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𝗝𝗔𝗦𝗖𝗛𝗔 𝗛𝗢𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗜𝗡 — 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗔𝗦𝗖𝗘𝗧𝗜𝗖 𝗠𝗔𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗢: 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗚𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗢𝗙 𝗔 𝗦𝗬𝗠𝗣𝗛𝗢𝗡𝗜𝗖 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗖𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗘 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲: 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗞𝗶𝗲𝘃 𝘁𝗼 𝗩𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗻𝗮 The artistic personality of 𝗝𝗮𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗮 𝗛𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗶𝗻 (1898–1973) was formed far from the glare of the international…

𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗕𝗘𝗥𝗧 𝗩𝗢𝗡 𝗞𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗝𝗔𝗡 — 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗚𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗢𝗙 𝗔 𝗣𝗢𝗗𝗜𝗨𝗠 𝗧𝗜𝗧𝗔𝗡 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝘇𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗴 𝗥𝗼𝗼𝘁𝘀: 𝗔 𝗣𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘁 𝘃𝗼𝗻 𝗞𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗷𝗮𝗻 (1908–1989) was born in Salzburg on April 5, 1908, into a cultivated, musically…

𝗙𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗭 𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗭𝗧 — 𝗙𝗥𝗢𝗠 𝗠𝗜𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗟𝗘 𝗖𝗛𝗜𝗟𝗗 𝗧𝗢 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗦𝗧 𝗣𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗢 𝗦𝗨𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥 The early life of 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘇 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘇𝘁 (1811–1886) reads like the birth of modern virtuosity itself. Long before the word “superstar” existed, Liszt embodied…

𝗪𝗜𝗟𝗛𝗘𝗟𝗠 𝗕𝗔𝗖𝗞𝗛𝗔𝗨𝗦 — 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗜𝗥𝗢𝗡 𝗧𝗘𝗨𝗧𝗢𝗡 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗢 Wilhelm Backhaus (1884–1969) was one of the great pillars of twentieth-century pianism, a musician whose name became synonymous with Beethoven, Brahms, granite tone, and unshakable…

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗚 𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗡 𝗦𝗘𝗕𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗔𝗡 𝗕𝗔𝗖𝗛 — 𝗛𝗢𝗪 𝗔 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗩𝗜𝗡𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟 𝗕𝗢𝗬 𝗕𝗘𝗖𝗔𝗠𝗘 𝗔 𝗠𝗨𝗦𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗟 𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗖𝗘 When we imagine Johann Sebastian Bach, we often picture the mature master of Leipzig, the composer of the Passions and…

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗠𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗠𝗜𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗟𝗘 — 𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗚𝗘 𝗞𝗢𝗨𝗦𝗦𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗧𝗭𝗞𝗬 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗠𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗢𝗙 𝗟𝗘𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗥𝗗 𝗕𝗘𝗥𝗡𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗜𝗡 The relationship between 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲 𝗞𝗼𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘇𝗸𝘆 (1874–1951) and 𝗟𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗶𝗻 (1918–1990) is one of the most decisive mentor–student partnerships in twentieth-century…

## **𝗩𝗮́𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘃 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗵: 𝗔𝗻𝗲𝗰𝗱𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗿-𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗟𝗲𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱** **𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗩𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗮 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗕𝘆 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁** Before he ever held a baton, Talich dreamed of becoming a violin virtuoso. As a…

𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗲𝗶𝗿: 𝗩𝗮́𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘃 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗞𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗹 𝗔𝗻𝗰̌𝗲𝗿𝗹 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗶𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗖𝘇𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 The relationship between Václav Talich and Karel Ančerl represents one of the most important artistic lineages in twentieth-century orchestral…

𝗟𝗘𝗜𝗙 𝗦𝗘𝗚𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗠 — 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗠𝗔𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗢 𝗪𝗛𝗢 𝗟𝗘𝗧 𝗠𝗨𝗦𝗜𝗖 𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗛𝗘 Leif Segerstam (1944–2024) was one of the most unconventional conductors in modern classical music. He was not only a conductor but also a prolific composer,…

𝗦𝗜𝗥 𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗡 𝗕𝗔𝗥𝗕𝗜𝗥𝗢𝗟𝗟𝗜 — 𝗔𝗡𝗘𝗖𝗗𝗢𝗧𝗘𝗦 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗖𝗨𝗥𝗜𝗢𝗦𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗘𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝗔 𝗕𝗘𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗗 𝗠𝗔𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗢 Sir John Barbirolli (1899–1970) remains one of the most deeply loved conductors of the twentieth century. Behind the recordings and concerts lies a…

