Articles

3516 Posts
archive-post-image
On This Day
18 March: Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 4 Was Premiered
On 18 March 1927, audiences in the city of Philadelphia, USA were in high anticipation as Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra had invited Sergei Rachmaninoff as the soloist for the premiere of the composer’s Fourth piano concerto in G
Read more
archive-post-image
On This Day
16 March: Roger Norrington Was Born
The historically informed performance movement has opened up the realm of interpretation by enriching the subjectivity of artistic expression with the objectivity of scholarly study. And while critics have suggested that such performances are not really historical but a performance
Read more
archive-post-image
Unsuk Chin – Unique and Surprising Sound Worlds
Few composers have made such a mark on the world of modern music as Unsuk Chin. Born in South Korea, she studied in Seoul and Hamburg and is currently based in Berlin. Her music has been performed by prominent orchestras
Read more
archive-post-image
Climate Change Riffs
Paul Lansky: Contemplating Weather
It’s been all over the news lately. Members of a group called “Last Generation,” a student-led organization focused on raising awareness for climate change and environmental injustice, have been gluing themselves onto busy roadways or works of art. They believe
Read more
archive-post-image
On This Day
11 March: Jean-Guihen Queyras Was Born
The artistry of Jean-Guihen Queyras, born on 11 March 1967 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, is characterized by insatiable curiosity, diversity and a firm focus on the music itself. A musician completely dedicated to his art, his humble approach and unpretentious
Read more
archive-post-image
On This Day
10 March: Fou Ts’ong Was Born
The original Chinese poet of the keyboard Fou Ts’ong, born on 10 March 1934 in Shanghai, was always reluctant to talk to journalists about his personal affairs and his relationship with the China he had left behind. “I tried to
Read more
archive-post-image
On This Day
9 March: Verdi’s Nabucco Was Premiered
Soon after the successful première of Giuseppe Verdi’s first opera Oberto, Bartolomeo Merelli, the impresario at La Scala commissioned three further operas. The comic opera Un giorno di regno was a disastrous failure, and contemporary critics considered the question of
Read more
archive-post-image
Musings on Schubert
To start with, I have to confess that although I have long been fond of Schubert, he hasn’t been among my “favourites” (if such a term is appropriate). Somehow, I have found a barrier between Schubert and me that prevented
Read more