Muse, Femme Fatale, Composer Her admirers described Alma Schindler as pathologically cruel, anti-Semitic, exceedingly vain, prone to excessive drinking, and utterly obsessed by a sense of entitlement that the world owed her something in return for her brilliance and beauty.

The Firebird that did not fly Anatoly Lyadov: The Enchanted Lake, Op. 62 Anatoly Lyadov: Kikimora, Op. 63 The Ballets Russes, widely regarded as the most influential ballet company of the 20th century, was the brainchild of the Russian impresario

From the Diary of a Hermit At one time or another, Charles-Valentin Alkan (1813-1888) was mentioned in the same breath with Frédéric Chopin and Franz Liszt and even compared with Hector Berlioz. Not only was Alkan — he was born

The Curse of Promotion Felix Draeseke, Clarinet Sonata in B flat major, Op. 38 Felix Draeseke, Symphonia Tragica, Op. 40 Music is a fickle business! Having exceptional musical talents, composing a first work at age nine followed by an extensive

Curious Matters of the Heart André Ernest Modeste GrétryString Quartet in D major, Op. 3, No. 4 Zemire et Azor: Air de Ballet It is hardly uncommon for relatives and friends — generally called heirs — to squabble over the

The Dandy Have you ever wondered what a superstar in the 19th Century looked like? Predictably, male idols had incredibly good looks; broad shoulders, wavy hair, distinguished facial features, masculine chins, and chiseled profiles. Lacking anabolic steroids, they sported wiry

Kiss of Life Sinfonia concertante in B flat major, Op. 41 Bassoon Concerto in G minor Wind Quintet in B flat major, Op. 56, No. 1 Between 1777 and 1778, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart spent a total of five months in

The transitional period between Bartolomeo Cristofori’s pianoforte designs of the 1720’s and the essentially modern-day instruments produced by John Broadwood, Ignaz Pleyel and Sébastien Érard around the turn of the 19th century not only coincides with the approximate lifetimes of