Articles

3516 Posts
archive-post-image
On This Day
24 July: Richard Strauss’ Friedenstag Was Premiered
Premiered on 24 July 1938 at the National Theatre Munich, Friedenstag (Day of Peace) is arguably the least known of Strauss’ opera and in many respects the least characteristic. In fact, this serious, rather earnest treatment of war is certainly
Read more
archive-post-image
On This Day
23 July: Domenico Scarlatti Died
Domenico Scarlatti’s final years are “of a contrast between a striking show of vitality, which saw him continue to father children up to the for the period advanced age of 64, and a creative mood of introspection which produced the
Read more
archive-post-image
The Shock of the Not-So-New
George Antheil’s Violin Sonata No. 1
For 21-year-old George Antheil (1900–1959), Europe was going to be his launch on the world. He declared his intention of being an ‘ultramodern pianist composer’ and set out to conquer the world. His first solo recital was in London in
Read more
archive-post-image
Four Surviving Pianos Played by the Great Composers
Pianos may be bulky instruments, but their bulkiness belies their true delicacy. From keys to hammers to strings, a single piano consists of hundreds of intricate tiny parts, and honestly, it’s a miracle that any have survived over the centuries.
Read more
archive-post-image
A Portrait of the Young Glenn Gould
Glenn Gould’s iconic stature as one of the great if not the greatest pianists has not diminished since he passed in 1982 shortly after his 50th birthday. Many of us know him for his recordings of Bach, especially the Goldberg
Read more
archive-post-image
The Lost Now Found
Peter Arnold Heise’s String Quartets
Peter Arnold Heise (1830–1879) was an active composer in mid–19th-century Denmark. A student of A.P. Berggren, who was also the teacher of Niels W. Gade (1817–1890), the leading Danish musician of the day, Heise started his composing career at age
Read more
archive-post-image
On This Day
21 July: Isaac Stern Was Born
Isaac Stern’s tombstone simply reads, “Isaac Stern, Fiddler.” However, the violinist was much, much more than that. He was an educator who mentored generations of musicians, including Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman, and his activism on behalf of classical music
Read more
archive-post-image
Jane Stirling: Why Did This Piano Student Pay for Chopin’s Funeral?
Jane Stirling – Frédéric Chopin’s student, patroness, caretaker, manager, and legacy-builder – has always lived in the shadows of her piano teacher. And yet she was an integral part of Chopin’s later life and one of the reasons why his
Read more