jacqueline du pre

A love for cello | CBW 28

oana July 14, 2019 No Comments
2. String Quartet in G major, op. 76 no. 1 by Joseph Haydn

Father of the Symphony, Father of the String Quartet, friend and mentor of Mozart, tutor of Beethoven, Joseph Haydn was an Austrian Classical composer too grand for words. Prolific does not even begin to describe his career: the man wrote over one hundred symphonies and 83 string quartets, 150 baryton duos and trios, over 40 piano trios (the development of which he also fathered), numerous concertos, trios and duos for various instruments, marches, dances, sonatas, 15 masses, a handful of songs, 13 operas and other musical comedies.… Read more

Emotional Rollercoaster | CBW04

oana January 27, 2019 No Comments

This week’s honourable mention is “Clarinet Concerto no. 1 in F major, op. 73” by Carl Maria von Weber, a German composer of the Romantic school. This piece is one of great importance in the clarinet repertoire, being representative of the range and achievements one can reach with this instrument. The third movement is especially joyful and fun, a great one to play to children and introduce them to classical music.

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Arcangelo Corelli

All the strings | CBW02

oana January 13, 2019 No Comments

We’re going to start with the honourable mention of “Toccata Arpeggiata” by Giovanni Girolamo Kapsberger, a composer from the early Baroque, best remembered for his lute music, being an important contributor to the development of plucked string instruments. This is a beautiful short piece, with a calming effect, that I could listen to over and over again.… Read more

Max Bruch

Beethoven wins it, but Bruch steals the heart | CBW01

oana January 7, 2019 No Comments

We start the year with some big names (Bach, Beethoven) and some unknown ones for me at least, since I’m not exactly a big connoisseur in this domain.

At number 4, we have a new find for me: “O virtus sapientiae” by Hildegard of Bingen. I have to admit I’d never heard of this name before and it turns out this was a very intelligent and notable lady of the 12th century (a nun, a composer, a scientist and many other things – more details can be found in the book).… Read more