Blood, sex and sceptres: two queens battle it out in Maria Stuarda Maria Stuarda (Donizetti) MusicaVivaHong Kong City Hall, Concert Hall9,10, 11 Dec 2022 An opera in two acts, Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda (1835) is about two queens, Mary Stuart and

Hidden in the decoration of medieval books are many different kinds of illustrations – some of them show people doing everyday things, others show animals doing everyday human things. And then, in some special ones, we see animals playing musical

On 2 November 1788, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach wrote to a friend, “Since 18 September I have been very ill with gout and other ailments. Now my health is beginning to improve.” However, this period of improvement was short-lived, as

Ludwig van Beethoven’s five Sonatas for Cello and Piano span the entirety of his life. From the lyrical Sonata in F Major Op. 5 No. 1, and the three sets of variations, to the grandiose Sonata Op. 102. No. 2

The French coloratura soprano Sabine Devieilhe was born on 12 December 1985 in Ifs, near Caen, in the Calvados region of Normandy. Her parents are specialized educators, and music was not an integral part of the Devieilhe household. She received

Without a good piece of music, a commercial can never stand out, that’s why we always find classical music used in tv commercials. This article continues with the previous two articles highlighting 9 more commercials using classical repertoire. Karl Jenkins’

There is something about the American artist and composer John Cage that I find fascinating. Something that transcends his works, his music — in fact, many seem to know the man better than the music, thanks to his groundbreaking approach

Hector Berlioz was born at 5pm on Sunday, 11 December 1803 in the small village of La Côte-Saint-André in the département of Isère. His father, Louis-Joseph Berlioz was a hardworking town physician who advocated such progressive cures as hydrotherapy and