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Ending with a Crash and Series of Tinkles: Andy Akiho’s Ricochet
Andy Akiho’s new concerto, Ricochet, takes the idea of rhythm and makes it the center point of his whole piece. The piece opens with an extensive violin solo, but not a cadenza in the way that we’ve come to expect
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Dvořák’s Legacy
Jiří Bělohlávek (1946-2017)
Acknowledged as “the most profound proponent of Czech orchestral music,” conductor Jiří Bělohlávek has died aged 71. He is best remembered for his radiant interpretations of Janáček and Martinů, two towering voices that forcefully carried the rich legacy of Czech
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Not your Grandma’s Harpsichord
Elisabeth Chojnacka (1939-2017)
I am sure you have seen popular culture caricatures of double-chinned, middle-aged chaps with fluffy powdered-wigs playing keyboard instruments producing a metallic sound? The instrument, of course, is the harpsichord and it has been around for a while. The earliest
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Please Stop the Music!
Extraordinary, isn’t it? It’s a classical concert, so presumably the audience are there because they want to hear classical music – and yet the bar is playing “bad pop” (and those two words cover a multitude of sins!).
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Forgotten Pianists: Mieczysław Horszowski
At his death at age 100, just one month short of his 101st birthday, the Polish and later American pianist Mieczyslaw Horszowski (1892-1993) had one of the long-lasting careers in the performing arts. His age puts him with other pianists
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Classical Movements II
“Moving the Music; Changing the World”
Through the efforts and vision of Neeta Helms, Classical Movements has become an organization of altruism. A large part of the profits, which the organization earns moving orchestras and choirs on their tours, are devoted to Neeta’s pursuit of global
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Classical Movements I
“Moving the Music; Changing the World”
Have you ever wondered how entire orchestras and their staff are seamlessly moved from country to country when they are on tour? Neeta Helms and Classical Movements are the behind-the-scenes wizards who organize 55-70 symphony and choral tours each year.
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Extraordinary splashes of colour
Music and Synaesthesia
Synaesthesia is a physiological ‘condition’ which literally means “a fusion of the senses”. Its incidence is considered to be about one in every two thousand people, though it may be far commoner, and it is more common in women than
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