Having played the cello for more than thirty years, I am often asked what I would recommend for listeners, especially for those who aren’t necessarily concertgoers. As a cellist, it’s hard to categorize what to listen to. Some...
"Our Heaven Born Banner," by William Bauly (1861), inspired by Joseph Rodman Drake's poem, "The American Flag"
Editor's Note: Antonín Dvořák wrote the cantata "The American Flag" in 1892-3, during the Czech composer's tenure as director of...
The fun thing about really getting to know the violin concerto repertoire is that there are always more treasures to discover... The violin concerto repertoire is so rich and satisfying, I’m embarrassed to admit that, prior to becoming...
In an era of resurgent nationalism, it seems timely to present ten of the greatest classical music pieces written by composers about their countries.
1. Bedřich Smetana: Má Vlast (My Fatherland)
Czech...
When I first heard chamber music, it seemed an acquired taste, and subsequently a taste I acquired. So I will recite some personal history without any illusion that it matters because it was my experience. On the...
Great music pierces the soul...and can sometimes terrify it. Over the centuries, composers, like nearly all artists of every variety, have been fascinated by the subject of death and by...
"Imagination creates reality."
—Richard Wagner
Though beauty is an absolute reality, we human beings see through a glass darkly, and the space between objective beauty and our own personal taste can be fuzzy. Any list that...
