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Tag Archives: Ludwig van Beethoven
Beethoven 250: his double life
Composer Ludwig van Beethoven was born in 1770, almost 250 years ago. The Heiligenstadt Testament was addressed to the composer’s two brothers, Carl & Johann, as a last will and testament. Written in October 1802 as the composer approached his … Continue reading
Posted in Books & Literature, Cinema, video & DVDs, Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, Personal ruminations & essays, Psychology and perception
Tagged Beethoven 250, Beethoven: biography of a genius, deafness, George Marek, Hearing Beethoven, Heiligenstadt Testament, Immortal Beloved, Ludwig van Beethoven, Robin Wallace, virtuoso
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Beethoven’s 250th
Ludwig van Beethoven was born in December of 1770. I suppose the only people who might care about the precise date would be those of us who want to throw Ludwig a party. In my day one was taught that … Continue reading
A Beethoven discovery, aided by my dog
I’m framing this analysis around Sam my dog. She’s a 13+ year old rescue, and in my opinion amazingly well-behaved. Sometimes she’ll occupy the ottoman beside the piano, allowing her to read along with me if she so desires (no … Continue reading
Stewart Goodyear – Beethoven piano concerti
It’s 2020, a year I’m tempted to call “World, Interrupted,” recalling the 1999 film set in a psychiatric hospital. At times our virtual online lives resemble the simulation of real living as though we’ve been wrapped in strait-jackets, locked up … Continue reading
James Rhodes & the Beethoven Revolution
Koerner Hall was jammed full tonight. Apparently everyone wants to hear James Rhodes play Beethoven. I’m late to the party, having no idea who this guy is, just intrigued by the interest I sense all around me, an electricity. The … Continue reading
The miraculous simplicity of Hearing Beethoven
I’m very grateful for the serendipity that led to Robin Wallace’s book even if the fate governing its creation is cruel indeed. A shy and short-sighted musicologist named Robin married a nurse named Barbara. She was losing her hearing. I … Continue reading
New Orford celebrate their first decade
Two for two. It’s the second night of the 2019 Toronto Summer Music Festival and again it felt like a special event, this time in celebration of the tenth anniversary of the New Orford String quartet. There’s a natural connection … Continue reading
To re-purpose
The word is in my head after The Death of Stalin. Iannucci’s film takes music and uses it in new ways. Whether we’re talking about John Hughes, Stanley Kubrick or your organist at church, the re-use of an existing piece … Continue reading
Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, Popular music & culture
Tagged A Midsummernight's Dream, Anita Louise, Charlottesville, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Felix Mendelssohn, Iannucci, Ludwig van Beethoven, Max Reinhardt, Melodrama, Shakespeare, Spinning Song, Tchaikovsky, Venetian Boat Song
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Escape from wartime reflections
Tonight’s installment of the Toronto Summer Music Festival might seem to have ignored their theme of “Reflections of Wartime”. The only real battle in Walter Hall was for our hearts, a friendly popularity contest between Angela Cheng and Alvin Chow. … Continue reading
Music minus one
I write a lot about transcriptions possibly because they’re so much fun. Sometimes I can manage to play them, sometimes they’re too difficult but still fascinating to explore. One plays a piano piece while imagining an original from another context, … Continue reading