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𝗠𝗔𝗛𝗟𝗘𝗥 𝗝𝗢𝗦𝗘 𝗟𝗨𝗜𝗦 𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗘𝗭 𝗗𝗘 𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗚𝗔 𝗣𝗢𝗦𝗧 𝟭𝟴 𝗧𝘄𝗼 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀, 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗿, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝗔𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗶𝘂𝘀 When 𝗚𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘃 𝗠𝗮𝗵𝗹𝗲𝗿 married 𝗔𝗹𝗺𝗮 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗹𝗲𝗿 in 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝟭𝟵𝟬𝟮,…

𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘇 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘇𝘁 𝗕𝘆 𝗝𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗛𝘂𝗻𝗲𝗸𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗩 — 𝗔𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝟮𝟬 — 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘇𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗿: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 The central question surrounding 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘇 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘇𝘁 as a composer has always been difficult, almost uncomfortable:…

𝗪𝗛𝗘𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗗𝗥𝗔𝗟 𝗠𝗘𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗥𝗘: 𝗕𝗥𝗨𝗖𝗞𝗡𝗘𝗥’𝗦 𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗦𝗧 𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗥𝗜𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗗 𝗪𝗔𝗚𝗡𝗘𝗥 The first personal encounter between Anton Bruckner and Richard Wagner has often been compressed into a picturesque but imprecise formula: Bruckner met…

𝗕𝗘𝗬𝗢𝗡𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗚𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧 𝗠𝗘𝗟𝗢𝗗𝗜𝗘𝗦: 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗣𝗢𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗦 𝗪𝗛𝗢 𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗘𝗗 𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗛𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗢𝗙𝗙’𝗦 𝗠𝗨𝗦𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗟 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗗 The music of 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗶 𝗥𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗼𝗳𝗳 is instantly recognizable: long-breathed melodies, darkly glowing harmonies, immense climaxes, tolling bells, dense piano textures and an almost…

𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘇 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘇𝘁 𝗕𝘆 𝗝𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗛𝘂𝗻𝗲𝗸𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗜𝗩 — 𝗔𝘁 𝗥𝗼𝗺𝗲, 𝗪𝗲𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗿, 𝗕𝘂𝗱𝗮𝗽𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝟭𝟳 — 𝗥𝗼𝗺𝗲: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘇𝘁 Rome was not simply another city in 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘇 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘇𝘁’𝘀 restless itinerary. It was the place…

𝗗𝗜𝗠𝗜𝗧𝗥𝗜 𝗠𝗜𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗣𝗢𝗨𝗟𝗢𝗦 — 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝟭𝟱 𝗚𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗥𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦 Dimitri Mitropoulos was one of the most intense, selfless and visionary conductors of the twentieth century. He conducted without a baton, frequently without a score and with…

𝗞𝗨𝗥𝗧 𝗠𝗔𝗦𝗨𝗥 — 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝟭𝟱 𝗚𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗥𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦 Kurt Masur was sometimes characterised as a sober, traditional conductor: dependable, serious, architecturally disciplined and resistant to interpretative eccentricity. Such descriptions are not entirely wrong, but they…

𝗠𝗔𝗛𝗟𝗘𝗥 𝗝𝗢𝗦𝗘 𝗟𝗨𝗜𝗦 𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗘𝗭 𝗗𝗘 𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗚𝗔 𝗣𝗢𝗦𝗧 𝟮 𝗔 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗕𝗼𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗮, 𝗔𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗚𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗝𝗲𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 Long before 𝗚𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘃 𝗠𝗮𝗵𝗹𝗲𝗿 became a celebrated conductor or began…

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗟𝗜𝗙𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗛𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗢𝗥 𝗕𝗘𝗥𝗟𝗜𝗢𝗭 𝗔𝗦 𝗪𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗡 𝗕𝗬 𝗛𝗜𝗠𝗦𝗘𝗟𝗙 𝗣𝗢𝗦𝗧 𝟮 𝗘𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗦𝗹𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗡𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲 Long before music had entirely claimed him,…

𝗦𝗖𝗛𝗨𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗡 — 𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗖 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗖𝗞 𝗝𝗘𝗡𝗦𝗘𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗠𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗠𝗨𝗦𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 — 𝗢𝗫𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗜𝗧𝗬 𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗦 𝗘𝗣𝗜𝗟𝗢𝗚𝗨𝗘 — “𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗢𝗘𝗧 𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗦”: 𝗦𝗖𝗛𝗨𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗡 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗖𝗛𝗜𝗟𝗗𝗛𝗢𝗢𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗛𝗜𝗟𝗗 𝗔𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗧 𝗦𝗘𝗖𝗥𝗘𝗧 𝗢𝗙 𝗦𝗖𝗛𝗨𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗡 At the end of Robert Schumann’s…

𝗦𝗖𝗛𝗨𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗡 — 𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗖 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗖𝗞 𝗝𝗘𝗡𝗦𝗘𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗠𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗠𝗨𝗦𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 — 𝗢𝗫𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗜𝗧𝗬 𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗦 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝟭𝟰 — 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗣𝗢𝗦𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦, 𝟭𝟴𝟰𝟱–𝟱𝟰 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗟𝗔𝗧𝗘 𝗦𝗖𝗛𝗨𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗡 — 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗔 𝗥𝗨𝗜𝗡, 𝗕𝗨𝗧 𝗔 𝗗𝗜𝗙𝗙𝗘𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗗 The music Robert Schumann composed…

