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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Cousin Marriage
Giacomo Meyerbeer and Minna Mosson August 30th, 2014The fictional HBO series Game of Thrones, already in its fourth season and slated to run for at least another 2 years has once again garnered a number of impressive awards and accolades. Loosely based on the novel A Song -
From Screen to Stage
Erich Korngold: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35 August 29th, 2014The Romantic Violin Concerto Erich Korngold (1897-1957) was a modern composer with a Romantic touch. He is considered, along with Max Steiner (Gone with the Wind) and Alfred Newman (Wuthering Heights / How the West was Won) as one of -
Marc Blitzstein August 28th, 2014 In search of an identity for Classical music Marc Blitzstein: Piano Sonata The enormous political and cultural changes that flooded Europe in the first decade of the 20th century led to a dismantling of political, social and artistic structures. As -
Music in the Clouds
Harps and Angels August 27th, 2014One of the most eagerly encoded images in a number of different cultures and contexts is the angel sitting on a cloud and playing the harp. What could be more comforting upon leaving this earthly realm than being greeted by -
A Land of Musical Treasures August 26th, 2014 What are my impressions of Poland? The deadly WWII, Holocaust and Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima… Throughout my college years, this country always appeared to me as miserable. This year in March, after a month long struggle, I finally -
Italianize Yourself
From Jacob Liebmann Beer to Giacomo Meyerbeer August 26th, 2014The composer Jacob Liebmann Beer (1791-1864), frequently described as the most successful stage composer of the 19th century, is more commonly known under his stage moniker Giacomo Meyerbeer. That name arguably represents the best combination of his parents’ names, Jakob -
Talking with the Talich August 25th, 2014 We were recently in Paris, speaking with the 2 members of the Talich Quartet. Vladimír Bukač, Violist and Roman Patočka, Violin II, took time out from their busy concert schedule to sit down with us. -
Lullaby of Tears
Claude Debussy: Berceuse héroïque August 24th, 2014The Battle of the Somme was fought between 1 July and 18 November 1916. One of the largest and most brutal engagements of the First World War, almost one million men were wounded or killed! Among them was the young