Know Your Composer
Art is a matter of evolution, not revolution 70 years ago, the world completely ignored the passing of one of the most creative and influential composers of the 20th century. Béla Bartók (1881–1945) originally hailed from the Hungarian town of Nagyszentmiklós, now Sînnicolau Mare in Romania, had died in
Interviews
Amar Muchhala is that rare Indian artiste who is assimilating himself in the world of opera on the international stage Indian tenor Amar Muchhala completed his studies in the opera course at Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and continues his vocal training with Janice Chapman. His training in Western
News
The Symphony Orchestra of India (SOI) is India’s first and only professional orchestra. Based at the National Centre for the Performing Arts, Mumbai, it was founded in 2006 by NCPA Chairman Khushroo N. Suntook and internationally-renowned violinist Marat Bisengaliev. The SOI regularly performs with today’s leading conductors
Reviews
In a country where the strains of filmy Bollywood music constantly dominates a child’s exposure to music, the ‘Classics, it’s Classy’ concert series, poses a significant alternative to such an exposure. Performed by the Symphony Orchestra of India’s Chamber Ensemble and conducted by Evgeny Bushkov at the
Music Education
John Holmes, ABRSM’s Chief Examiner, reflects on the connections between assessment and progression in music learning. As teachers, we know that assessment is an essential part of learning and progression, guiding students from one stage to the next via clear signposts. The two distinct types of assessment – formative and
Reviews
Concert-going often involves a spot of sleuthing – what, if anything, links diverse works in a programme? Kristjan Järvi’s concert with the MDR Symphony Orchestra on June 11 at the Gewandhaus, Leipzig, appeared to be underpinned by geographical links to Leipzig. For the first work, a transcription for full
Features
Jazz Pianist, Larry Willis said that “If you take care of the music, it will take care of you.” Something we tend to forget nowadays. Coming back to India after a two-year-long course at BEPA, Paris, makes you feel entitled to a lot of things. I felt entitled
Music Education
Grade 5 Theory has a unique place in music education. Not only is it a prerequisite for the Higher Practical ABRSM Grades but also mandatory for many contemporary, pop and jazz courses. Each year across East and South East Asia, approximately 34,000 candidates sit for the Grade 5 exam.
Music Education
Excerpts – including a quasi-analytical reduction in musical notation – from a lecture given by Mark Lindley on April 15th, 2008 at Bilkent University. The reduction of the first movement was played on a piano and was followed visually by the students while hearing simultaneously a recording of a proper orchestral
Interviews
We seldom come across musicians who have a global approach towards music and appreciate the oneness behind the creation of the same. While many of the younger generation are slowly edging towards Western Music despite their Indian roots, one vibrant violinist named Ritu Gopal has followed the same path but
Know Your Composer
ON Stage brings you excerpts from the NCPA Quarterly Journal, an unsurpassed literary archive that ran from 1972 to 1988 and featured authoritative and wide-ranging articles. In the second part of a two-part series, George Ruckert draws a comparison between Bach’s music and Indian ragas. Johann Sebastian
Reviews
Oper Leipzig’s staging of Puccini’s 1903 opera Madama Butterfly proved yet again how effectively theatre can enhance music, with imaginative sets, good casting and extremely good acting. The story is (almost too) familiar: a US Navy officer, Benjamin Franklin (!) Pinkerton, hungry to ‘make his own/the flowers of