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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Ian Ng April 7th, 2015 If he weren’t writing music for a career, Ian Ng would have liked to be a dancer. The New York-based composer has a strong passion for dance, which in turn influences the way he writes music. Ng’s career is still -
Aimez Vous Brahms? II April 7th, 2015 We had already talked about the young Johannes’ performances around the city in the last sharing. As a handsome and energetic youth, he was already composing his first piano concerto (after a short stint as an arranger for opera-potpourris). -
Guangzhou Opera House is FIVE! April 6th, 2015 The new opera house in Guangzhou will be celebrating its fifth anniversary in May, and, in celebration, will be holding an opera gala that has rarely been equaled. On Friday and Saturday, 8-9 May, the GOH will hold its Starry -
Mozart: Piano Concerto No.18 in B-flat major, K. 456 April 6th, 2015 During his initial years in Vienna, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart made the acquaintance of Franz Anton Mesmer. Mesmer was a trained physician who hypothesized that it was essential to maintain equilibrium between the natural magnetic fluid that filled all living things, -
The Song of the Open Road April 5th, 2015 You’re driving along the road and bump bump bump – your tires are sending you a message: either you’re coming up to a toll booth or you’ve driven out of your lane. The cat’s eyes, Botts dots and rumble strips -
The Great Women Artists Who Shaped Music I – Zara Nelsova April 5th, 2015 When I was a budding young cellist my father took me to play for the grand-dame of the cello, Zara Nelsova, who was in town to perform as soloist with the Toronto Symphony. She was known for her extraordinary cello -
The Russian (Chess) Masters April 4th, 2015 Why is chess such a popular game? For one, this ancient game of strategy is easy to learn but almost impossible to master. No matter how far you progress, chess reveals ever-new subtleties and intricacies of increasing complexity. It is -
Tango Beyond Piazzolla – II. Troilo and Di Sarli April 4th, 2015 Welcome on board! Let’s continue our musical journey in the second largest metropolitan area in South America and the capital of Argentina – Buenos Aires. I talked of the “big four” in the Golden Age of tango music between the