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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A rousing start!
The musical education of C.P.E. Bach December 31st, 2013When Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach was born on 8 March 1714 in the city of Weimar, his father was employed as court organist at the ducal court. By then, Johann Sebastian had already acquired a fierce reputation as an organ -
Like Father like Son!
Johann Sebastian and Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach December 29th, 2013Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach: Trio Sonata in A minor, Wq. 148, H. 572 I have always wondered what it must have been like to grow up as the son of Johann Sebastian Bach. The old man was known around town -
Soloists I Have Known: Yo Yo Ma, André Watts, Sara Davis (once David) Buechner December 28th, 2013 “Are soloists nice?” audiences ask. “Not all of them,” I’d reply cautiously. (One doesn’t want to taint the concert experience, after all.) Some soloists can be self-centered; others reserved. There are soloists who stand out as genuine, warm and wonderful -
In touch with Jon Kimura Parker: The Diabolical Pianist December 27th, 2013 MozartPiano Concerto No. 21 in C Major, K. 467, “Elvira Madigan” JH: Jon you just recorded your transcription of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring for solo piano paired with his ballet Petrouchka. It was released on iTunes in time for the -
The Keys to Success:
Burkat Shudi and John Broadwood December 27th, 2013When the 16-year-old Swiss craftsman Burkat Shudi made his way to London in 1718, he could scarcely have imagined that he would play a pivotal role in the development of the modern piano. Initially, Shudi established a company that produced -
In Praise of the Fat One!
Ignaz Schuppanzigh December 25th, 2013Teaching must be one of the most hazardous professions worldwide. And I am not necessarily talking about public schools in Angola, Los Angeles or the Bronx. Nor am I talking about bulletproof glass, metal detectors or semi-automatic weapons. There are -
Salle Pleyel December 24th, 2013 Once upon a time, the life of a traveling piano virtuoso was a veritable nightmare. Performers traveled long days and dark nights in rickety horse-drawn coaches over slippery roads and muddy fields. If they could afford the luxury, they spent -
Ernst Toch December 23rd, 2013 Corrected by MozartCan you imagine one of the most astonishingly gifted musical prodigies of all times being forced to study music in secret? It happened to Ernst Toch, whose father — a Jewish processed-leather dealer in Vienna — did everything