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
30 June: Esa-Pekka Salonen was Born June 30th, 2023Born in Helsinki, Finland on 10 June 1958 to a businessman father and a homemaker mother, Esa-Pekka Salonen knew from an early age that music was his destiny. His mother tried to get him to play the piano at four, -
An Interview with Nancy Loo as the Broadcaster June 29th, 2023 Miss Nancy Loo is one of the most extraordinary pianists in Hong Kong. A graduate of the Juilliard School, Miss Loo won many international competitions, including the First Prize winner at the Fourth Rina Sala Gallo International Competition in Monza -
On This Day
28 June: Thomas Hampson Was Born June 28th, 2023The American lyric baritone Thomas Walter Hampson has appeared in all the major opera houses and concert halls around the world, and he has made well over 170 recordings. His enormous operatic repertoire spans more than 80 roles, and as -
Henriëtte Bosmans: How Did This Half-Jewish Composer Survive the Holocaust? June 27th, 2023 Henriëtte Bosmans has one of the most fascinating biographies in twentieth-century music history. She was a celebrated piano soloist and composer. Her love for great women performers inspired deeply beautiful works for both cello and voice. And when the Nazis -
Performing the New: An Interview With Madeleine Mitchell June 27th, 2023 The brilliant new recording by Madeleine Mitchell is a wonderful review of late 20th- and early 21st-century violin music. Many of the works were written as gifts for Ms Mitchell and on four of the works, their composers play the -
On This Day
26 June: Wagner’s Die Walküre Was Premiered June 26th, 2023Cosima Wagner wrote pointedly in her diary of 1873, “Die Walküre is the most emotional, the most tragic of Richard’s works.” Here as elsewhere, Cosima is responding to the classical theory of drama that Wagner had outlined during the initial -
Why Abel Selaocoe a Dazzling Cellist, Singer, and Composer, is a Revelation June 26th, 2023 South African cellist, singer, and composer Abel Selaocoe has a remarkable and inventive approach. Taking the cello to places rarely explored, he showcases the tremendous range of expression of the cello from the classics through non-Western musical traditions. His extraordinary -
10 Podcasts about Classical Music and Beyond June 25th, 2023 Do you listen to podcasts? I enjoy listening to podcasts, especially when I am driving. In this article, I share some podcasts about classical music that our contributors and I listen to. Perhaps there are a few that you might