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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In touch with Jorja Fleezanis
Concertmaster and Prophet May 24th, 2014Jorja Fleezanis became one of two female concertmasters in the country when the Minnesota Orchestra recruited her in 1989. After twenty years in that position, the longest tenured concertmaster in the orchestra’s history, she joined the faculty of Indiana University -
The Supernatural in Music
XI. Black Angels: Electrified Fear May 24th, 2014The American composer George Crumb took the idea of the classical string quartet and turned into an electric ensemble of darkness. His 1971 work, Black Angels: Thirteen Images from the Dark Land, extended the string quartet by electrifying it, and -
The Dossier Richard Strauss May 23rd, 2014 The Allied initiative to rid German and Austrian society, culture, press, economy, judiciary, and politics of any remnants of National Socialist ideology was launched after the end of the Second World War. The directives of “denazification” identified specific groups and -
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