𝗙𝗥𝗢𝗠 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗚𝗨𝗘 𝗧𝗢 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗗 — 𝗛𝗢𝗪 𝗩𝗔́𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗩 𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗛 𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗘𝗗 𝗦𝗜𝗥 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗟𝗘𝗦 𝗠𝗔𝗖𝗞𝗘𝗥𝗥𝗔𝗦 The artistic relationship between Sir Charles Mackerras (1925–2010) and Václav Talich (1883–1961) is one of the most important mentor–disciple stories in…

**THE MAN WHO INHERITED SCHUBERT’S CHAIR — SIMON SECHTER AND FRANZ SCHUBERT** The connection between **Simon Sechter (1788–1867)** and **Franz Schubert (1797–1828)** is one of the most fascinating indirect relationships in Viennese musical history.…

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗡 𝗪𝗛𝗢 𝗕𝗘𝗖𝗔𝗠𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗗𝗨𝗖𝗧𝗢𝗥 𝗢𝗙 𝗠𝗢𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗡 𝗠𝗨𝗦𝗜𝗖 — 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗘𝗫𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗢𝗥𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗥𝗬 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗗 𝗢𝗙 𝗘𝗥𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗔𝗡𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗠𝗘𝗧 Ernest Ansermet (1883–1969) occupies a unique place in music history because his life intersected with almost every major…

## 𝗚𝗶𝗮𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗼 𝗠𝗲𝘆𝗲𝗿𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗿 — 𝗔𝗻𝗲𝗰𝗱𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲 Giacomo Meyerbeer was not merely a successful composer; during the 1830s–1850s he was arguably **the most powerful operatic figure in Europe**. His premieres…

𝗟𝗲𝗼𝗻𝘁𝘆𝗻𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗲 — 𝗔𝗻𝗲𝗰𝗱𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗛𝗲𝗿 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲 Leontyne Price (born 1927) is one of the most beloved sopranos in opera history and one of the most important artists of the 20th…

𝗦𝘃𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗼𝘀𝗹𝗮𝘃 𝗥𝗶𝗰𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗿 𝗥𝘂𝗯𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗶𝗻 — 𝗧𝘄𝗼 𝗢𝗽𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗣𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗼 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Few comparisons in piano history are as fascinating as the contrast between Sviatoslav Richter (1915–1997) and Artur Rubinstein (1887–1982). Both were giants…

# **Francesco Antonio Bonporti (1672–1749)** **Francesco Antonio Bonporti** was an Italian Baroque composer and priest whose music became surprisingly influential—especially through its later association with **Johann Sebastian Bach**, who studied and even copied some…

𝐄𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐡 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐳𝐤𝐨𝐩𝐟 (𝟏𝟗𝟏𝟓–𝟐𝟎𝟎𝟔) — 𝐀𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐝𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐀 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐚 Elisabeth Schwarzkopf remains one of the most fascinating and controversial sopranos in recording history. She was admired as a supreme interpreter of Mozart,…

𝐃𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐝 𝐎𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐤𝐡 — 𝐀𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐝𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐆𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐭 David Oistrakh (1908–1974) was not only one of the greatest violinists of the 20th century but also one of the most beloved personalities in classical…

# ** Pablo Sarasate — A Life in 20 Chapters ** Chapter 1 — Pamplona and the Sound of a Military Band (1844) Pablo Martín Melitón Sarasate y Navascués was born on **March 10,…

# **Pablo Sarasate — Anecdotes and Curiosities from the Life of the Spanish Violin Wizard** Pablo Martín Melitón Sarasate y Navascués (1844–1908) was one of the most dazzling violin virtuosos of the 19th century.…

# **Eugène Ysaÿe — A Life in 20 Chapters** Chapter 1 — A Violin Born in Poverty (1858) Eugène Ysaÿe was born on **July 16, 1858, in Liège, Belgium**, into a modest musical family.…

# **Eugène Ysaÿe — Anecdotes and Curiosities from the Life of the “King of the Violin”** Eugène Ysaÿe (1858–1931) was not only one of the greatest violinists in history but also one of the…

𝗪𝗛𝗬 𝗥𝗜𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗗 𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗨𝗦𝗦 𝗖𝗔𝗡 𝗕𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗕𝗟𝗬 𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗘𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗠𝗢𝗦𝗧 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗣𝗟𝗘𝗧𝗘 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗣𝗢𝗦𝗘𝗥 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝟮𝟬𝗧𝗛 𝗖𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗬 Calling any single composer “the most complete” is always a value judgment, because “completeness” depends on what we choose…