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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A Cellist’s Dream – The Beethoven Cello Sonatas January 5th, 2014 Desert Island? No problem. I’d take the five Beethoven Cello Sonatas hands down. Spanning all three periods of Beethoven’s life they essentially depict his whole life story — from the lyrical Sonata in F major Op. 5 Nr. 1 to -
Music and Religion:
Ave Maria: Hail Mary January 4th, 2014Perhaps the most popular of all Marian Prayers, the “Ave Maria” (Hail Mary) originated in the gospel of Luke. Historically, the text is divided into three parts and opens with a salutation of the Angel Gabriel to the Blessed Virgin. -
Ji Liu January 3rd, 2014 On a cold, crisp morning, I prepare to meet Ji Liu at the Royal Academy of Music, his place of study for the last six years. Over a cup of tea, we chat about his time there and what the -
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