In the tough, male-dominated world of international orchestral conducting, one woman has captured the attention of both audiences and musicians: American conductor Marin Alsop. Equal parts approachable, astute, and accomplished, Ms. Alsop is dedicated to making...
This week one of the giants of choral conducting died. Sir David Willcocks, an English composer, organist, and choirmaster, was well-known in the circles of both amateur and professional choirs around the globe. Although best known for his work with the King’s College...
Last week I wrote about unaccompanied solos and how even one person can make harmony when the music is right. Today the music focuses on duets. There are many ways to make music with more than one performer: two of the same instrument (the work for two violas), two...
Bach’s Unaccompanied Cello Suites — I hear a swoon even at the mention of the work – is a series of six suites, each with six movements, for solo cello. One musician. One instrument. One performance space. Manifold echoes. A significant part of Bach’s...
In the past few weeks, two musical groups have crossed my path. From different sides of the world, in two different languages, I have not been able to get them out of my mind. On the surface, they could not be more different: Samoan traditional folk songs and American...
In 1959, two albums were released that shook the jazz world: Dave Brubeck Quartet’s Time Out, and Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue. They tracked together through the charts, and both were certified Platinum in 1997. Davis’ has gone on to reach multi-platinum, but Brubeck’s...