𝗪𝗢𝗟𝗙𝗚𝗔𝗡𝗚 𝗦𝗔𝗪𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗖𝗛 — 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝟭𝟱 𝗚𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗥𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦 Wolfgang Sawallisch represented one of the last great manifestations of the traditional German Kapellmeister: a conductor whose authority was founded not upon personal exhibitionism, but upon complete…

# 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗶𝘂𝘀 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗼𝗼𝗿 — 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗝𝗼𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗵𝗺𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘁 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗻 Few encounters in the history of Western music produced consequences as immediate and far-reaching as the first…

𝗦𝗖𝗛𝗨𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗡 — 𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗖 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗖𝗞 𝗝𝗘𝗡𝗦𝗘𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗠𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗠𝗨𝗦𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 — 𝗢𝗫𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗜𝗧𝗬 𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗦 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝟭𝟯 — 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗬𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗦 𝗜𝗡 𝗗Ü𝗦𝗦𝗘𝗟𝗗𝗢𝗥𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗢𝗦𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗛𝗘 𝗡𝗘𝗘𝗗𝗘𝗗 — 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗢𝗦𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗢𝗨𝗟𝗗 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗕𝗘𝗔𝗥 When Robert Schumann…

𝗭𝗨𝗕𝗜𝗡 𝗠𝗘𝗛𝗧𝗔 — 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝟭𝟱 𝗚𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗥𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦 Zubin Mehta’s extraordinary career connects several apparently different musical worlds: the Central European tradition he absorbed in Vienna, the orchestral brilliance of Los Angeles, the distinctive identity…

𝗝𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗽𝗵 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲’𝘀 𝗙𝗮𝗺𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗨𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗣𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗪𝗼𝗹𝗳𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲𝘂𝘀 𝗠𝗼𝘇𝗮𝗿𝘁 This celebrated portrait was painted in Vienna by 𝗝𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗽𝗵 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲, an actor and amateur painter who was also Mozart’s brother-in-law through his marriage to 𝗔𝗹𝗼𝘆𝘀𝗶𝗮…

𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗟𝗢 𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗔 𝗚𝗜𝗨𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗜 — 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝟭𝟱 𝗚𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗥𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦 Carlo Maria Giulini possessed one of the most unmistakable conducting personalities of the twentieth century. His authority did not depend upon theatrical aggression, autocratic display or…

𝗚𝗘𝗢𝗥𝗚 𝗦𝗢𝗟𝗧𝗜 — 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝟭𝟱 𝗚𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗥𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦 Georg Solti’s discography is one of the most formidable in twentieth-century music. He was a conductor of incisive rhythm, explosive dramatic instinct, dazzling orchestral control and extraordinary…

𝗕𝗥𝗨𝗡𝗢 𝗪𝗔𝗟𝗧𝗘𝗥 — 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝟭𝟱 𝗚𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗥𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦 Bruno Walter occupies a unique position in the history of conducting. He belonged directly to the final world of late Romanticism, worked closely with Gustav Mahler and…

𝗢𝗧𝗧𝗢 𝗞𝗟𝗘𝗠𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗘𝗥 — 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝟭𝟱 𝗚𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗥𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦 Otto Klemperer’s recorded legacy is frequently reduced to a convenient stereotype: monumental tempos, massive sonorities and granite-like severity. Those qualities certainly formed part of his mature style,…

𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗕𝗘𝗥𝗧 𝗩𝗢𝗡 𝗞𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗝𝗔𝗡 — 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝟭𝟱 𝗚𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗥𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦 Herbert von Karajan left one of the largest recorded legacies of any conductor. He repeatedly returned to the same compositions, sometimes recording them three or four…

𝗚𝗘𝗢𝗥𝗚𝗘 𝗦𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗣𝗜𝗡: 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗚𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧 𝗠𝗬𝗧𝗛 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗢𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗖 𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗦 The relationship between 𝗙𝗿𝘆𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗸 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻 and 𝗚𝗲𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲 𝗦𝗮𝗻𝗱—the literary pseudonym of Aurore Dupin—is usually presented as one of the great love stories of…

𝗦𝗖𝗛𝗨𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗡 — 𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗖 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗖𝗞 𝗝𝗘𝗡𝗦𝗘𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗠𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗠𝗨𝗦𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 — 𝗢𝗫𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗜𝗧𝗬 𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗦 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝟭 — 𝗖𝗛𝗜𝗟𝗗𝗛𝗢𝗢𝗗 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗧𝗛 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗘 𝗕𝗢𝗬 𝗢𝗙 𝗭𝗪𝗜𝗖𝗞𝗔𝗨 Robert Schumann’s childhood begins not with the image of a passive…

𝗙𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗖̧𝗢𝗜𝗦-𝗝𝗢𝗦𝗘𝗣𝗛 𝗚𝗢𝗦𝗦𝗘𝗖: 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗔𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗛 𝗦𝗬𝗠𝗣𝗛𝗢𝗡𝗬 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗠𝗨𝗦𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗟 𝗩𝗢𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗢𝗟𝗨𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗥𝗬 𝗣𝗨𝗕𝗟𝗜𝗖 𝗟𝗜𝗙𝗘 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰̧𝗼𝗶𝘀-𝗝𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗽𝗵 𝗚𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗰 𝗕𝗼𝗿𝗻: 𝟭𝟳 𝗝𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝟭𝟳𝟯𝟰, 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀, 𝗛𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘂𝘁 — 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗕𝗲𝗹𝗴𝗶𝘂𝗺 𝗗𝗶𝗲𝗱: 𝟭𝟲 𝗙𝗲𝗯𝗿𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝟭𝟴𝟮𝟵, 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘀𝘆, 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲…