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 […]
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
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#ClassicsaDay #ClassicalSummer Week 3
It was a busy summer for the Classics a Day team. In June, we marked African-American Music Appreciation Month. In July we celebrated national holidays in the U.S. and Canada. So that just left August to have a summer theme. For my part, I chose to choose anything except Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons.” In the process, […]
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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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Charlottesville Symphony – A triumph and a crowd-pleaser
The Charlottesville Symphony brought the audience to its feet twice Saturday evening. The first time was for an artistic triumph, the second time was for a crowd-pleaser. The orchestra, under the direction of guest conductor Damon Gupton, opened the program with Rossini’s Overture to “Semiramide.” At first, I was a little concerned. The overture starts […]
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#ClassicsaDay #Bernsteinat100 Week 2
August 2018 is the centennial of Leonard Bernstein’s birth. Many classical radio stations, performance groups, and writers marked the occasion. And so did #ClassicsaDay. Bernstein was known as a composer, conductor, performer and an educator. Since #ClassicsaDay is primarily a music feed, I concentrated on the first two of those roles (and occasionally the third). […]