with Riccardo Zanellato April 30th, 2015 Italian basso Riccardo Zanellato will join Sumi Jo and Elīna Garanča in the Fifth Anniversary Gala of the Guangzhou Opera House in May. This isn’t his first appearance in the region, having sung in Hong Kong and Taipei in the -
Béla Bartók April 30th, 2015 Art is a matter of evolution, not revolution 70 years ago, the world completely ignored the passing of one of the most creative and influential composers of the 20th century. Béla Bartók (1881–1945) originally hailed from the Hungarian town of - Bösendorfer
Carrying the Coat of Arms of Austria April 29th, 2015Every pianist knows that the standard grand piano has an 88-key keyboard! And in general, this assumption is certainly correct. However, if you stumble across the Bösendorfer Imperial Model 290 or the Bösendorfer Model 225, you will notice that these -
The Bel Canto of Life: An Interview with Sumi Jo April 28th, 2015 Korean coloratura soprano Sumi Jo made her reputation in Europe starting in the late 1980s with appearances at the Salzburg Festival, the Vienna State Opera, and the Metropolitan Opera. She will be appearing at the Guangzhou Opera House in May -
Kinds of Orchestras April 28th, 2015 In many cities, there are multiple orchestras and although we might think that they differentiate themselves solely through their labels: London Philharmonic and London Symphony Orchestra, etc., they may also carry other names that differentiate them by size. The smallest -
Singing in the Wind April 27th, 2015 All art, according to Walter Pater’s famous words “constantly aspires towards the condition of music.” Since architecture and music are based on rhythm, proportion and harmony, they do share a clear cultural lineage. The search for the visual equivalent of
