Violinist Julia Fischer receives Germany’s highest civilian award
Violinist Julia Fischer was awarded Germany’s Federal Cross of Merit, the highest civilian award in the country, last month. The prize was a recognition of … Read more
CLASSICAL
11-year-old composer debuts opera in Vienna
British composer Alma Deutscher, aged 11, debuted her first opera in Vienna on Thursday. The retelling of Cinderella won high praise and a standing ovation … Read more
Stradivari’s distinctive sound may be down to a bath
Researchers have come up with another answer to the ongoing riddle of what it is about the violins manufactured by Antonio Stradivari that makes them … Read more
Norwegian airline prevents musician from boarding plane prior to Christmas
Budget airline Norwegian denied German violinist Elia Kaden boarding on one of its flights two days prior to Christmas. Kaden was flying from Oslo to … Read more
Legendary conductor Zubin Mehta to retire from Israel Philharmonic
Indian-born conductor Zubin Mehta, whose career stretches back over six decades, will retire from his position as musical director of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in … Read more
Various artists: Ashville Symphony sessions
The Asheville Symphony Orchestra has teamed up with several talented musicians from its North Carolina hometown to produce the Asheville Symphony Sessions, an album showcasing … Read more
Trombonist with Andre Rieu Orchestra dies after heart attack
Ruud Merx, a trombonist who has performed with Andre Rieu’s Johann Strauss Orchestra for over 20 years, died last week after suffering a heart attack … Read more
Mozart and Clementi’s legendary piano contest
The piano contest between Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Muzio Clementi on Christmas Eve 1781 has gone down as one of the greatest duals of musical … Read more
Apple Music introduces option to sort tracks by composer
Apple Music has introduced a feature on one of its recent updates to allow users to sort their music by composer. While it is not … Read more
The four most famous notes in music were heard for the first time today in 1808
Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony with its iconic opening (depicting fate knocking at the door) was debuted on 22 December 1808 at Beethoven’s akademie concert in Vienna. … Read more
Pianist Andras Schiff to appear in Christmas concert with Galilee Orchestra
Hungarian-born pianist and conductor Andras Schiff will appear in the annual Christmas concert in Nazareth alongside the Galilee Orchestra today. Schiff will play Beethoven’s Piano … Read more
Istvan Vardai receives extended loan of Stradivari cello played by du Pre
Award-winning Hungarian cellist Istvan Vardai has been granted an extended loan of the 1673 Stradivari ‘Du pre-Harrell’ cello. The instrument was purchased in a recent … Read more
Celebrate Beethoven’s birthday with this Cuban-inspired rendition of his Seventh
Today in 1770, Ludwig van Beethoven, whose exact date of birth remains unknown, was baptised in Bonn. What better way to mark the anniversary 246 … Read more
UK Star Wars fans greeted by live orchestras at cinema
As the latest Star Wars edition, Rogue One, hit the cinemas across the UK yesterday, orchestras were on hand to play a selection from the … Read more
Get into the spirit of the season with this Christmas piano improvisation
Christmas music has been playing on radio stations and in stores now for at least a month, meaning that you’ve probably heard all the seasonal … Read more