hank Archive

Mozart composed his Piano Sonata KV 331 in 1783. This A-major Sonata has a distinct flavor, beginning with its unusual sequence of movements: a set of variations to open, then a minuet, and, to conclude, …

The concerto for violin and Oboe BWV 1060 follows the standard Italian baroque concerto structure: three movements: fast-slow-fast. Other Italian influences (such as aria style melodies and strong rhythmic drive) were stylish in Cothen, and …

The D-major Violin Concerto is the fourth of the five that Mozart wrote in Salzburg in 1775. After a first movement in the eighteenth century’s most charm‑filled military manner comes an andante that is the …

Pianist Sviatoslav Richter was reserved yet unflinching in his pursuit of musical excellence, and in later years capable of imposing idiosyncratic conditions for his eagerly anticipated performances. He was already a legend behind the Iron …

Ludwig van Beethoven’s improvisations that dazzled Vienna were, in a way, rehearsals of the daring musical ideas Beethoven would explore in his symphonies. The first movement of his Eroica Symphony was unprecedented in scale, in …