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# **The Vivaldi Case. Federico María Sardelli. Turner Editions. Madrid, 2017** The specialist in the Venetian composer **Antonio Vivaldi**, **Federico María Sardelli**, has created in *The Vivaldi Case* a web of historical intrigue that…

𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗣𝗜𝗡: 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗢 𝗔𝗦 𝗔 𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗘, 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗢𝗥𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗔 𝗔𝗦 𝗔 𝗙𝗥𝗔𝗠𝗘, 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗔 𝗔𝗦 𝗔 𝗠𝗢𝗗𝗘𝗟 To say that Frédéric Chopin composed only music for the piano is a useful simplification, but it is…

𝗠𝗢𝗗𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗠𝗨𝗦𝗦𝗢𝗥𝗚𝗦𝗞𝗬 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗔𝗗𝗗𝗜𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡: 𝗔𝗟𝗖𝗢𝗛𝗢𝗟, 𝗦𝗢𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗨𝗗𝗘, 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗥𝗔𝗚𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗜𝗨𝗦 To speak of 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗣𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗠𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗿𝗴𝘀𝗸𝘆 is to avoid two opposite errors. The first would be to reduce him to the romantic image of…

𝗙𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗭 𝗝𝗢𝗦𝗘𝗣𝗛 𝗛𝗔𝗬𝗗𝗡 — 𝗪𝗔𝗦 𝗛𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗚𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗜𝗡𝗡𝗢𝗩𝗔𝗧𝗢𝗥 𝗜𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗛𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗬 𝗢𝗙 𝗠𝗨𝗦𝗜𝗖? To call 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘇 𝗝𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗽𝗵 𝗛𝗮𝘆𝗱𝗻 the greatest innovator in the history of music is a bold claim, and it must…

𝗙𝗟𝗢𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗘 𝗠𝗔𝗬 — 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗟𝗜𝗙𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗡𝗘𝗦 𝗕𝗥𝗔𝗛𝗠𝗦 𝗩𝗢𝗟𝗨𝗠𝗘 𝗜𝗜 — 𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗢𝗚𝗨𝗘 𝗣𝗢𝗦𝗧 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 𝗔𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗕𝗶𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝘆 𝗢𝗳 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗵𝗺𝘀 After the death of 𝗝𝗼𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗵𝗺𝘀, Florence May’s biography changes its nature.…

𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗥𝗔 𝗦𝗖𝗛𝗨𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗡 𝗜𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗠𝗜𝗥𝗥𝗢𝗥: 𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗣𝗛𝗬𝗦𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗟 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘, 𝗗𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗦, 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗣𝗨𝗕𝗟𝗜𝗖 𝗜𝗠𝗔𝗚𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗥𝗢𝗨𝗚𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗟𝗜𝗙𝗘 To speak of 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗮 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗻’s appearance is not merely to describe a face, a dress, or a series of…

𝗕𝗥𝗨𝗖𝗞𝗡𝗘𝗥 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗗𝗩𝗢ŘÁ𝗞 𝗧𝘄𝗼 𝗣𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗥𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀, 𝗧𝘄𝗼 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗧𝘄𝗼 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘆𝗺𝗵𝗼𝗻𝘆 The relationship between 𝗔𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗻 𝗕𝗿𝘂𝗰𝗸𝗻𝗲𝗿 and 𝗔𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗻í𝗻 𝗗𝘃𝗼řá𝗸 is much more difficult to describe than the relationship between Brahms and Dvořák.…

𝗚𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧 𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗥𝗘𝗟𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣𝗦 𝗕𝗘𝗧𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗡 𝗚𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗣𝗢𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗦 - 𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗧 𝗜 — 𝗙𝗥𝗢𝗠 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗟𝗬 𝗕𝗔𝗥𝗢𝗤𝗨𝗘 𝗧𝗢 𝗕𝗔𝗖𝗛 What follows is the first developed section of this large historical panorama: a series of relationships, encounters,…

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗠𝗨𝗦𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗟 𝗥𝗘𝗟𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣 𝗕𝗘𝗧𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗡 𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗨𝗗𝗘 𝗗𝗘𝗕𝗨𝗦𝗦𝗬 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗜𝗚𝗢𝗥 𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗩𝗜𝗡𝗦𝗞𝗬 𝗔 𝗗𝗜𝗔𝗟𝗢𝗚𝗨𝗘 𝗕𝗘𝗧𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗡 𝗧𝗪𝗢 𝗚𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝗠𝗢𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗡 𝗠𝗨𝗦𝗜𝗖 The relationship between 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝗯𝘂𝘀𝘀𝘆 and 𝗜𝗴𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗸𝘆 was one of the most fascinating artistic encounters of…

