The Belgian conductor and chorus director Philippe Herreweghe, born on 2 May 1947, is frequently credited with restoring the freshness and purity of Baroque choral music. As a critic wrote, “Herreweghe crafts intimate performances that try to impress with lean

The Prague-based, Czech language music magazine Dalibor reports on 2 May. “Our nation has received a terrible, terrible blow, Antonín Dvořák is no more. Yesterday, at half past twelve in the afternoon, he died from sudden heart failure, having been

John Parry’s Manual of Musical Terms and Various Other Subjects Connected with Music Art The English actor, pianist, artist, comedian, songwriter and singer John Orlando Parry (1810-1879) started his career as a singer, harpist, and pianist. He knew and sang

When Zubin Mehta made his conducting debut at New York Carnegie Hall in 1967 a critic wrote, “Mehta has the capacity to control every sound made by an orchestra, and he does this with the simplest of gestures, every one

The pressure of sight reading can seem a lot like a bad date: unpleasant surprises, sweaty palms and awkward silences can be just as common across the dinner table as when fumbling through an unfamiliar piece of music. Thankfully, although

To celebrate the treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, which ultimately ended the War of Austrian Succession, King George II of Great Britain hosted a gargantuan festival on 27 April 1749. Citizens from all corners of the kingdom arrived in London to witness

Anna Amalia, Princess of Prussia The 18th century shows a wonderful increase in the number of women composers who we know today. The number of royal composers, including Barbara of Portugal who became Queen Barbara of Spain, Princess Anna Amalia

For almost 20 years, Niccolò Paganini had patiently confined his concert activities to Italy before setting out to conquer various European capitals. Initially he appeared in Vienna and Franz Schubert excitedly reported, “We will never hear his like again!” He