News
With the triumph of Tosca with a doble bis of Sondra Radvanovsky and Jonas Kaufmann under conductor Nicola Luisotti, the curtain comes down on the 24th season of the Teatro Real – the most extraordinary since its reopening in 1997 a season which required a tremendous effort by everyone involved in
Know Your Composer
The ubiquitous portrait of Johann Sebastian Bach, painted by court portraitist Elias Haussmann, adorns book covers, music school classrooms, record sleeves, and perhaps visits the nightmares of students working feverishly to master his ferociously complex works. The 60 year-old Bach, bewigged, piercing of eye, holding in his surprisingly soft and
Music Education
The allure of music is so strong that it won’t be very long before we gather to enjoy a recital again. Until then, we learn about the importance of sourcing and caring for fine musical instruments, as we unearth fascinating stories behind the harps, violins, violas, cellos and double
Reviews
For those who have missed my preliminary and semi-final reviews of the Sydney International Piano Competition 2021, here is a brief summary. The Sydney was to have been held in July 2020. As a result of the pandemic which began at the end of 2019 the preselection committee of the
News
One of the finest pianists of India, the story of Rumi Nanavati’s life in music deserves an audience of its own. By Snigdha Hasan In a world where renown is quantifiable in terms of Google results and number of followers, an internet search for Rumi Nanavati yields but two
Reviews
For their semi-final rounds each participant was expected to present a 50-minute programme of their own choice. The only stipulation is that they must present a themed selection rather than just a random list of showpieces. Most participants did very well and some for instance Artem from Ukraine chose an
News
Carnegie Hall’s online series continue in July featuring a range of programming for music lovers, including historic filmed performances streamed as part of Carnegie Hall Selects, and a new concert featuring music making by Carnegie Hall’s three national youth ensembles. Carnegie Hall Selects: Premieres and Debuts Carnegie Hall
News
With inputs from Gian Ganzarolli, Consultant to the NCPA for opera, who gives us a sweeping overview of what has been happening across venues in Europe during the pandemic, we bring you the latest from centres of culture the world over that are thinking outside the box to make live
Reviews
This July, The Sydney International Piano Competition 2021 kicked off with a gala concert from Moscow’s Great Hall of the Conservatory. Andrey Gugnin laureate of the 2016 competition in Sydney played Liszt’s first Piano concerto accompanied by the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra. The spectacular opening night gala concert featured
Music Education
Orpheus was not only a legendary hero of Greek mythology; he was also the first superstar musician. But more than that, he was the Mozart, Shakespeare, Pavarotti, and Lady Gaga all rolled into one. His singing and playing moved even wild beasts and inanimate rocks to tears, and rivers diverted
Music Education
Any violin student beyond a certain level will have heard of Kreutzer. His 42 etudes or caprices (42 études ou caprices) are almost a rite of passage, a core part of the teaching repertoire ever since their publication around 1796. I have my much-used copy from my student days, and
Reviews
Classical music is perhaps the last bastion of the album as an art form: a collection of works that give the impression of belonging together and are placed in a meaningful order. Navona, an imprint of the genre-defying production/promotion house PARMA Recordings, has a catalogue of such ‘classical concept