𝗗𝗘𝗕𝗨𝗦𝗦𝗬: 𝗔 𝗕𝗢𝗗𝗬 𝗪𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗬, 𝗔 𝗦𝗣𝗜𝗥𝗜𝗧 𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗟𝗟 𝗕𝗨𝗥𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗟𝗢𝗪 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗔𝗖𝗛 𝗢𝗙 𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗦 By the last decade of his life, Claude Debussy was already a figure of immense artistic authority, yet inwardly his world…

𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐉𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 Wagner’s private life has also fed the controversy surrounding him. He was often reckless with money, dependent on patrons, unstable in friendship, extravagant in taste, and capable of deep…

𝗠𝗔𝗛𝗟𝗘𝗥: 𝗘𝗔𝗖𝗛 𝗦𝗬𝗠𝗣𝗛𝗢𝗡𝗬 𝗔 𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗘 To say that each Mahler symphony is a world is not a decorative phrase. It is one of the few formulas that comes close to the truth. In Mahler’s…

# **Patriotism and Education** **(Book: Mozart, His Character, His Work** by Alfred Einstein) It is striking how closely this letter resembles another, likewise addressed to the Rhineland: Emperor Joseph II’s letter of **13 July…

# **Martha Argerich: Psychological Profile and the Art of Playing the Piano on the Edge** To speak about Martha Argerich is not simply to speak about an extraordinary pianist. It is to enter a…

# **Herbert von Karajan in the Recording Studio — The Architect of the Modern Classical Sound ** ## The Studio as Karajan’s True Kingdom For Herbert von Karajan, the recording studio was not a…

# **KATHLEEN BATTLE vs. JESSYE NORMAN** Two Voices, Two Worlds, One of the Greatest Rivalries in Modern Opera** In the history of opera, rivalries often emerge from vocal similarity, competition for the same roles,…

# **ANECDOTES AND CURIOSITIES OF MARISS JANSONS’S LIFE** ## **1. The Child Who Hid Behind the Chairs at the Leningrad Philharmonic** As a boy, Mariss often accompanied his father, Arvīds, to Leningrad Philharmonic rehearsals.…

𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐋𝐎 𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐈 𝐀𝐒 𝐀 𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐍 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐓𝐀𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐄𝐔𝐑𝐎𝐏𝐄 𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐓𝐎 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐍 Arcangelo Corelli occupies an unusual position in the history of musical pedagogy. He left no violin method, no systematic…

𝐌𝐈𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐋 𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐁𝐎𝐙 — 𝟐𝟎 𝐅𝐀𝐒𝐂𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒, 𝐅𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐎𝐒𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐄𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐔𝐌𝐀𝐍 𝐕𝐎𝐈𝐂𝐄 Michel Corboz was never one of those conductors who built a public image around theatrical gestures or celebrity.…

𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐏𝐈𝐍’𝐒 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐇 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐊 — 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐑’𝐒 𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐅𝐀𝐂𝐄 Frédéric Chopin died in his apartment on Place Vendôme in Paris on 17 October 1849, at the age of thirty-nine. That same morning, the French sculptor…

𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐏𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇 𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐌𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐒, 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒, 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐑𝐈𝐕𝐀𝐋𝐒 𝐁𝐘 𝐏𝐈𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐄 𝐇. 𝐀𝐙𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐘 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐈 — 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐒𝐀𝐖 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐒, 𝟏𝟖𝟏𝟎–𝟏𝟖𝟑𝟎 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟒 — 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓 “𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄” 𝐊𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐉𝐀 𝐆Ł𝐀𝐃𝐊𝐎𝐖𝐒𝐊𝐀 In 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝟏𝟖𝟐𝟗, when 𝐅𝐫𝐲𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐤 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐧 was…

# **MENDELSSOHN’S MUSICAL INFLUENCE ON OTHER COMPOSERS** The influence of **Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847)** was far deeper than is sometimes acknowledged. He did not create a clearly defined “school” in the manner of Wagner or…

𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗛𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗢𝗙𝗙 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗥𝗔𝗩𝗘𝗟 — 𝗧𝗪𝗢 𝗣𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗢 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗗𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗟𝗬 𝗡𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗥 𝗠𝗘𝗧 The relationship between 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗶 𝗥𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗼𝗳𝗳 and 𝗠𝗮𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗥𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗹 presents a striking historical paradox. They were almost exact contemporaries, internationally celebrated composers and pianists,…