performed by Augustin Dumay and Maria João Pires, or below by Julia Fischer and Milana Chernyavska (cover image by Ravi Roshan) Today we discuss the first (and I think only) work of this little stretch of sonatas that isn’t a “no. 1” … Continue reading Grieg Violin Sonata no. 3 in Cm, op. 45
performed by Steven Isserlis and Stephen Hough, or below by Natalia Gutman and Viacheslav Poprugin I am both spiritually and bodily unwell and decide every other day not to compose another note, because I satisfy myself less and less. Grieg, … Continue reading Grieg Cello Sonata in A minor, op. 36
performed by the Vertavo Quartet, or below by the Copenhagen Quartet I have recently finished a string quartet which I still haven’t heard. It is in G minor and is not intended to bring trivialities to market. It strives towards … Continue reading Grieg String Quartet no. 1 in Gm, op. 27
What happened this week in history that we should know about? Let’s see. June 9 As usual, no events. Births: 1732 – Giuseppe Demachi, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1791) 1810 – Otto Nicolai, German composer and conductor (d. 1849) 1865 – Carl Nielsen, Danish violinist, composer, and conductor (d. 1931) I quite like most of Nielsen’s earlier symphonies (earlier meaning everything except the fifth, which I haven’t really grown to appreciate yet [but still wrote about], and the sixth, which is just kind of… perplexing) 1891 – Cole Porter, American composer (d. 1964) I know I have said some bad things about jazz (or intend to), but Cole Porter … Continue reading On this day: Week of June 9, 2014
https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/vmUPl7Pv0Zg&source=uds performed by the Seoul Philharmonic under James Judd, Valentina Lisitsa, piano (I wanted to find a video or recording of her performance here in Taipei from back in October 2013, but the best I could do was this rather useless ad) Can you think of any other piano concerti in Am? Schumann? Very good. What about Mrs. Schumann? Also very good. The first one is the more important, and while Grieg had it in mind (to some extent or other) during the composition of his own piano concerto (both of them having only written one piano concerto, Grieg not … Continue reading Edvard Grieg: Piano Concerto in Am, op. 16
I am working on kind of a two-part post I started last week. Been through a few listenings of each work, and am preparing more thoughts, but there is something else to share firstly. I was thrilled to buy tickets to see Ms. Valentina Lisitsa here in Taipei in our very own national concert hall. I went ahead and bought better seats. “Second floor” is the first floor of the auditorium, at the same level as the stage, and we were on the 19th row, just left of center, perfect place to see the blurs that were Ms. Lisitsa’s hands … Continue reading Concert Review: Valentina Lisitsa in Taipei
Fugue for Thought 