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
Latest article
Spotlight
-
In touch with Gary Hoffman:
Unforgettable Cello Sound December 22nd, 2013Gary, I’ll never forget hearing you for the first time. We were both in Janos Starker’s class in the 1970’s and your sound blew me away. I must say I wondered if I would be up to snuff with such -
In touch with ZRI December 22nd, 2013 Playing the Brahms Clarinet Quintet interspersed with gypsy folk may seem odd – but this is what the band ZRI lives for. There is a method in their madness, and speaking to accordion player Jon Banks gave me an insight -
Top Five Tracks to welcome the New Year December 21st, 2013 In one form or another — regardless of culture, nationality or creed — New Year’s celebrations have several elements in common. Among the most popular are dancing, singing, drinking, a sense of spiritual renewal and, of course, fireworks! To celebrate -
Folk Music of the Future December 20th, 2013 When we think of folk music, we often think of music that is far removed from what we do in daily life. So how do you modernize something that is considered to exist almost out of time – we rarely -
Johannes Brahms, Piano Quartet No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 60 December 19th, 2013 In 1853, with a stack of original compositions in his backpack, Johannes Brahms (1833-1896) finally found enough courage to visit his musical hero Robert Schumann. Their brief encounter prompted Schumann to pen his famous article “Neue Bahnen” (New Paths) — -
In touch with Burt Hara — Clarinetist with the Golden Sound December 18th, 2013 Burt Hara is one of the great orchestral and solo clarinetists of our time. He was the principal clarinet of the Minnesota Orchestra for 25 seasons. A native of California, Burt has just relocated to Los Angeles to play in -
Corelli and JS Bach:
The Musical and Architectural Baroque Style December 15th, 2013Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713) and Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) were two of the composers most familiar to me in my youth, with their oratorios, concerti grossi and choral compositions, respectively, heard particularly during the Christmas Season. Today’s article will reflect on -
Thinking About Notation December 15th, 2013 Time marches on and in music, you have to keep track of it. Before we get to time signatures, we have to talk about notation of pitch duration, i.e., how long is a note? In yet another example of a