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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On This Day
11 July: Nicolai Gedda was Born July 11th, 2023Operatic tenors enjoy a special status in the world of music. We all still remember the illustrious Enrico Caruso, Beniamino Gigli, and Richard Tauber from the first half of the twentieth century. However, as a critic wrote, “the most versatile -
Famous Quotes from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart July 10th, 2023 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) penned a vast number of letters, starting from about the age of 14 and ranging to the last month of his life. Literally, thousands of these documents have been preserved, thanks to the foresight of his -
On This Day
10 July: Henryk Wieniawski Was Born July 10th, 2023The exceptional and brilliant violinist Henryk Wieniawski, born on 10 July 1835 in Lublin, was quickly considered a reincarnation of Nicolò Paganini. In the summer of 1848, a German reviewer writes, “Our third guest, violinist Wieniawski, is a 12-year-old boy -
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9 July: Denisov’s Clarinet Concerto Was Premiered July 9th, 2023The clarinet concerto by Edison Denisov (1929-1996), premiered on 9 July 1989, finds the European-oriented composer firmly rooted in Russian-Siberian soil, “developing a certain partiality to the tonal qualities of the clarinet.” In fact, the clarinet had previously featured in -
Five of the Best Yuja Wang Performances July 9th, 2023 Yuja Wang is indisputably one of the world’s best pianists. Her musicianship pairs an ironclad technique with a searing passion. Her fashion sense is famous, too. Nobody on the concert platform today rocks stiletto heels like Yuja Wang! We checked -
Dvořák’s American Suite July 9th, 2023 Antonín Dvořák (1841–1904) spent three years in America and gave us some great works written during that time that were highly influential. His use of native American and black song sources opened the eyes of many American composers to the -
Così fan tutte, or The Universal Story July 8th, 2023 Cosí fan tutte is the least performed of the Mozart–Da Ponte operas. The comedy of Le Nozze di Figaro and the travails of our favourite libertine in Don Giovanni were much more popular. The uncertain and changing morals of Cosí -
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8 July: Benjamin Grosvenor Was Born July 8th, 2023Benjamin Grosvenor, born on 8 July 1992 in Westcliff-on-Sea, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England, has never entered an international piano competition. And truth be told, he won’t have to in the future. In fact, he was the youngest ever winner of the