Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Gone are the Days

Lament for the Death of Classical Music Stores: Norman Lebrecht

By Norman Lebrecht April 24 (Bloomberg) --

Something goes out of a town when its classical outlets close down: First Sam Goody's, then Tower Records, then one by one the backstreet stores. Where does a guy
have to go these days to get his Hammerklavier fix?


Bloomberg.com: Muse


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Monday, April 23, 2007

Thursday, April 19, 2007

How Long Should a Concert Be?

Three wonderful concerts in just over a week left me wondering how long is long enough? At Norwich Cathedral last Friday Stephen Layton with Polyphony, Trinity College Choir and the Britten Sinfonia offered a concert of glorious Poulenc and Messiaen lasting 64 minutes excluding the interval. The second half comprised just the Poulenc Gloria,
which lasted 27 minutes. The duration of 64 minutes is, of course, the
length of a CD, which is no coincidence as the programme will be
recorded by Hyperion in the next few days for future CD release.


The Overgrown Path








"The Train" comes to Organ Vesper Series, April 22, 3:00 p.m.

The Train by Carl Slotboom, translated by Dr. Louis I. Leviticus is a haunting and thought-provoking play about the holocaust.  The Train
is set in the 1990’s and shows that despite people’s hopes and dreams
of 50 years ago, the world is still waiting for peace between nations
and religions. More...




thetrain



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Monday, April 09, 2007

Sins of My Old Age

Rossini coined the expression "sins of my old age" when describing the
13 volumes of varied works he wrote in the last decade of his life.



Season Productions



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Tuesday, April 03, 2007

How Do You Test Drive a Strad?

When Antonio Stradivari of Cremona, Italy, started making violins in
the 1660s, Newton had not yet discovered the principles of modern
physics and the first piano had not yet been manufactured.



By the time of Stradivari’s death in 1737, his violins were already
some of the most prized in the world, the product of a fine hand and an
almost occult science. About 600 of perhaps 700 survive. And now, a
select few people will have the special treat of playing one of these
rare and expensive musical instruments.



Rare Chance to Try Out a Masterpiece - New York Times



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