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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The Choir of Clare College, Cambridge December 14th, 2014 The Light From Heaven ‘Tis the season for new choral music recordings for Christmas, and, newly arrived is Lux de caelo, The Light From Heaven, from the Choir of Clare College Cambridge, directed by Graham Ross. -
Cannibal Bach December 13th, 2014 Johann Sebastian Bach was a ferocious musical cannibal! He habitually borrowed from himself and others in order to adapt a composition to a particular performing venue or occasion. In 1729 he was appointed director of the Collegium Musicum in Leipzig. -
Music, the Reason of my Existence – Frank Peter Zimmermann December 11th, 2014 I often think that doing interview has a therapeutic effect on me; meeting great and kind artists remind me of the goodness in life. Talking to the German violinist Frank Peter Zimmermann was one of those moments. Zimmermann is gentle, -
The Holiday Sound – The Classics December 11th, 2014 It’s getting chillier, the morning air is brisk, there might even be snow, and with that, our thoughts turn toward the holidays. But we find that the thing that helps us with that holiday feeling is the sound of the -
Listening to Bach with New Ears December 9th, 2014 The art of the transcription has been with us for centuries, coming into play whenever someone tried to play a work written for one instrument on another. We were listening, the other day, to a recording of J.S. Bach transcribed -
Cole Porter December 8th, 2014 Mommy’s little Darling It’s not easy being the son or daughter of the richest person in the whole wide word! Just ask Kate Cole, daughter of James Omar Cole, at his time, the richest man in the US state of - CRAP—I Don’t Know What Comes Next!
Memorizing Tips December 7th, 2014Have you had the horrible feeling when you’re playing a concert—“CRAP—I don’t know what comes next?” It’s demoralizing and embarrassing. A memory slip can destroy your confidence. Memorization is one of the biggest challenges for a musician—often causing panic, sweaty -
Inventing Abstraction – Part III December 6th, 2014 In my last two Interlude articles we followed the development towards abstraction in art and music in Germany and France, but interestingly, it was artists in Russia who led the movement towards total abstraction. There was of course a constant
