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Russian Composers: "The Five"
Russian Composers: "The Five"
POSTED JANUARY 20, 2022
Russia developed its classical music tradition later than many European countries. Through the 18th century, Russian music consisted mainly of church music, folk songs and music for dances, although Italian, French, and German operas were popular among the middle and upper classes. Shortly after the 34-year reign of Catherine the Great, who "westernized" Russia and led it into full participation in the political and cultural life of Europe, Russia's classical music tradition began...the music of "The Five" - Belakirev, Borodin, Cui, Mussorgsky and Rimsky-Korsakov READ AND LISTEN
The Late Romantic Era: Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings
The Late Romantic Era: Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings
POSTED FEBRUARY 9, 2022
Romanticism was a cultural movement that originated in late 18th century Europe. Characterized by its emphasis on emotion, individualism, and the glorification of the past and nature, it was a revolt against the Age of Enlightenment's emphasis on reason and the Industrial Revolution's emphasis on science. Music's Late Romantic Era, which began in the mid-nineteenth century, would last until the gathering of the clouds of the Great War in the twentieth century. Although Beethoven's influence was still strong, some compositions hearkened back to the Classical Era, with its order and formality. One musical form that expressed this desire was the serenade, and Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings is an outstanding example of the genre. READ AND LISTEN
The Caribbean Sea is one of the world's most beautiful regions. Not surprisingly, beautiful art has come from the islands of this vast melting pot with watercolors, paintings and murals reflecting the vibrant colors of the land and sea. Largely unexplored by the major players in the art world, Caribbean art remains mysterious and unknown to most.
A four-part series on the life and works several prominent artists from the region:
Heleen Cornet, b. 1945, Dutch-born artist living on the island of Bonaire for almost 40 years (May 23, 2022)
Wifredo Lam, 1902 - 1982, one of the most renowned Cuban artists of the modern era (June 29, 2022) The Wifredo Lam Centre for Contemporary Art has hosted the Havana Biennial since 1984.
The music of Johann Sebastian Bach and some quirky facts about JSB and his times
The music of Johann Sebastian Bach and some quirky facts about JSB and his times
POSTED MARCH 21, 2022
In the classical music canon, few composers are as revered as Johann Sebastian Bach. He composed over 1500 pieces of music in almost every musical format of the Baroque, and his death in 1750 is regarded as the end of that era. Now an exemplar of the status quo in classical music, Bach was a musical revolutionary in his own day...a brief introduction to the complex music of a genius renowned for his compositional skills, mastery of counterpoint, dense melodies and pleasing harmonies. READ AND LISTEN
The Classical Era of Classical Music
The Classical Era of Classical Music
POSTED MAY 3, 2022
During the Classical Era, the 70 or so years following the death of Johann Sebastian Bach, many of the musical genres that we still have today emerged or took on their current form. Informed by the Age of Enlightenment, new forms and styles emerged giving us some of the greatest music ever composed...Haydn's "Surprise" Symphony, Boccherini's String Quartet in D Major, Mozart's Piano Sonata No.11 READ AND LISTEN
Italian Baroque: the mysterious Tomaso Albinoni
Italian Baroque: the mysterious Tomaso Albinoni
POSTED JUNE 14, 2022
The Baroque period saw many dramatic changes and developments in music. One of these was the growth of opera into the grandest and most spectacular form of entertainment. Another was the growing importance of instrumental music. Italy was the scene of much of this pioneering, and the Venetian Tomaso Albinoni (1671-1751) was at the heart of it, composing operas and other stage works as well as concertos and sonatas, in prodigious quantities. In his day, the works of Tomaso Albinoni were as widely known and performed as those of his now more famous contemporaries Vivaldi and Corelli. And yet...almost every biographical sketch warns us, "Relatively little is known about his life..." READ AND LISTEN
Pop art sculptor Claes Oldenburg
Pop art sculptor Claes Oldenburg
POSTED JULY 26, 2022
An icon of the Pop Art movement, sculptor Claes Oldenburg passed away July 18 at age 93. Best known for his monumental scale works featuring ordinary objects, his "audacious, witty, and profound works changed the way we understand and see art in the world." ...Pastry Case 1, Lipstick (Ascending) on Caterpillar Tracks, and a gallery of his most memorable monumental works from Philadelphia to Tokyo...READ
The Edinburgh International Festival and Fringe are back!
The Edinburgh International Festival and Fringe are back!
POSTED AUGUST 7, 2022
After a Covid-absence of two years, the world's biggest arts and entertainment festival is back. Both the Edinburgh International Festival and the Fringe are in full swing. Taking Pop Art's blurring of the boundaries of "high" art and "low" culture to streets and venues throughout the city, the two festivals run in sync from August 5 through August 29. Featuring more than 3000 events in hundreds of venues with performers from 58 countries, there is something for everyone from standup comedy and cabaret to operas, stage productions, and symphonies...READ
Peter Kater's Elements
Peter Kater's Elements
POSTED AUGUST 30, 2022
If you are looking for some calming, meditative music after a long, stressful day, look no further than the pianist and composer Peter Kater...selections from each of the albums in his "Elements" series based on the ancient Greek elements: Air, Earth, Fire, Water and Etheria. READ AND LISTEN
The Art of Picasso: War and Peace
The Art of Picasso: War and Peace
POSTED September 18, 2022
Pablo Picasso was one of the most celebrated artists of the 20th century. A pioneer of Cubism, he also invented collage and made major contributions to Symbolism and Surrealism. This post looks at his "war and peace" paintings. War was a defining preoccupation of the artist, whose long lifespan stretched from the Cuban War of Independence to the Vietnam War. Picasso was fiercely anti-fascist, antiwar and, especially for a Spaniard of his generation, anti-racist. Unsurprisingly, he embarked on several projects and many works celebrating peace and freedom. READ
Three poems, three takes on getting older
Three poems, three takes on getting older
POSTED October 10, 2022
This year's celebration of the centennial of T.S. Eliot's masterpiece The Waste Land re-awakened in me a desire to read some poetry. Each reading of a poem brings new insights. This is especially true when re-reading a poem decades after you first encountered it. Here are three such poems from T.S. Eliot, Andrei Voznesensky, and Alfred Lord Tennyson. READ
The Art of Picasso: Cubism
The Art of Picasso: Cubism
Posted November 1, 2022
Although Pablo Picasso painted in many different styles, he is most closely associated with Cubism, a movement that he founded with Georges Braque in the early 20th century...Picasso's path to Cubism, the first Cubist painting: Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, analytical and synthetic cubism and later efforts ... READ
Some gems of 21st century architecture
Some gems of 21st century architecture
Posted Nov 23, 2022
The architectural masterpieces of the 21st century are beginning to look more and more like the imaginings of 20th century science fiction...five of my favorites from a number of websites touting the best architecture of the 21st century...READ
The Art of Picasso: the Blue Period
The Art of Picasso: the Blue Period
December 13, 2022
No other painter has so explicitly used color to express his emotions as Pablo Picasso did during his Blue and Rose Periods. In his Blue Period (1901-1904), Picasso painted essentially monochromatic paintings in shades of blue and blue-green. These somber works, inspired by Spain but painted in Paris, seemed to reflect his sympathy for the marginalized and poor as well as his own experience of poverty and instability. Depicting beggars, street urchins, the old and frail and the blind, they are now some of his most popular works...READ
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