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 Kreutzer Sonata
Beethoven-Tolstoy-Janačék September 28th, 2014Music and Literature are like twin sisters. Not necessarily identical, but deeply connected in ways that can’t be easily explained. When the great Russian novelist and writer Leo Tolstoy published his1889 novella on the ideal of sexual abstinence and jealous -
Playing only One Note September 28th, 2014 Russia is home to many unique things and in music, one of the unique groups is the Horn Orchestra. So, you’re thinking – what’s so strange about an orchestra made up of horn players? The unique aspect comes in when -
Qatar Philharmonic Music Director Resigns After Proms Performance September 27th, 2014 I get home from the Qatar Philharmonic Prom, notes in hand, ready to start reviewing. Thinking I’ll start writing in the morning, I wake up to the news that the conductor of the orchestra I saw the night before has -
Love begins at home!
Charles Burney and his family September 27th, 2014In 1990, the average size of individual households in the industrialized word ranged from a low 2.1 individuals in Sweden to a high of 3.1 in Ireland. According to this study, the group of 7 countries that make up the -
A date with the Devil
Giacomo Meyerbeer: Robert the Devil September 26th, 2014The nice thing about going to an opera performance is that you get to have fictional dates with characters your mom would almost certainly disapprove of. Take for example Robert le diable (Robert the Devil), an opera in five acts -
Are Music Students Burying Their Heads in the Sand? September 25th, 2014 ‘So… I’m graduating in a year… I could get a job… or I could commence further study!’ ‘So… I’m finishing further study in six months… I could get a job… or I could commence FURTHER study!’ -
A Walk in a Japanese Garden
Tōru Takemitsu September 24th, 2014Tōru Takemitsu (1930-1996) fell in love with western classical music via American forces radio broadcasts during the post-war U.S. occupation of Japan. In fact, he “considered the radio as his first real teacher.” Almost exclusively focused on Western musical styles -
Improvisation is Life September 23rd, 2014 Improvisation is one of the most important areas in which music can teach us how to live better. Because improvisation is life. Without improvisation, existence is not life; it is only the empty copying of old patterns – improvisation is