Over the centuries, many of history’s most important women composers were forced to publish under male pseudonyms. Across the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries, dozens of women composers adopted masculine or gender-neutral identities so their work would be reviewed
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Beyond Bach July 7th, 2011 Johann Sebastian Bach passed away 326 years ago, in July, so I thought what could have been better than starting my column here with the ‘Father of Music’, a composer with whom I have had a love-hate relationship. When I -
Alfredo Casella July 1st, 2011 Scarlattiana, Op. 44 (1926) Alfredo Casella (1883 – 1947) was an outstanding Italian composer who led several of his contemporaries, such as Respighi, Malipiero and Pizzetti, to modernize the music of their home country. The interests of Casella as a -
Love and Song June 30th, 2011 Why are there so many songs about love? Regardless of whether it is country music, pop music or classical music, songs about love and romance have always made up the greatest proportion. In fact, the world’s oldest song ever discovered -
The Other Ébène: Fiction June 28th, 2011 Wigmore Hall, Friday 16 June. Classical artists venturing into other musical styles rarely works. Listeners and critics are stuffy about classical ensembles taking on popular music, and some projects should probably never have got further than the first meeting. With -
The unbearable heaviness of exams June 28th, 2011 In the society of Hong Kong, keen competition could be found anywhere and everywhere. From getting an empty seat on public transport, to climbing up the social ladder, people have to fight hard for their own benefits. And in recent -
Some professionalism please! June 24th, 2011 Staatskapelle Dresden once again came to China last week. The tour was led by the young Nikolaj Znaider, who is not exactly renowned for his violin or his conducting. The concerts were fair but far from brilliant, according to the -
Tamás Erdi June 15th, 2011 To be a successful concert artist is a major achievement. To accomplish this without being able to see, as Tamás Érdi does, shows what can happen when artistic giftedness, gutsy determination, and innovative teaching methods combine. The Budapest-born pianist, now -
The Age of the Baroque in Music and the Arts June 10th, 2011 The Baroque period began toward the end of the 16th century, reached into the middle of the 18th century, and is generally seen as the art of the Counter-Reformation. With the Reformation, the Catholic Church had lost a very large