In classical music, the Romantic Era lasted from around 1810 to around 1910. That century gave us some of the most famous symphonies in the repertoire. Nineteenth-century composers like Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Dvořák, Schubert, Mahler, Rachmaninoff, and others elevated the symphony
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Five of the Longest Symphonies Ever Composed July 30th, 2023 Symphonic composers are convinced that what they have to say is important. They have to be. Not only are these composers spending months or years preparing a score during the composition process, they’re also asking a room of a hundred -
Children’s Operas in the 1900s July 30th, 2023 What is a children’s opera? To my understanding, a children’s opera is an opera but shorter in length and often with themes suitable for children to watch. The most known and oldest children’s opera perhaps traces all the way back -
Bernard Herrmann’s Wuthering Heights Suite July 29th, 2023 Bernard Herrmann (1911–1975) is best known for his film music, particularly for Alfred Hitchcock’s evocative thrillers. His first film score was for Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane (1941) and one of his last was for Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver (1976). Before -
Style Over Substance?
The Ascendance of Image in Classical Music July 29th, 2023In a recent article for InterludeHK, British pianist Peter Donohoe said “it’s all about smiling and being sexy for the camera, and if you get the right photographer anyone can do it. It’s not enough to make a music career -
George Bridgetower
The Biracial Violinist Who Inspired Beethoven’s Kreutzer Sonata July 28th, 2023Beethoven’s Kreutzer Sonata is one of the most famous pieces of violin music ever written – and yet it was named for a violinist who never even played it! Had Beethoven not entered into a feud with George Bridgetower, the -
What’s With Mozart, Again July 27th, 2023 Mozart’s music brings me such bright emotions. Regardless of his works; the genres, the styles, or the instrumentation. Excitement, lightness, joy, beauty, simplicity, positivity — I can recall feeling one if not a combination of these emotions whilst listening to -
On This Day
27-28 July: Antonio Vivaldi Died July 27th, 2023Antonio Vivaldi’s operatic opportunities in Venice were rapidly drying up in 1739. As the famous letter from Charles de Brosse relates, “Vivaldi is an old man with a mania for composing. I have heard him boast of composing a concerto -
On This Day
26 July: Angela Hewitt was Born July 26th, 2023Pianist Angela Hewitt is probably best known for her cycle of Bach recordings, a project started in 1994 and finished in 2005. To complete her mission, she added a recording of Bach’s The Art of the Fugue in 2014. Angela