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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Replacing the Tango: The Furlana (The Forlane) October 21st, 2023 In religious Italy in the early 20th century, the newly imported tango was judged to be just too salacious. In 1914, just on the cusp of WWI, Pope Pius X asked for a private demonstration of the new dance craze -
Lera Auerbach October 21st, 2023 “A Renaissance artist for modern times” Born on 21 October 1973 in Chelyabinsk, a city in the Ural Mountains near the border with Siberia, Lera Auerbach is considered one of the most exciting new voices among today’s composers. Her music -
The Last Romantic: Top Ten Takeaways from the Vladimir Horowitz Documentary October 20th, 2023 The film Vladimir Horowitz: The Last Romantic begins with a shot of a frail elderly man in the back of a taxi. “Mr. Horowitz, you look very, very good,” a voice says offscreen. Thirty seconds later, we cut to the -
On Technique October 20th, 2023 Technique, technique, technique. Practice, practice, practice. Much of the performing musician’s life seems to be centred around practice, development, and improvement of the technique. It is true that technique is essential to the communication of the ideas of the composer, -
Marrying the Symphonic Poem to the Symphony
Liszt: A Faust Symphony October 19th, 2023Franz Liszt (1811–1886) created the genre of the symphonic poem, but they weren’t without controversy. Eduard Hanslick, the premiere critic of mid–mid-19th-century Vienna thought little of them, noting that the addition of the extra-musical programmes did not justify what he -
On This Day
19 October: Emil Gilels Was Born October 19th, 2023Widely regarded as one of the greatest pianists of his time, the stellar career of Emil Gilels was initially smothered during the opening years of World War II. Universally admired for his superb technical control and polished tone, Gilels returned -
The Goldberg Variations Are Accessible to Amateur Pianists! October 18th, 2023 I have written before about how some repertoire is considered “off limits” to amateur pianists, and should remain the preserve of the professional. I think what such an attitude demonstrates is how the “core canon” of piano repertoire is held -
On This Day
18 October: Charles Gounod Died October 18th, 2023Charles Gounod kept working during the final year of his life. He suffered a variety of afflictions and ills but composed sacred music and penned his memoirs and essays. When he returned home from playing the organ for Mass at