In an often-cited letter to his father, he wrote that his piano concertos offered a happy medium between the easy and the difficult. There are passages, he said, that only the connoisseur can fully appreciate, “yet the common listener will find them satisfying as well, although without knowing why.” - The New Yorker
"In interviews, orchestra leaders around the country (said) that things had been deeply disappointing early on this season for them, too — and that their panic had calmed amid winter and spring sales that were, if not boffo, at least not devastating." - The New York Times
The orchestra "owns more than 5,000 sets of scores and parts, some dating back a half century or more, with even older ones from the earliest days of the orchestra now kept in the orchestra’s historical archives." - Chicago Sun-Times
Much of the research indicates that it can take years for the brain to adjust to the new mode of input via hearing aids. It’s a process that varies from person to person, and can’t be rushed. - Ludwig Van
In April, the Pops filed an antitrust lawsuit claiming the Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Center used tactics intended to force the company out of business and create a monopoly in the city. On Wednesday, the orchestra amended its lawsuit in hopes it can begin playing shows again at Verizon Hall. - Philly Voice
“Let’s not forget that the word ‘climax’ is a common musical term,” the soprano Renée Fleming told me. “It has to do with musical tension and its release.” She said Rachmaninoff and Liszt “had it down” when it comes to sexy pieces. - The New York Times
"I love Puccini’s auspicious score, its bustling crowd of little melodies that converge and mature into themes that seem to hold a whole life. I love its clutter of everyday sentimental stuff: Mimi’s lost key, Musetta’s pawned earrings, Colline’s surrendered coat, Marcello’s unfinished painting." - Washington Post
This is the paradox of sad music: We generally don’t enjoy being sad in real life, but we do enjoy art that makes us feel that way. Countless scholars since Aristotle have tried to account for it. - The New York Times
John McWhorter on musicologist Philp Ewell's new book: "The assumption, then, is that the “whiteness” or “maleness” of any given proposition must automatically be a mere power play rather than a reasoned aesthetic or logical conclusion." - The New York Times
Before C-11, online broadcasters were under no obligation to stream any Canadian content. In essence, Bill C-11 looks to put streaming and other Internet platforms on the same footing, with the same kind of obligations towards Canadian content, and under the same governing umbrella: the CRTC. - Ludwig Van
This all feels like ENO letting off some steam. For an hour on a Tuesday afternoon in May, a group of musicians, blissfully under-rehearsed and with a few wobbles here and there, perform without a care in the world. You have to grasp moments of joy when you can at the moment. - Van
There's a very small population in Iceland, and people tend to do everything. You might be playing in the symphony orchestra in the morning, in rehearsal, and then play a rock concert in the evening. There's a lot of mixture between the genres and people haven't even thought there's anything strange about that. - NPR
Making joyful art while the world burns is a necessity, especially when that joy comes through deep questioning. My neighbors don’t care that my yard is in disarray while I work on it; they are intrigued by the story of its transformation. - NewMusicBox
Konstantin Shvedov composed his setting of the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom in 1913. It was kept secret through the Soviet years until Irina Shachneva's conducting professor gave it to her in 1985. She's now conducting the work's American premiere in San Francisco. - MSN (San Francisco Chronicle)
Much of modern pop could be described as a hook-delivery device: ‘Bad Romance’ by Lady Gaga or ‘Shake It Off’ by Taylor Swift, for example, are packed full of musical moments that stand out to the listener and are easily remembered. - Psyche
