The solo violin has long been acknowledged as the perfect instrument to express emotions like love, longing, heartbreak, rapture, and romance. The Romantic era lasted from the early nineteenth century to the early twentieth century and produced numerous works that
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Famous Father, Famous Son!
Franz and Richard Strauss April 27th, 2014Famous musical sons frequently have famous musical fathers. And Richard Strauss is no exception. In his day, his father Franz was recognized as an important artistic personality. Foremost, he became a celebrated horn virtuoso, by “breathing soul into the unthankful -
The Supernatural in Music
VII. The Wolf’s Glen: The Supernatural Opera April 27th, 2014What could be more ideal for showing the supernatural world than opera? The most famous supernatural scene in opera occurs in Weber’s Der Freischütz. The opera, known in English as ‘The Marksman,’ is about a poor woodsman, Max, who, in -
Barker on the Bass April 26th, 2014 Yannatos: Variations In our earlier talk with bassist Ed Barker, we focused solely on his return to China with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, 35 years after his first visit to China with the orchestra In 1979. Our conversation continued, discussing -
Glioblastoma Multiforme and George Gershwin
How the medical community got it deadly wrong! April 25th, 2014In 1937 George Gershwin was at the top of his game. His Rhapsody in Blue (1924), An American in Paris (1928) and his opera Porgy and Bess (1935) had established him as one of the most prolific and talented composers -
A day in the life of Perugia… Part II
Music Fest Perugia April 24th, 2014After having talked with the Artistic and Executive Directors of Music Fest Perugia, Ilana Vered and Peter Hermes, I decided to see how the festival fared in the eyes of some of its young participants. Nathan Lee and Vanessa Haynes, -
Four Friends April 23rd, 2014 In all of classical music, there’s nothing quite as wonderful as a string quartet. Four voices but which produce a world of sound. In a letter to the composer C.F. Zelter in late 1829, Goethe described a string quartet as -
In touch with Ilari Kaila April 23rd, 2014 Hailed as “the city’s most innovative music experience” by the Financial Times, the Intimacy of Creativity, founded by Chinese-American composer Bright Sheng, begins its fourth cycle this April, to bring together internationally acclaimed performers and composers for creative dialogue and -
In touch with Andy Akiho April 22nd, 2014 Composer Andy Akiho did not grow up with classical music training. If you had asked him what a string quartet was a few years ago, “I would have told you violin, viola, cello and bass. I wouldn’t have known it