On First Listening to the Vienna Philharmonic
For many of us, memorable events tend to remain in our memory for a long time. Such was the case in 1950 when my father went with me to my first concert by the Vienna …
Artists Archive
Debussy’s “Prelude to an Afternoon of a Faune”
It is often said that the era of modern music began with a single work in 1894: Claude Debussy’s Prélude à L’Après-Midi D’Un Faune for orchestra. Based on Mallarmé’s poem, Debussy considered the Prélude to be evocative …
Nicola Benedetti Tells Us About Edward Elgar
Nicola Benedetti began violin lessons at the age of four, In 1997, she entered the Yehudi Menuhin School where she studied with Natasha Boyarskaya. Upon leaving, she continued her studies with Maciej Rakowski and then …
Beethoven’s String Quartet Opus 18, Number 6
It wasn’t until 1798 that Prince Lobkowitz (for whom Haydn also wrote string quartets) commissioned from Beethoven a set of six quartets that became Op. 18. The set was finished in 1801. While each Op. …
Nicola Benedetti Plays Prokofiev’s Concerto #2
The Scottish violinist Nicola Benedetti has become very well-known in the classical music field. She signed on to the prestigious Deutsche Grammophon classical label, she has appeared with top symphony orchestras in Britain and other …