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 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 -
Jean-Marie Leclair May 15th, 2014 Murder in the Rue Careme-Prenant In the early morning of 23 October 1764, the violinist and composer Jean-Marie Leclair (1697-1764) was found lying dead in the vestibule of his house in a pool of blood from three vicious stab wounds -
Gabriel García Márquez and Music May 14th, 2014 Nobel Prize–winner and Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez died recently and we were looking traces of him in the musical world. His books and stories brought the realism and magic realism of South American literature to the world. He also -
“New ideas must seek new forms”
Richard Strauss and the Tone Poem May 13th, 2014After grooming his conducting career under Hans von Bülow in Meiningen between October 1885 and April 1886, Richard Strauss was offered the post as third conductor at the Munich Hofoper. Before he took up his post in Munich, Strauss — -
Pop to Classical May 12th, 2014 In 1950, singer Theresa Brewer had a top 10 hit with ‘Music! Music! Music!,’ also known as ‘Put Another Nickel In’ and for one classical composer the song was so prevalent and so annoying that he turned into a piece -
The musical Conversion
Richard Strauss and Alexander Ritter May 11th, 2014There can be no doubt that Lotti Speyer had seriously enflamed the romantic passions of the young Richard Strauss. After a short ten days at the little spa of Heilbrunn, however, the two lovebirds had to return to their respective