Articles

2698 Posts
archive-post-image
On This Day
22 July: Manuel de Falla’s El Sombrero des Tres Picos Was Premiered
On 22 July 1919, the Alhambra Theatre in London saw the world premiere of the ballet El sombrero de tres picos under the title “Le Tricorne.” It had been commissioned by Serge Diaghilev and featured choreography by Léonide Massine, costumes
Read more
archive-post-image
Beloved Maestro Bramwell Tovey
Beloved Maestro—seems like a non-sequitur. But the recent passing on July 12 of Bramwell Tovey has inspired these honorariums. So many colleagues have indicated how devastating it is to have lost Bramwell Tovey, cited not only for his tremendous contribution
Read more
archive-post-image
On This Day
21 July: Mozart’s “Haffner” Serenade Premiered
On 22 July 1776 two of the most powerful Salzburg families joined for the wedding of Elisabeth Haffner and Franz Xaver Späth. The bride’s father, Sigmund Haffner had married the heiress of an important trading post. Sigmund Haffner worked in
Read more
archive-post-image
On This Day
20 July: Nicola Benedetti Was Born
Nicola Benedetti, born on 20 July 1987, is widely considered one of the most sought-after violinists of her generation. According to critics, “her ability to captivate audiences with her innate musicianship and spirited presence, coupled with her wide appeal as
Read more
archive-post-image
On This Day
18 July: Kurt Masur Was Born
For well over three decades, Kurt Masur was one of the world’s most celebrated conductors, having established an international reputation as “a sensitive and innovative interpreter of the Classical and Romantic repertoire, specifically Mendelssohn, Brahms and Tchaikovsky.” He was also
Read more
archive-post-image
Reduced to Anonymity:
Ukrainian Composer Dmitri Klebanov
Another prodigiously talented composer is being resurrected from obscurity. Dmitri Klebanov (1907-1987) had two strikes against him during the Soviet era of cultural suppression. He was Ukrainian and Jewish, and his music has been largely unknown. Somehow, he evaded capture,
Read more
archive-post-image
Influencers: Hungarian Violinists and Sisters, Jelly and Adila d’Aranyi
The D’Aranyi Sisters Play Spohr’s Duo in D minor 1927 Two sisters and outstanding violinists inspired several great musical works of the 20th century. Born in Budapest, Adila (1886) and Jelly d’Aranyi (1893) possessed royal musical blood. Their great-uncle was
Read more
archive-post-image
The Baschet Brothers and Their Instruments
You want to travel with your guitar, but your luggage just won’t let you. How do you manage? The French inventor François Baschet ran into that problem when he wanted to travel after WWII. His guitar proving too big to
Read more