For those in cold, northern climes, the lure of the south is sometimes inescapable. Whether you’re a snowbird in Florida or a frozen Russian in lovely Italy, there’s something there that just calls you back. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893) had

In Paris in 1778, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) was desperately looking for a job. He’d been in Mannheim before then, but without any luck on the job front. Going to Paris offered more opportunities, but the one that was discussed,

In the middle of Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony, a sudden downpour creeps up on us during our pleasant day in the country. At first, we hear a hint of timpani – something is coming! Then, on little cat feet, the rain

Franz Schubert (1797–1828) had a musical skill that was recognised when he was just a child and, with the sponsorship of Antonio Salieri, was sent off to the imperial-royal municipal seminary at age 9 for musical training and performance. He

French composer Édouard Lalo (1823–1892) began his studies at the Lille Conservatory before moving to Paris for private lessons in violin, conducting, and composition. Immediate success did not follow, but he earned a living as a violinist and teacher. His

In 1878 and 1886, Antonín Dvořák (1841–1904) created his Slavonic Dances, Opp. 46 and 72. In this series of 16 dances, Dvořák picked up on the idea from Johannes Brahms‘ Hungarian Dances. Dvořák originally wrote this for piano four-hands, and,

In his role as the leading keyboard virtuoso of his day, J.S. Bach (1685–1750) published 4 books of keyboard music under the title of Clavier-Übung, following the precedent set by his predecessor at the Thomaskirche in Leipzig. Johann Kuhnau had

One of the oldest stories in opera is that of Orpheus and Eurydice. In the original story, Orpheus, the musical son of Apollo, loses his beloved wife Eurydice to a snake bite. Outraged at the loss of his bride, he