hank Archive

Heitor Villa-Lobos’s father was a librarian and an amateur musician. Under the influence of his father’s weekly musical get-togethers, the boy became interested in music. He learned to play cello at age six and was …

Cesar Franck dedicated his violin Sonata as a wedding present to Eugène Ysaÿe, a young Belgian who was in the process of establishing himself as one of the premier violinists in the world. The opening …

Emmanuel Pahud received his first flute lessons as a six-year-old in Rome. Later he studied in Brussels, then in Paris with Michel Debost as well as in Basle, Switzerland with Aurèle Nicolet. He gained orchestral …

Schubert’s three piano sonatas, D 958, 959 and 960, were written in the last years of the composer’s life and are today considered some of the most important works in the piano repertoire. Their individual, …

Marked by its technical bravura, “Widmung” (or Dedication in English) has remained one of the most popular encore pieces in the piano literature, allowing pianists to display their virtuosity. However, Widmung is much more than …