hank Archive

The Symphony #1 by Schumann, sketched in a four day burst and completed within a month, originally bore movement titles: “The Beginning of Spring,” “Evening,” “Merry Playmates,” and “Spring in Full Bloom.” The titles were …

Soprano Barbara Bonney has, sadly, retired from live performances on stage. Barbara Bonney was considered as one of the world’s most accomplished lyric sopranos. She led the field in her chosen repertory of roles by …

Haydn composed his Symphony #98 early in 1792, and it was premiered on 2 March. It is an inward-looking work, at least in its first two movements. Haydn wrote in his notebook that ‘The new …

J. S Bach wrote six sonatas and partitas (three of each) for violin alone. He did the same for the cello with six suites for that instrument without accompaniment. All 12 works were composed during …

This string quartet by Haydn opens softly with five enigmatic six-bar phrases, followed by a violent outburst. It then goes boldly where no quartet had gone in terms of dramatic adventure, including the kind of …