Interviews
In his new production of Leoš Janáček’s Káťa Kabanová, Barrie Kosky will emphasize the contrast and tension between the protagonist and her claustrophobic surroundings in a radical, severe form. He considers the Felsenreitschule the ideal venue for his production. Janáček’s opera was last shown at the Salzburg Festival
Features
A report from Lisbon, Portugal on preparing to record a CD of recent music by Portuguese composers — and why it matters. Who is your favourite composer? Mozart? Bach? Schubert? Puccini? One of the pleasures of being a classical music lover is pondering such questions: listening, comparing, considering, and re-considering. Our
Everyone likes a good love duet, right? We do too, but even some of opera’s best scenes of romance come with something a little cringe-worthy. Things like women being forced into marriages, lovers lying to each other, people declaring love for their own twin, that sort of thing. Since
Interviews
“I was born and brought up in Bombay, I still say “Bombay” because for me, right through my happy youth and till now, it is the best city in the world!”. Dr. Marialena Fernandes has earned her stripes on the international music scene not only as a concert pianist but
Know Your Composer
Nobody composed variations like Austrian composer Franz Schubert! An undisputed master of the genre, his variations on his own melodies became a fascinating combination of formal innovation and musical poetics. Peeling away layer upon layer of significance and meaning, Schubert bathes his melodies in unexpected and radiant colors. In 1824
Opinion
If I had a dollar for every time I heard a classical music professor scoff at an undergrad student who got into genre-bending, then I’d be a much richer woman than I am now. Across my career as a musician, I’ve been told the following: * Bach should never
News
Towards the end of February 2020, our cello students put together an in-house recital at our office. Over 15 young children gathered, along with their parents, to play solos and duets. This gave them a chance to be in the spotlight and an opportunity to perform in front of an
Opinion
Spend a minute now thinking why you are teaching music. No, really! Stop reading and have a think! I’d love to know your answer – but I’m not going to try to second-guess. There are many reasons why people teach music, and they are (mostly) good reasons. Instead, I’
Features
1756 was a momentous year for 37-year old Leopold Mozart, fourth violinist at the court of the Prince-Bishop of Salzburg. His comprehensive Treatise on the Fundamental Principles of Violin Playing was published, and his son, christened Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus, was born. How momentous that birth would make the year,
Know Your Composer
Haunting or bewitching are words that come to mind to the hundreds of thousands of those who have experienced Samuel Barber’s 1936 Adagio for Strings. Or the countless millions whose lives have been unwittingly changed by eight minutes of music of which they could not name composer or title.
Reviews
The year 2021 has drawn to a close. Many artists, even those at the pinnacle of their respective professions, have had to throw in the towel. All but a few pianists at the top of their game have been able to sustain themselves out of the pandemic. Even as I
They’re mean, mad, and even murderous: call it sexism, or call it a series of very loud Freudian slips, but the creators of opera have never been too kind to mothers. Still, Mother’s Day is here; despite the generally poor representation they have in our favourite operas, these
