The Greatest Musician You May Not Know In her Grove Music Online article on George Enescu (1881-1955), Valentina Sandu-Dediu hails her compatriot as “Romania’s greatest composer, the leading figure in Romanian musical life in the first half of the 20th

Weaving Silence and Spirituality Arvo Pärt, born on 11 September 1935 in Paide, Estonia, is one of the most influential composers of contemporary classical music. Renowned for his distinctive tintinnabuli style, his music resonates with a profound simplicity that transcends

Celebrating a Musical Maverick On 1 July 1925, at the age of 59, Erik Alfred Leslie Satie died in a small apartment in Arcueil, Paris. One hundred years later, at the centenary of his death, his singular creative spirit resonates

Ravel at 150: A Legacy of Innovation 150 years ago, on 7 March 1875, the small village of Ciboure in the Basque region of France saw the birth of Maurice Ravel (1875-1937). Son of a Swiss engineer and a Basque

“Great art presupposes the alert mind of the educated listener” I am sure that at one point or another you’ve heard the slant that Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951) is the only classical composer who uniquely can empty any concert hall by

“Down with impressionism and all those beautiful sonorities” Georges Auric (1899-1983), born on 15 February 1899 in Lodève, France, was famously included in the group called Les Six by critic Henri Collet in 1920. As a composer, he is probably

“I simply follow my own feelings” Among the most original and sincere voices of the 20th century, Francis Poulenc (1899-1963) was no revolutionary as his music and personality simply mirror the often-conflicting nature of humanity. Simultaneously earthy and refined, an

“People Who Make Music Together Cannot Be Enemies” Paul Hindemith (1895-1963) unexpectedly died on 28 December 1963 in Frankfurt. And while the general public mourned the loss of a highly respected musician, he had lost all influence on the next