Cuban conductor, pianist, composer, and educator, Tania León, is another woman who deserves the honorific ‘Grande Dame’ for her outstanding talents and remarkable career. You may not know she became the New York Philharmonic’s new-music advisor in the 1990s. This

After finishing my three-part series on the philosophy in music, the inquiry into the psychology in music was something I thought that needed to be further fleshed out, also as a three-part series. What I’ve always known is that if

Beethoven: Cello Sonata No. 3 in A major, Op. 69 – I. Allegro ma non tanto (Janet Horvath, cello; Arthur Rowe, piano) I grew up with Beethoven. From my earliest years I remember the scowling white plaster bust on our

Criticone who engages often professionally in the analysis, evaluation, or appreciation of works of art or artistic performances The debate about the value music criticism and those who write it is nothing new, and is one that is likely to

Touring is almost an inevitable aspect of many freelance musicians’ lives. Whether it’s a long or short trip away, time spent away from home can quickly take its toll. Lots of short journeys away make home seem like a pit

When the conductor walks on stage everyone has to be tuned and poised for the downbeat. It can come unpredictably fast. You never know if the Maestro will milk the applause for all it’s worth as they step onto the

To fully experience the artistry of Italian soprano Mirella Freni, who died in February at age 84, one must only listen to her rendition of Mimi on Herbert von Karajan’s seminal recording of La Bohème from 1972. Freni’s voice is

Music does not speak of position or place. It can be heard as English, French or German and it might sound like it comes from the voice of other countries, but music is also a language unto itself, and it