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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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 -
Eli Marshall: The Composer as Internationalist April 3rd, 2015 We were speaking the other day with Eli Marshall, whose latest work just saw international release. His movie soundtrack for Ann Hui’s The Golden Era is an integral part of the film. His score has been nominated for Best Original -
Instruments of the Orchestra V: The Flute April 2nd, 2015 Once we get out of the string section, we enter the wonderful world of the woodwinds. Later we’ll explore the brass winds and then the loudest section, the percussion. The flute has a long history, going back to pre-time when -
SIGNUMfive April 1st, 2015 The energy with which Balkan folk music is infused is infectious, driving, compelling. Couple this with the fireworks of a world-class saxophone quartet, accordionist, and drummer, and you have the recipe for a band bubbling and brimming with an inimitable -
Composer’s Pianos: Halévy and Bizet March 31st, 2015 Alex Cobbe’s piano collection at Hatchlands Park has one massive square piano that was immensely practical to its two composer owners. How do composers compose? We’re familiar with the images from movies, the composer with one hand on the keyboard -
The Case of the Missing Harp March 30th, 2015 “Jan Ladislav Dussek and Sophia Giustina Corri” As soon as the pianist and composer Jan Ladislav Dussek (1760-1812) left his native Bohemia for Paris, his fortunes increased manifold. He performed for Marie Antoinette and was a regular guest at the