Mendelssohn, A Midsummer Night’s Dream Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) was a classicist and promoter of Baroque music who built on the Romantic ideal of using literary forms and other extra-musical material for his inspiration. He shared with Mozart the fate of being an astonishing child prodigy … Read more
Today I am going to do it. I will exit my parked car, walk to the west edge of the campus and gaze down into the gorge that separates the school from the residential street beyond. I will grab the sturdy wrought-iron handrail, walk down … Read more
Obrecht, Laudes Christo Redemptori We know that Jacob Obrecht was born in the Netherlands on St. Cecelia’s Day, November 22, but there is no record of the year. Historians offer dates ranging from 1450 to 1458. The earliest date of 1450 is derived from the … Read more
At once the magic horse came galloping up, making the ground tremble under its hoofs. Flame streamed from its nostrils, smoke rose in columns from its ears. Ivan crawled into its right ear, crawled out of its left ear, and was turned into the handsomest … Read more
Grieg, Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 Edvard Grieg (1843-1907), Norway’s most celebrated composer, composed incidental music to Henrik Ibsen’s play Peer Gynt in 1875. After the work’s premiere in 1876, he distilled his 90 minutes of music for the play into two relatively short suites, … Read more
Why bother with a passionate pursuit of the qualities traditionally called Goodness, Truth, and Beauty? Why place our hope in them when darkness swirls around us, forceful enough to consume everything in its path? To take the question down to my everyday life, I fret … Read more
Orlando di Lasso, Chanson on Dessus le marché d’Arras Once before I featured a high school choir that turned in a truly top-notch performance. As we enter a new school year, I offer this performance by the Houston High School for the Visual and Performing … Read more
A fig tree (ficus carica) grows into the elbow of our second-story deck. Tall and robust, it is fulfilling a promise honed across a winter of silence, a perky spring, and a June and July dedicated to puffing up its green marbles into squatty, purple … Read more
Gaultier, Prelude and Tombeau de Mazangeau Had we not all lived through 2020, we might be wondering why this man is performing from his hotel room. But if you are quarantined in a hotel, hope that it is a good one and that you have … Read more
The Awakening of Miss Prim? Was this really the title Andrew Pudewa suggested for a view into the values of Classical education? If so, then maybe I needed to read it. As background, it happens that I and my colleagues are frequently asked to name … Read more