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The Distinguished Musical Career of Uncle Ernest
The American conductor who founded New York’s Young People’s Concerts preceded Leonard Bernstein by two generations His funeral was attended by all the greatest musical names of his time, including Toscanini, Barbirolli, Heifetz, Menuhin and Mengelberg. High society was represented
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Portrait of a Complex Artist – Meng-Chieh Liu
Even though I met Meng-Chieh Liu not too long ago, I already felt a great admiration for his virtuosic accomplishments, his sense of humanity, and his resilience in the face of adversity. Recognised as a prodigy growing up, he had
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Transcendental Temptations
Three Phases of Liszt’s Passion (Part 2)
By the time he was fifteen, Franz Liszt had already begun work on what would become one of his most important early compositions; the Etude en douze exercices. This collection, first published in 1826 in both Marseille and Paris, was
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10 Practice Hacks That Will Transform Your Playing in 2025
#PracticeMakesPerfect Like any art form, I think we can agree that music practice is never done. Why would I say that? Mastery of a piece is so much more than technical facility and accuracy. As we develop, learn, and grow,
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What Happened to Felix Mendelssohn’s Children?
In the spring of 1836, Felix Mendelssohn met a singer named Cécile Charlotte Sophie Jeanrenaud, who was a member of the Cäcilienverein choir in Frankfurt. He was immediately attracted to her. That summer, he returned to Frankfurt, wanting to get
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The Extraordinary Story of Henryk Górecki’s Symphony of Sorrowful Songs – Part I
One of the strangest stories in the recent history of classical music is that of the reception of Henryk Górecki’s Symphony of Sorrowful Songs. It is a truly astonishing story of the kind that had not occurred before – and
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Howard Shore Weekend “Eastern Promises”
Cinematic Concertos
Bastien Stil and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France The master composer Howard Shore is known for his sweeping and cinematic scores that define epic storytelling. From The Lord of the Rings to The Silence of the Lambs, his rich
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Next-Gen Pianists Defining the Sounds of Tomorrow
10 Fresh Takes on Bach
An exciting next generation of pianists is stepping into the spotlight. Blending classical precision with daring, contemporary flair, they are pushing away the boundaries of tradition and creating new dynamic soundscapes. Their fearless and creative approach is rewriting the rules,
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