Posts / Photos

# **Dorothea von Ertmann (1781–1849):** A Life at the Heart of Beethoven’s Piano World Dorothea von Ertmann, born **Dorothea Graumann on 3 May 1781 in Frankfurt am Main**, occupies a singular place in the…

# **Alessandro Scarlatti (1660-1725)** # **Anecdotes and Curiosities from His Life and Work ** Alessandro Scarlatti was not only the **founder of the Neapolitan operatic school** and one of the most influential composers of…

# **Lovro von Matačić (1899–1985)** ## **A Life in 20 Chapters** Lovro von Matačić stands as one of the **most profound, uncompromising, and morally complex conductors of the 20th century**. Revered by musicians for…

# **J.S.Bach - Orphanhood and the Discipline of Johann Christoph** In **1694**, when **Johann Sebastian Bach** was only **nine years old**, he lost his mother, **Elisabeth Lämmerhirt**. Less than a year later, in **1695**,…

## **J.S.BACH: Music as a Family Language** Johann Sebastian Bach was born on **21 March 1685 in Eisenach**, into a family in which music was not learned as an external discipline, but **absorbed as…

# **50 Anecdotes and Curiosities from the Life of Johann Sebastian Bach** **Childhood and Early Formation** 1. Bach was born into a **musical dynasty spanning several generations**, where music was not a profession but…

# **Franz Schubert - Die Zwillingsbrüder - Helen Donath - Nicolai Gedda - Kurt Moll - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau - Wolfgang Sawallisch ** [[https://www.patreon.com/posts/franz-schubert-147249652?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link](https://www.patreon.com/posts/franz-schubert-147249652?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link)](https://www.patreon.com/posts/franz-schubert-147249652?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link) **Franz Schubert – *****Die Zwillingsbrüder***** (D 647): Youthful Comedy, Operatic Ambition,…

# **Johann Strauss I (1804–1849): A Complete Life and Historical Portrait** **1. Origins and Early Hardship (1804–1817)** Johann Strauss I was born on **14 March 1804** in **Vienna**, at a time when the city…

# **Handel - Teseo (highlights) - Nicholas McGegan ** [https://www.patreon.com/posts/handel-teseo-147142014?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link](https://www.patreon.com/posts/handel-teseo-147142014?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link) ## **George Frideric Handel – *****Teseo***** (HWV 9): Myth, Magic, and the First English-Style Handelian Opera (1712–1713)** **1. Handel in London: A Composer in…

# **André Cluytens — His Relationships with Musicians, Conductors, and Soloists** André Cluytens’ artistic life was shaped not by rivalries or power struggles, but by **networks of trust, quiet authority, and deep professional respect**.…

# **André Cluytens — Anecdotes and Curiosities from a Life in Music** André Cluytens (1905–1967) remains one of the most **subtle, intelligent, and paradoxically understated conductors** of the twentieth century. Revered by musicians, quietly…

# **Josep Carreras — Anecdotes and Curiosities from His Life** **1. A Child Who Already Knew He Was a Singer** As a small boy in Barcelona, Carreras did not merely sing—**he performed instinctively**. Family…

# **Wolfgang Sawallisch — His Relationships with Musicians, Soloists, Singers, and Fellow Conductors** **1. A Musician’s Conductor** Wolfgang Sawallisch was universally regarded as **a conductor trusted by musicians**. Unlike many podium figures whose authority…

# **Wolfgang Sawallisch — Anecdotes and Curiosities from a Life in Music (1923–2013)** **1. A Bavarian Childhood Marked by Discipline and Silence** Wolfgang Sawallisch was born on **August 26, 1923, in Munich**, into a…

# **Handel - Rinaldo - Nicholas McGegan** [https://www.patreon.com/posts/handel-rinaldo-146976726?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link](https://www.patreon.com/posts/handel-rinaldo-146976726?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link) **Magic, Crusade, and the Birth of Italian Opera in London** **Rinaldo** occupies a unique and decisive place in Handel’s career: it was **his first Italian opera…

# **Beethoven - Piano Sonatas Nos. 2&3 - Electoral Sonatas Wo0 47 - Emil Gilels ** [[https://www.patreon.com/posts/beethoven-piano-146776962?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link](https://www.patreon.com/posts/beethoven-piano-146776962?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link)](https://www.patreon.com/posts/beethoven-piano-146776962?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link) ## **Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 2 & 3 (Op. 2) and the “Electoral Sonatas” WoO…

# **Stravinsky - The Rake's Progress - Kent Nagano ** [[https://www.patreon.com/posts/stravinsky-rakes-146762311?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link](https://www.patreon.com/posts/stravinsky-rakes-146762311?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link)](https://www.patreon.com/posts/stravinsky-rakes-146762311?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link) *The Rake’s Progress* stands as **Igor Stravinsky**’s only full-length opera and the culminating masterpiece of his **neoclassical period**. Premiered in **1951** at the…

# **Offenbach - Die Grossherzogin von Gerolstein - Pinchas Steinberg ** [https://www.patreon.com/posts/offenbach-die-146647608?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link](https://www.patreon.com/posts/offenbach-die-146647608?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link) **Jacques Offenbach**’s *Die Großherzogin von Gerolstein* stands as one of the sharpest and most politically audacious operettas of the nineteenth century. Premiered…

# **Johann Pachelbel** **A Life in 20 Chapters (1653–1706)** **Chapter 1 – Birth in a Fractured Germany (1653)** Johann Pachelbel was born in **September 1653** in **Nuremberg**, one of the most important cultural centers…

# **Joseph Haydn and the Esterházy Family: The Appointment That Changed a Life Forever** When **Joseph Haydn** entered the service of the **Esterházy family** in **1761**, he crossed a decisive threshold—not merely from insecurity…

# **Lorin Maazel - Complete Recordings on Deutsche Grammophon - Box Set 39 CDS ** **CD 1** Hector Berlioz Roméo et Juliette, Op. 17 (excerpts) Roméo and Juliet · Roméo und Julia Symphonie dramatique…

# **Joseph Haydn: Born into Humble Origins** **Joseph Haydn** was born on **31 March 1732** in the small village of **Rohrau**, near the Hungarian border of Lower Austria. His beginnings were strikingly modest, especially…

# **Mozart: Early Compositions and the Astonishing Years from 7 to 11** By the age of six, **Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart** was already composing with ease: **five minuets, a sonata, and an allegro**, works that,…

# **Plácido Domingo — Anecdotes and Curiosities from a Life on Stage** **1. He did not plan to become a tenor** Domingo was originally trained as a **baritone**. His transition to tenor was gradual…