For the month of September, the Classics a Day team chose a controversial theme. There is a small subset of symphonic works within the classical repertoire that appear misnamed. Most composers choose their titles carefully. But when the title runs counter to expectations, disagreements arise. What does the title “symphony” mean? Can a composition be […]
Claude Debussy
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Aleck Karis brings fresh insights to Debussy
There are plenty of Debussy recordings made by artists past and present — so what makes this release different? Two things, I think; Aleck Karis’ musicality and Bridge Records’ skill at piano recordings. Right from the opening Etude, I was impressed. Pour Les “Cinq Doigts”: D’après Monsieur Czerny starts off with a simple scale but […]
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#ClassicsaDay #ClassicalTimeMachine Week 1
For the month of October, the Classics a Day team turned nostalgic. Classical musicians have been making recordings since the 1890s. So we all have over 130 years of documented performance practices. And we can judge first-hand the artistry of legendary performers. The challenge is to post classical recordings made before 1949 (pre-LP era). Here […]
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#ClassicsaDay #ClassicalChristmas Weeks 4 and 5
This marks the third year running that the Classics a Day team made Christmas music the December theme. I guess that makes it a tradition. When it comes to the music of the season, there’s plenty to choose from. Since the 1100s composers have written sacred music for Advent and Christmas — and plenty of […]
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#ClassicsaDay #ClassicalWinter Week 5
For January 2019, #ClassicsaDay went with a winter theme. December’s theme, #ClassicalChristmas centered around sacred works of the season. #ClassicalWinter is about sharing secular compositions. that have a snow or winter theme. Here are my Classical Winter posts for the last week of January. Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov – The Snow Maiden The transition from winter to […]
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#ClassicsaDay #ClassicalWinter Week 1
For January 2019, #ClassicsaDay went with a winter theme. December’s theme, #ClassicalChristmas centered around sacred works of the season. #ClassicalWinter is about sharing secular compositions. that have a snow or winter theme. Here are my Classical Winter posts for the first week of January. Giacomo Puccini – “Che gelida manina” (What a cold little hand) […]
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#ClassicsaDay #PoetryMonth Week 1
What’s the connection between classical music and classic poetry? That was theme some of us decided to explore with #ClassicsaDay. For April 2018 we posted examples of settings of poetry in classical music, works inspired by poetry, and more. Here’s an annotated list of the works I posted for the first week of #PoetryMonth. […]
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Dionne Jackson’s Love Letter
Parisian Inspirations is the kind of recital recording I like — one where the artist has a personal connection with every work. In the liner notes Dionne Jackson writes, “I feel a direct lineage to every composer chosen for this CD, many of my Professors at the Conservatoire had either known or studied with these […]