Glenn Gould: A Wilfully Foolish Genius?
It still sounds like nothing you’ve ever heard, however many times you listen to it: Glenn Gould’s first recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations, made in 1955, has an energy, an intensity…
Discovering the Quintessential Compositions of Mendelssohn: A Selection of Five Must-Hear Masterpieces
Octet Did he really write this at just 16 years old? An astonishingly accomplished work – written for two string quartets – that established the teenage Mendelssohn as one of the leading composers of…
Why Was Mendelssohn’s Monument Destroyed in Leipzig in 1936?
In 2008 a replica statue of Felix Mendelssohn was re-erected in Leipzig, 72 years after a gang of Nazi sympathisers pulled down and destroyed the original On 18 October, 2008,…
3-Year-Old Can’t Read or Tie His Shoes Yet, But He Can Play the Works of Johann Burgmuller, His Favorite German Composer
At 3, Richard Hoffmann can’t read or tie his shoes yet, but he can play the works of Johann Burgmuller, his favorite German composer. His secret: colors. Instead of…
Guitarist and Drummer Shred Lightning-Fast Heavy Metal Cover of Beethoven’s ‘Moonlight Sonata’
Drummer Kristina Schiano and guitarist Cole Rolland collaborated to deliver a remarkable rendition of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata’s 3rd Movement, infusing it with the electrifying energy of heavy metal. Rolland,…
Why Maria Anna Mozart, a Musical Prodigy Like Her Brother Wolfgang, Remains Overlooked by History
When people ask why we have specifically black histories, or queer histories, or women’s histories, it can be hard for many who do historical research to take the question seriously.…
Exceptional 14-Year-Old Composer Stuns Carnegie Hall Audience with Unforgettable Concert Performance
Three years ago, a music composer often described as a “child prodigy” performed in Surrey alongside the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra on Friday, Feb. 28. “Fifteen-year-old Alma Deutscher, who wrote her…
The Stage Is Lit on Fire by a Young Woman’s Spectacular “Boogie Woogie” Performance
Boogie woogie, a lively and energetic genre of music synonymous with dancing, originated within African-American communities in the 1870s and gained popularity in the 1920s. Starting with the piano, it…
Beautiful Mozart Sonata Played by Renowned Musicologist on Mozart’s Own Fortepiano
Renowned musicologist Robert Levin performed a beautiful version of the third movement of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart‘s Sonata No. 17 in B flat major on the composer’s own fortepiano. Levin then explained how modern instruments don’t…
The Much Less Family Friendly Works of Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is famously known for being a child prodigy and one of the greatest musical composers of all time. Eine Kleine Nachtmusik is one of the most famous of his compositions, while Leck…