performed by the Pacifica Quartet (no video today, but go check out the album for some audio clips) (cover image by Steven Wang) Back to Blackwood. If you know Blackwood’s name from somewhere (and you’re not a contract bridge player; … Continue reading Blackwood String Quartet no. 3
It was another one of those two-night concert specials, a foreign ensemble coming to Taipei, but this time one I should have had a much greater chance hearing in my home country: the Chicago Symphony Orchestra with Riccardo Muti. The Chicago Symphony … Continue reading Concert Review: Chicago Symphony in Taipei
performed by the Chicago symphony under James Levine (this is the performance I’ve been listening to, and it’s a fantastic recording. The below is apparently the same, but some of the tempi [and the audio quality] seem off…..) The above video is … Continue reading Mahler Symphony no. 7
performed by The Berlin Philharmonic under Herbert von Karajan (or below in another performance I actually do enjoy [most of] by Georg Solti and the Chicago Symphony. [I say actually because it seems this set doesn’t come up in as … Continue reading Bruckner Symphony no. 1 in Cm
performed by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under Zubin Mehta, Barbara Hendricks, soprano (my hands-down absolute favorite recording of this piece; she’s stunning. Took my breath away the first time I heard her after having listened to many other recordings, but the … Continue reading Mahler Symphony No. 4
performed by the Chicago symphony orchestra under Sir Georg Solti Watch both of these above. In the second video, Maestro Bernstein begins talking about the second symphony just before the three minute mark. This is such a pleasant symphony, and … Continue reading Brahms Symphony no. 2 in D major, op. 73
performed by the Cleveland Philharmonic under George Szell, or the below video of Sir Georg Solti and the Chicago symphony I mentioned in a tweet the other day that Schubert feels like the gateway drug to classical-era music, at least … Continue reading Beethoven symphony no. 1 in C, op. 21
performed by the Chicago Symphony orchestra under Pierre Boulez Anatol Ugorsky, piano (for Deutsche Grammophon) Allegro Andante Allegro moderato or the Czech Philharmonic under Libor Pesek, Garrick Ohlsson, piano There’s nothing like really good straightforward music. It’s interesting how sometimes … Continue reading Alexander Scriabin: Piano Concerto, op 20
This piece has been revisited, and an updated article has been written. Please read it here. I’ll keep the original article (below) for posterity, but I would suggest reading the new article instead. I also wrote about it much more recently over at my newly established Substack as part of a concert program alongside Mozart’s Dm concerto in January of 2026. Please go check that out. performed by the Chicago Symphony under Georg Solti This piece was written between 1901-1902. This is the second week in a row I have been able to write about a piece after having seen … Continue reading Gustav Mahler: Symphony no. 5