As a mythological character, Hercules is one who has always captured our attention. Famed for his strength and for his adventures around the known world, he’s caught the attention of writers and musicians for centuries. The stories and feats of
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Baby’s Day Out
John Alden Carpenter’s Adventures in a Perambulator September 8th, 2023John Alden Carpenter (1876–1951), although forgotten now, was one of the leading American composers of the early 20th century. Both his songs and his orchestral music were performed widely, and, at the height of his fame, he was the only -
Emma Bardac: The Scandalous Story of Debussy’s Second Wife September 7th, 2023 Her affair with Debussy resulted in a scandal that split the Parisian music world apart – and almost led to the death of Debussy’s first wife. Today we’re looking at the life of Emma Bardac-Debussy: singer, legendary conversationalist, wife, mother, -
When Art Meets Art September 6th, 2023 It is quite a natural process for different artistic worlds to meet, and over the centuries this has happened so many times that we often ignore it, although it has taken very different shapes and forms. In fact, many artists -
Charles Ives’ Calcium Light Night September 5th, 2023 Charles Ives’ wonderfully named Calcium Light Night started its life as a piece for piccolo, clarinet, cornet, trombone, bass drum, and four pianists on two pianos. It depicts traditional fraternity parades on the campus of Yale University, which Ives attended -
10 Fun and Exciting Clarinet Sonatas From the 19th Century September 4th, 2023 As we discovered in our last blog 10 Fun and Exciting Clarinet Duos, the clarinet was a real latecomer to the family of musical instruments. It slowly appeared in European court ensembles around the middle of the 18th century but -
On This Day
4 September: Anton Bruckner Was Born September 4th, 2023Born in the tiny village of Ansfelden on 4 September 1824, Anton Bruckner became one of the most innovative figures of the second half of the 19th century. Today we primarily remember him for his symphonies and sacred compositions, rooted -
On This Day
3 September: Gautier Capuçon Was Born September 3rd, 2023Born on 3 September 1981 in Chambéry, Savoie, Gautier Capuçon comes from a highly musical family. Although his parents are not musicians, his sister is a capable pianist, and his brother Renaud Capuçon is an internationally established violin soloist and -
Why is the “Maestro” Teaser Trailer So Controversial? September 3rd, 2023 Buzz is building in the classical music world about Bradley Cooper’s new film Maestro, which chronicles the life and loves of Leonard Bernstein. Today we’re sitting down and examining the first teaser trailer and answering some of the questions that