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𝗥𝗜𝗖𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗗𝗢 𝗠𝗨𝗧𝗜 — 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝟭𝟱 𝗚𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗥𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦 Riccardo Muti is one of the defining conductors of the modern Italian tradition: a musician of rhythmic authority, textual discipline, theatrical instinct and uncompromising respect for the…

𝗙𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗭 𝗩𝗢𝗡 𝗪𝗔𝗟𝗦𝗘𝗚𝗚 — 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗚𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗖𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗧, 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗘𝗖𝗥𝗘𝗧 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗜𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡, 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗧𝗛 𝗕𝗘𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗗 𝗠𝗢𝗭𝗔𝗥𝗧’𝗦 𝗥𝗘𝗤𝗨𝗜𝗘𝗠 Few minor figures in musical history have exercised such a decisive influence over the fate of a masterpiece…

𝗦𝗜𝗥 𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗠𝗔𝗦 𝗕𝗘𝗘𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗠 — 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝟭𝟱 𝗚𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗥𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦 Sir Thomas Beecham was one of the most charismatic, cultivated and immediately recognisable conductors of the twentieth century. His interpretations rarely depended upon severity, intellectual demonstration…

𝗔𝗹𝗳𝗼𝗻𝘀 & 𝗔𝗹𝗼𝘆𝘀 𝗞𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘀𝗸𝘆 — 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗗𝗲𝘂𝘁𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗼𝗽𝗵𝗼𝗻 — 𝗕𝗼𝘅 𝗦𝗲𝘁 𝟭𝟳 𝗖𝗗𝘀 𝗖𝗗 𝟭 𝗕𝗔𝗥𝗧Ó𝗞 Sonata for 2 Pianos and Percussion Alfons & Aloys Kontarsky piano Christoph Caskel & Heinz Koenig percussion…

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗧𝗘𝗡 𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗘 𝗠𝗢𝗭𝗔𝗥𝗧 𝗠𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗣𝗜𝗘𝗖𝗘𝗦: 𝗪𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘 𝗕𝗘𝗔𝗨𝗧𝗬 𝗕𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗘𝗦 𝗔𝗕𝗦𝗢𝗟𝗨𝗧𝗘 To choose Mozart’s ten “true” masterpieces is not to choose merely the most famous works, nor even the most immediately seductive. Mozart wrote too much…

𝗠𝗜𝗚𝗨𝗘𝗟 𝗗𝗘 𝗖𝗘𝗥𝗩𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗦, 𝗗𝗢𝗡 𝗤𝗨𝗜𝗫𝗢𝗧𝗘, 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗜𝗥 𝗥𝗘𝗟𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗟 𝗠𝗨𝗦𝗜𝗖 𝗠𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗲𝗹 𝗱𝗲 𝗖𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘀 — 𝟭𝟱𝟰𝟳–𝟭𝟲𝟭𝟲 𝗠𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗲𝗹 𝗱𝗲 𝗖𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘀, the author of 𝗗𝗼𝗻 𝗤𝘂𝗶𝘅𝗼𝘁𝗲, occupies a unique place in the history of literature and…

𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐬: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐝𝐢 𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐓𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫, 𝐍𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝 There are baritones whose greatness lies in vocal beauty alone, and others whose greatness comes from something broader and…

# **CHURCH MUSIC (V)** **(Book: **Mozart, His Character, His Work by Alfred Einstein**)** ## The C-minor Mass in Context: Between Bach and Beethoven It has been said—entirely rightly—that this unfinished Mass stands **midway between…

# THE MAKING OF *TOSCA* **A Complete History of the Opera’s Composition, 1896–1899** ## **I. Origins: Sardou, Bernhardt, and a Reluctant Puccini (1893–1896)** Although *Tosca* premiered in 1900, its roots stretch back several years…