Music by the Moonlight: the Greatest Moon-Inspired Classical Masterpieces
The earliest depiction of the Moon is a 5000-year-old rock carving at Knowth, Ireland, and it would be wrong not to mention Vincent van Gogh’s … Read more
The earliest depiction of the Moon is a 5000-year-old rock carving at Knowth, Ireland, and it would be wrong not to mention Vincent van Gogh’s … Read more
Whatever we do, music inspires each of us in some manner. This is no different for the designers who create the products we love. Some of … Read more
Even though Ravel’s music was innovative, he did not follow the trend towards atonality Schoenberg pioneered. But, rather, applied the aesthetic of the New French … Read more
These are words you do not expect to hear from a young, professional conductor in 2013. Yet, the minted maestro of the Oslo Philharmonic, Vasily … Read more
In early 18th century Venice there lived a self-assured red-haired priest named Antonio Lucio Vivaldi. Traveling with an entourage that nearly always included his elderly … Read more
The violin’s long history, going back five centuries, as well as its musical versatility, are two major challenges when trying to come up with a … Read more
Provided that sadness is an emotion we generally try to avoid, why do we even listen to sad music and enjoy it? According to the … Read more
“With God’s help and grace, I will be a Mozart in composition and a Liszt in technique.” – from an 1843 diary entry Feel free … Read more
Gioachino Rossini was born in Pesaro, which was part of the Papal states, in 1792. His father Giuseppe was a semi-professional trumpeter member of a … Read more
Consider Juno, goddess of marriage and childbirth, antagonizing Aeneas as he tries to found Rome because she holds a grudge against the Trojans. Or Minerva, goddess … Read more
The gruelling schedules professional musicians go through prior to an audition or performance are familiar to everyone. By rehearsing as much as possible, so the … Read more
These ten composers died before their 30th birthday. Many more composers, of course, died in their thirties and forties (most famously Mozart, who passed at … Read more
There are so many issues involved in choosing the top classical pianists. Should it be based on their technical ability, their reputation or following, the … Read more
Stories of child prodigies in the classical genre have a long history, going back to some of the greatest composers in the 18th and 19th … Read more
Part of the reason of the rise of this new figure is the liberation of independent music from the gatekeepers. It means that nowadays, a … Read more