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Rach Symphony No. 2? Quick, Bring me the Antidote!
As my best friend and business partner, Albert Imperato, lectured passionately and convincingly on how to love Rachmaninov’s Sympony No. 2 (“don’t think about it, just do it!” he said equating the work to sunsets and chocolate cake, “do you question them?” he added), I remained unconvinced. We had just listened to a great performance [...]
Continue reading...Musical Comfort Food – Or, Everyone Loves Haydn
16. January 2010
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It’s rare that I don’t begin the morning with some music by Austrian composer Joseph Haydn, usually a piano trio, string quartet or symphony, which I enjoy while reading the newspaper and drinking my morning coffee. With so many works to choose from (he wrote roughly 45, 68 and 104 of each genre respectively!), you [...]
Continue reading...Winter Reveries, Icy Terrors
10. January 2010
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One of my favorite musical rituals involves the Winter Solstice, the first day of the winter season and the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. At the heart of this ritual is listening to Tchaikovsky’s First Symphony, which bears the nickname “Winter Dreams.” I discovered the piece in college when I was [...]
Continue reading...Tropical Tracks
10. January 2010
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For as long as I can remember my family has been spending the Christmas/New Year’s holiday together on a Caribbean vacation. For years I was the odd man out, believing somehow that Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas unless I was in a cold and snowy place, which meant that I never traveled with my family for [...]
Continue reading...Rameau and Martinis
7. January 2010
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It started out almost as a joke when Albert and I were planning to unwind after a day of work with a martini and some music. Albert suggested we listen to an advance recording of the new naïve classique release of conductor and in this case harpsichordist Christophe Rousset playing transcriptions of Rameau’s second opera, [...]
Continue reading...20 (Plus) Questions with… Natalie Dessay
30. June 2009
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As she prepared to make a much-anticipated role debut as Violetta in La Traviata in Santa Fe, the affable opera superstar donated her time to answer a few questions for this informal Q&A session.
Continue reading...20 (Plus) Questions with… Harpsichordist and Conductor Christophe Rousset
26. May 2009
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The French harpsichordist and conductor Christophe Rousset has long been one of the bright lights of the early music and period instruments scene. At twenty-two he won the prestigious First Prize, as well as the Public Prize, in the Seventh Bruges Harpsichord Competition (1983). He performed with Les Arts Florissants and then Il Seminario Musicale before embarking on a career as a music director, which led him to form his own ensemble, Les Talens Lyriques, in 1991.
Continue reading...A Maverick Composer’s Memorial Day Music
25. May 2009
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Memorial Day has something of a split personality, especially on the kind of gorgeous day we had today in Upstate New York. Despite the parades, the holiday itself has a somber character and purpose, paying tribute to those who have served and died while serving in the armed forces. But with the picnics and barbecues, not to mention all the usual commercialization, it’s taken on new qualities if not a completely different identity. It’s now pushed as the official beginning of the summer, not to mention the Hollywood blockbuster season, and my inbox today received no less than 20 special Memorial Day sale offers to buy everything from sneakers and workout gear to outdoor furniture and cars.
Continue reading...Running on Classics
19. May 2009
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A few days ago, I almost flew off the treadmill running at full-sprint speed – that is, I was going at more than 10 miles per hour! Everyone in the gym threw a look my way, some gasping, as my running shoe made a loud, squeaking sound as it hit the part of the belt [...]
Continue reading...Better Late Than Never – Mozart’s Magic in The Shawshank Redemption
6. April 2009
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I’m probably the last person in the United States to see The Shawshank Redemption (I finally got around to Netflixing it, and watched it last night over my favorite meal – a plate of cheese ravioli with home made tomato sauce), but for me it was worth the wait. Obviously, it’s one of the most [...]
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3. February 2010
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