The premise of these essays on the beginnings of French opera isn’t so much about the expected topics — composers and repertoire — but about the Académie royale de musique, the complicated, personality-rich institution that managed and shaped how the burgeoning art form evolved. It’s a rewarding approach when viewed as “an almost ideal example of tradition building.”
The Hothouse Origins of French Opera Read More »
Haitham Haidar, a fast-rising Canadian tenor of Lebanese and Palestinian roots, finds ‘connections between what we generally view as separate worlds.’ He describes his debut album, ‘Zaytoun’ — ‘olive’ in Arabic — as joining ‘the heart and soul of my Arabic roots with my love and dedication to Baroque music.’
Haitham Haidar, Singing from Two Worlds Read More »
A new recording from the ever-musical Flanders Recorder Duo celebrates the 99th anniversary of the International Pipers’ Guild, an effort to provide inexpensive instruments for students. Soon these pipes were made by the kids themselves. From Medieval music to Bach and Vaughan Williams, the Flanders Duo show us the sweet charms of this most basic of instruments.
Almost-a-Century Celebration for Bamboo Pipers Read More »
A new recording of two under-performed works by Pietro Antonio Locatelli — his A Major Violin Concerto and six so-called ‘Introduttioni teatrali’ of unknown background and function — shows a masterful and highly satisfying synthesis of various Baroque forms. The ensemble and solo violin charms and sparkles.
Locatelli Rarities from Fabio Biondi and Europa Galante Read More »
Change ringing started in North America in the 1740s. It’s a musical team sport, it’s math for musicians, it’s an exercise for engineers. The ringing of the bells in an ordered sequence, as a piece of music, is a historical hobby that’s been growing in the U.S. in recent decades. We checked in with the MIT Guild of Bell Ringers in Boston to peal a bell ourselves.
Change Ringers Find Math and Sport in Music Read More »
