For as long as composers have been writing music, they’ve been inspired by the mystery, mood, and mythology of the night. We’ve gathered ten pieces of classical music about the night that explore themes associated with the hours after dark,
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Music and the Arts in 19th and 20th Century Russia I September 8th, 2013 The recent exhibition of ‘Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes’ at the National Gallery in Washington, D.C. and several of the recent Interlude articles on the same subject raised interesting and important questions about the connection and inter-relationship between the arts -
Coming out!
Britten, Auden, and Berkeley September 7th, 2013While Benji Britten was delighting in his fondness for the young of his own sex, he himself became the object of the desires of the poet WH Auden and the composer Lennox Berkeley. In 1935, the General Post Office Film -
Boris Giltburg September 6th, 2013 A Sincere and Serious Pianist There is a certain seriousness about Russian musicians. I remember talking to Valery Gergiev once after his rehearsal with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra; every note, for him, is about life and death. In fact, this -
Music and Religion:
Nicene Creed: I believe! September 5th, 2013In the year 325, theological experts and ecclesiastical dignitaries met in the city of Nicaea — presently defined as the Turkish city of Iznik — and discussed the exact wording for a profession of faith or creed to be used -
Playing Second Fiddle August 30th, 2013 Giovanni Battista Sammartini: Symphony in A major, J-C 65 Franz Josef Haydn: String Quartet No. 31 in B minor, Op. 33, No. 1 Between 1715 and 1735, Alain-René Lesage published his 4-volume novel L’Histoire de Gil Blas de Santillane (The -
Salutations From Composer to Composer August 29th, 2013 Just like the rest of the world composers may or may not get along with each other; and they may or may not like each other’s music. In fact, insults sometimes fly. “He’d be better off shoveling snow,” said Richard -
The Adventures of Benji
Britten and the Boys August 28th, 2013It is a rather thankless task to write about Benjamin Britten in the context of a column entitled “In Love.” His long-time relationship with the tenor Peter Pears, which is clearly a love story, is not the issue and I -
Britten and Tippett – Two Kinds of Englishman August 27th, 2013 One of the most enjoyable musical experiences of my life has been performing Sir Michael Tippett’s extraordinary oratorio A Child of our Time with the chorus and orchestra of Clare College, Cambridge. Famous especially because of the series of five