The Moonlight Sonata is not a piece of music I can write about except to mention some of the background story. The title of moonlight was given to this sonata by a music critic who compared the first movement to …

Speaking of Beethoven Piano Sonatas, The Pathetique is a good one. Pathetique translates as pathetic but think more along the lines of passion or pathos. The Pathetique Sonata is one of Beethoven’s most popular pieces of music. It even managed …

I was somewhat surprised to hear Beethoven’s Waldstein Sonata on a commercial the other day. I’ve no problem with commercials using classical music. Often times it creates a point of reference for those who are not completely into classical music. …

In September of 1957 Decca Records released a recording of Wagner’s Das Rheingold, the first of the four Ring des Nibelungen operas. Over the next seven years, Decca would release the remaining three operas of The Ring Cycle: Die Walkure, …

The time has come. I must now come out of the closet and reveal myself as a Wagner fan. To my mind, Wagner is the most fascinating figure in all of classical music. Is there anyone else who creates as …

I've heard many a person talk about scooping and how bad it is. I'm not sure where this idea comes from but I think I have a pretty good idea. Choir. Most of the singing many of us have done …

Gustav Mahler opens his fifth symphony with a familiar, rhythmic figure. Dat-dat-dat-dah. It is the same figure Beethoven uses to open his fifth symphony. While Beethoven’s music is stern, it is also joyful and even manages to make fun of …

Continuing with our theme of rebellion in fin de siècle Vienna, after Mahler, Schoenberg was waiting. Mahler wrote music with a tonality that would have made Wagner cringe. Mahler was depressed and disenfranchised but our ears still understand his musical …

I was thinking about a third post on Shostakovich but I started connecting the dots in my mind and ended up in Vienna. For his second denunciation, Shostakovich was accused of “formalism”. In the Soviet Union, formalism meant music that …

As many of you know, today was New Year’s Day. I decided to head to Lake Miramar and go for a run. I’m a somewhat accomplished runner having done three marathons, two half marathons, and a hand full of 10K’s. …

Shostakovich wrote his fifth symphony to redeem himself in the eyes of the authorities. At the same time he could not capitulate to Stalin’s terror. His task was to write a symphony in the style of The Party’s “heroic classicism” …

Today I had to move my Cd’s away from the wall due to a water leak. I decided to go through them and find something I haven’t listened to in years. I tend to listen to a few core compositions. …

On Christmas Day, Bud Greenspan died of complications from Parkinson’s. Greenspan was a documentary film maker who focused specifically on athletics. For his 1977 film dramatizing the life of Wilma Rudolph, Greenspan cast Denzel Washington in his first role. What …

If you haven’t noticed, every-other-little-girl in town is currently appearing in a production of The Nutcracker. Each year a new crop of youngsters gets an introduction to ballet and orchestral music via Tchaikovsky’s charming composition. Initially, The Nutcracker flopped. What …

Noel! Hodie Christus natus est. Today Christ is born. Vaughan Williams’ Christmas Choral work, Hodie, begins with this text. The text is taken from the Vespers for Christmas Day. That’s an interesting choice for a composer who wrote Anglican Hymns …

With school being out and the weather being rainy, I took my six year old daughter and three year old son to an indoor playground. This was our first visit. Apparently I wasn't the only parent with that idea. The …

Chorus rehearsals for San Deigo Opera started up this week. Here comes Turandot. After 13 years, chorus master Todd Simmons has moved on to become the executive director of New Orleans Opera. Over the past several seasons, principal artists have …

For anyone not paying close attention, there was only one Italian tenor during the 70's, 80's, and 90's. Pavarotti may have had the most beautiful voice ever produced and his technique was flawless. Every note he sang was consistent in …

In my spin class at the gym, the instructor played some "opera" today. She called it opera but it was Andrea Bocelli and I think we all know how I feel about that. It did get me to thinking about …

I was driving along the 5 north today coming out of Downtown. The sun was shining, it was warm, I had the windows down and I found the appropriate music. I cranked up Schubert's Mass No. 2 in G. As …