PROGRAM NOTES, BLOG POSTS, OTHER PROSE

Benjamin Britten – The Rape of Lucretia
Musical tones are always telling us something in The Rape of Lucretia . Sometimes they signify the most specific of things. Harpy mosquitos nag at

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor – Violin Concerto in G Minor
The genesis of Coleridge-Taylor’s violin concerto is a story of two pioneering artists: the composer and his commissioner, Maud Powell. Powell became one of the

Florence Price – Symphony No. 1 in E minor
“First there was a feeling of awe as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra…swung in to the beautiful, harmonious strains of a composition by a Race woman.

Franz Liszt – Les préludes
Franz Liszt was best known during his lifetime as the lean, black-haired virtuoso whose skill and daring at the piano caused audiences to faint, exclaim,

José Pablo Moncayo – Huapango
As a composer, conductor, educator, pianist, and percussionist, José Pablo Moncayo built a legacy in Mexican music at a young age. In his few decades

Franz Schubert – Symphony No. 8 in B minor, “Unfinished”
In his brief 31 years of life, Franz Schubert’s gargantuan output included operas, singspiel, cantatas, masses, requiem, part songs, choruses, lieder, symphonies, overtures, chamber music,