Articles

3516 Posts
archive-post-image
Stepping Stones to Bach
American pianist and teacher Eleonor Bindman is, by her own admission, devoted to the music of J S Bach. She has been praised for her performances and recordings of Bach’s keyboard music and has made a transcription for piano 4-hands
Read more
archive-post-image
2019’s Great Concerts in China
My first concert experience in 2019 began in Hangzhou, the provincial capital of Zhejiang province. There, at the crescent-shaped Hangzhou Grand Theatre by the Qiantang River, I celebrated the New Year’s Eve bells on December 31st, while attending the theatre’s
Read more
archive-post-image
You Don’t Need “the Knowledge” to Enjoy Classical Music
It always frustrates me to hear people say that they don’t go to concerts because they don’t know enough about classical music. I think my friend Olli Mustonen had the answer to that: “It’s like saying that you won’t walk
Read more
archive-post-image
Saving the Symphony Orchestra
Perhaps you too have seen several articles of late about “Saving the Symphony Orchestra”. The demise of classical music has been a viewpoint touted for decades, but it seems to be a worthy conversation today. Audiences are dwindling, music education
Read more
archive-post-image
Emotional Music
What is emotional music? But maybe first, I should ask, what is an emotion? And, are all emotions universal? Are your experiences of grief, remorse, shame and heartbreak the same as mine? I’d guess no; I don’t see how they
Read more
archive-post-image
Messiaen’s Cathedrals of Sound
Thoughts on listening to Vingt Regards sur l’enfant-Jésus Olivier Messiaen builds cathedrals in sound. From a single candle gently flickering in a qui