hank Archive

During his lifetime of 57 years, Ludwig van Beethoven composed a total of 32 piano sonatas. It is quite a challenge to say which one I like best. Upon some thought, however, I choose Beethoven’s …

What more can I say? Beethoven’s Piano Concerto #4 was a surprise for Viennese audiences because of its unique and creative aspects. The “usual” beginning of concerti by Mozart and Haydn featured orchestral introductions. It …

“Herzlich tut mich verlangen” (I do desire dearly) is a German hymn, with lyrics written in 1611 by Christoph Knoll, containing 11 stanzas, with a melody adapted from a secular song by Hans Leo Hassler. …

Astor Piazzolla was an Argentine musician, a virtuoso on the bandoneón (a square-built button accordion), who left traditional Latin American tango bands in 1955 to create a new tango that blended elements of jazz and …

Glazunov’s violin concerto is in a single continuous movement, probably modelled on the piano concertos of Liszt, which Glazunov much admired. There is a concise exposition, with a dolce, espressivo violin theme as its main …