We all know Bess’ song from Porgy and Bess: ‘Summertime, and the Livin’ is Easy’. We decided to do a survey of what other composers thought about summer and were surprised at the very different moods and modes composers used
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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 -
On Pilgrimage with Murakami and Liszt August 23rd, 2014 Haruki Murakami’s latest novel, Colourless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage, has just been released and there’s that curious phrase in the title: “Years of Pilgrimage.” The reference, of course, is to Franz Liszt’s celebrated piano works about his -
Singing the Country August 19th, 2014 Joseph Canteloube (1879-1957) was a skilled composer but it’s for his unique preservation (and improvement) of the songs of his area of France that he is best remembered. Canteloube came from a départment in south central France called the Auvergne. -
“I drink, therefore I am”
Modest Mussorgsky August 18th, 2014When the legendary British surreal comedy outfit “Monty Python” announced a reunion show in 2014, tickets sold out in a matter of minutes and additional shows had to be hastily arranged. Performing in London’s O2 Arena, satellite live feeds broadcast