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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An Alpine Symphony
Richard Strauss May 22nd, 2014Richard Strauss’ Alpine Symphony is seen as one of the peaks of his orchestral writing (oh dear, I’m on the puns already…). Lasting almost an hour, written for a huge orchestra, it follows the dramatic story of a journey up -
Fazioli: The Ferrari among Pianos May 21st, 2014 When I was doing some research on piano makers, I came across a rather interesting statistic. In the first half of the 20th century, 300 piano makers plied their trade in Europe. By December 2013, only 9 makers remain. Like -
Ciccolini and the Waltz May 20th, 2014 We heard, the other day, a new disc by Aldo Chiccolini, simply entitled 13 Waltzes and it got us thinking about the waltz. The waltz was one of several similar dances that came out of southern Germany, Bavaria and Austria -
Classical Modern May 19th, 2014 It’s always a surprise when Pop and Classical music overlap. We already looked at Pop singers taking on the Classical repertoire, often with a lamentable result. But, if we look at the influence moving in the other direction, where Pop -
In touch with The King’s Singers
Kings of A Capella May 18th, 2014Taking its name from their alma mater King’s College Cambridge, The King’s Singers was officially formed in 1968. It all began with six choral scholars singing six days a week in the college chapel, performing at dinners and balls, as -
The Conquest of Bayreuth
Richard Strauss and Cosima Wagner May 18th, 2014Richard Strauss first met Francesca Gaetana Cosima Liszt-Bülow Wagner in March 1889. Of all his acquaintances and friendships during this period of his life, this one was to have the most important consequences for his immediate future. Alexander Ritter had -
The Supernatural in Music
X. Dance of the Fairies: Mischievous Imps May 17th, 2014In the Romantic era, the Fairy was a lovely creature – rarely seen but with sometimes beneficial charms. In no work was Fairy music better expressed than by Mendelssohn in his incidental music for Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In -
Central Conservatory of Music, Beijing May 16th, 2014 So far in my series on the great music colleges of the world, my conversation has always been with the administration departments. It was refreshing, therefore, to get in touch with a cello professor, Yibing Chu, who teaches at the