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Murakami & Music
The Japanese author and writer Haruki Murakami is quite passionate about music. So much, that his works are filled with quotations, references and inspiration from the music world, and some of them even take their structure in musical works. He
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Peter Ritzen: The Last Empress Piano Concerto
The pianist and composer Peter Ritzen, born in Ghent, Belgium in 1956 might not be a household name in Europe and the United States, but he certainly enjoys high acclaim in Mainland China and in Taiwan. In fact, between 2009
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Christmas Bells are Ringing
Depending on your location, there might already be a touch of frost in the air. Days are getting shorter and the nights much darker and longer. There might even be a whiff of snow in the air. Judging by the
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On This Day
20 December: Arturo Márquez Was Born
Born on 20 December 1950 in the colonial town of Álamos deep in the Sonoran desert, Arturo Márquez has “always been enthralled by the music bubbling out of cafes and dance salons in Mexico.” That love for the musical forms
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From Ugly Duckling to Leading Composer
Tālivaldis Ķeniņš: Symphony No. 6, “Sinfonia ad Fugam”
Latvian-born composer Tālivaldis Ķeniņš (1919-2008) was educated first in Latvia and then in France, and made his home in Canada, serving on the faculty of the University of Toronto. He composed across many genres, with his output including 8 symphonies,
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Leningrad Does Varietee
Wooding, Shostakovich, Dunayesky and Prokofiev
Just a couple of years after Western Europe fell under the spell of popular American musical styles, it also debuted in the Soviet Union. As a musical language increasingly placed at the service of social commentary, and with its strong
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Practicing Without Your Orchestra
It’s always been a problem – you want to practice your piano concerto and the orchestra is away for the day, or on a break, or just not able to assemble due to the new social distancing rules. You need
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On This Day
17 December: Ludwig van Beethoven Was Born
Ludwig van Beethoven probably wasn’t actually born on 17 December, but in the absence of an authentic record of birth, we rely on the registry of his baptism in the Catholic Parish of St. Remigius in Bonn on 17 December
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