Articles

3361 Posts
archive-post-image
It’s All in the Stars
12 Greatest Composers of the Zodiac
I must admit that I occasionally check my horoscope. Many times, I look upon my daily predictions with a playful suspension of disbelief, but occasionally, it seems to fit really well. I know as a fact that many of my
Read more
archive-post-image
Artist Profile: Owana Salazar
Now in her 70s, musician Owana Salazar fights hard to keep alive the traditions of her native country. As musicians go, she certainly has an unusual profile – a steel guitarist who is not only an eminent instrumentalist with numerous
Read more
archive-post-image
Escaping the Holiday Bells
Gerald Finzi’s New Year Music
English composer Gerald Finzi (1904–1956) wrote to a friend about his love / hate relationship with the year’s end: ‘I love New-Year’s Eve, though I think it’s the saddest thing of the year’ and in his 1926 piece, Nocturne (New
Read more
archive-post-image
On This Day
26 December: Jian Wang was Born
The 1980 documentary From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China provides a fascinating look at China’s cultural and political landscape in the wake of the Cultural Revolution. Isaac Stern’s journey to China not only offered a glimpse into the
Read more
archive-post-image
Malcolm Williamson’s Pieces of Peace
These days, with the horrors that are unfolding on every continent, we look for peace. But what, exactly, might we be looking for? Australian composer Malcolm Williamson (1931–2003) moved to London when he was in his 20s and started on
Read more
archive-post-image
Visions of Innocence
Chabrier, Stravinsky and Debussy
John Eliot Gardiner Conducts Chabrier, Stravinsky and Debussy With Isabelle Faust Visions of innocence evoke an ethereal glimpse into a world untouched by the burdens of experience, where purity lingers untainted by complexities and disillusionments. These fleeting moments capture the
Read more
archive-post-image
From Reviled to Beloved: O Holy Night
Poet Placide Cappeau (1808–1877) was so inspired by the new stained glass windows in his church in Roquemaure, France, that he wrote a poem, ‘Minuit, chrétiens’ in its honour. It’s a powerful poem urging Christians to use midnight as the
Read more
archive-post-image
On This Day
23 December: Borodin’s Symphony No. 1 Premiered
We still have conflicting reports as to the actual premiere date of Borodin’s Symphony No. 1. Some commentators place that event on 23 December 1868, while others located it on 4 January 1869. The proximity of these dates suggests that
Read more