Stories
Articles, biographies and essays on composers, performers and great recordings, first published in our Facebook groups.
9 September 2026Zino Francescatti, The Violinist of Natural EleganceZino Francescatti (9 August 1902 – 17 September 1991) was one of the most elegant and naturally gifted French violinists of the twentieth century. Born René-Charles Francescatti in…
9 September 2026Mischa ElmanMischa Elman (20 January 1891 – 5 April 1967) was one of the great representatives of the Romantic school of violin playing. Born Mikhail Saulovich Elman in Talnoye, then part of the…
8 September 2026Rudolf Serkin: Brief Biography, Anecdotes and CuriositiesRudolf Serkin (28 March 1903 – 8 May 1991) was one of the great pianists of the twentieth century and one of the most respected interpreters of the Austro-German classical tradition. Born…
8 September 2026Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 'Eroica' by FurtwänglerYou never tire of listening to this masterpiece, in what I consider the finest interpretation I have ever heard.
8 September 2026Hermann Abendroth — A Brief Biography, Anecdotes And CuriositiesHermann Paul Maximilian Abendroth (19 January 1883 – 29 May 1956) was one of the major German conductors of the first half of the twentieth century and a particularly important…
8 September 2026Walter Weller — A Brief Biography, Anecdotes And CuriositiesWalter Weller (30 November 1939 – 14 June 2015) was an Austrian violinist, chamber musician and conductor whose career was deeply rooted in the Viennese tradition. Born in Vienna into a…
8 September 2026Alfred Brendel: Brief Biography, Anecdotes and CuriositiesAlfred Brendel (5 January 1931 – 17 June 2025) was one of the most influential pianists of the second half of the twentieth century, particularly admired for his interpretations of Haydn,…
8 September 2026Alfred Brendel — Complete Recordings for Vox, Turnabout and VanguardPiano Concerto No. 9 in E-flat major, K. 271 “Jeunehomme” Piano Sonata No. 29 in B-flat major, Op. 106 “Hammerklavier” Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 “Appassionata” Piano Sonata No.…
7 September 2026Anecdotes And Curiosities About Leon FleisherLeon Fleisher (23 July 1928 – 2 August 2020) was one of the most distinguished American pianists and teachers of the twentieth century. Born in San Francisco, he was recognized as a prodigy…
7 September 2026Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 15 — Leon Fleisher / Pierre Monteux / New York Philharmonic (1944)Leon Fleisher (1928–2020) made his debut with the New York Philharmonic in November 1944, performing Johannes Brahms’s (1833–1897) Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, Op. 15, under the…
7 September 2026Anecdotes and Curiosities About Stanisław SkrowaczewskiStanisław Skrowaczewski (3 October 1923 – 21 February 2017) was one of the most remarkable conductor-composers of the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Born in Lwów, Poland —…
7 September 2026Georges Enesco with Alfred CortotGeorges Enesco (1881–1955). Signed Photograph with Alfred Cortot. A superb original 7 × 9-inch (17.6 × 22.7 cm) double-weight photograph by Joaillier of Paris, showing the great violinist…
7 September 2026Anecdotes And Curiosities About Clara HaskilClara Haskil (7 January 1895 – 7 December 1960) was one of the most remarkable pianists of the twentieth century. Born in Bucharest into a Sephardic Jewish family, she displayed…
7 September 2026Clara Haskil: 17-CD Box SetPiano Concerto No. 9 in E-flat, K.271 – "Jeunehomme" Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor, Op.31 No.2 – "Tempest" Piano Sonata No. 18 in E-flat, Op.31 No.3 – "The Hunt" Piano Sonata No. 17 in D…
7 September 2026BBC Radio 3: The Genius of Mozart (2011)The Genius of Mozart was an exceptionally ambitious BBC Radio 3 project broadcast over 12 consecutive days, from 1 to 12 January 2011. It was not a conventional audiobook or a simple series…
7 September 2026The Life and Operas of Verdi — Robert GreenbergThe Life and Operas of Verdi is one of Robert Greenberg’s most substantial courses for The Great Courses. It contains 32 lectures and runs for roughly 24 hours, combining biography,…
7 September 2026The Operas Of Mozart — Robert Greenberg — The Great CoursesThe edition shown in the image is The Operas of Mozart, presented by Professor Robert Greenberg as part of The Great Courses. The overall assessment is very positive, but it is important to…
7 September 2026André Cluytens – A French CollectionOrchestre National de la Radiodiffusion Française · Orchestre du Théâtre National de l’Opéra
6 September 2026Nathan Milstein: 37-CD Box Set with DG and EMI RecordingsCD4: Capitol P8303 — Prokofiev / Lalo — Violin Concerto & Symphonie Espagnole (mono, 12/1954) CD24 & CD25: DGG 2709 047 (3LP) — Bach — Sonatas & Partitas (2,4,9/1973, 9/1974) CD30: Angel S…
4 September 2026Famous Quotes of Joseph HaydnThe following selection has been checked against Haydn’s surviving correspondence and the early biographical accounts written by Georg August Griesinger and Albert Christoph Dies, both of…
4 September 2026The Five Most Famous Quotes By Richard Strauss“I may not be a first-rate composer, but I am a first-class second-rate composer.” It is probably his most famous remark. It encapsulates his characteristic sense of humour, his apparent…
4 September 2026Anecdotes And Curiosities About Simon Sechter — The Teacher Of Schubert And BrucknerSimon Sechter (1788–1867) was one of the most influential music theorists and teachers in nineteenth-century Vienna. Although he is far less famous today than many of the composers who…
2 September 2026Glenn Gould: A Singular ArtistGlenn Herbert Gould was born in Toronto, Canada, on September 25, 1932, and died in the same city on October 4, 1982, only nine days after his fiftieth birthday. One of the most original…
2 September 2026Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli was born in Brescia, Italy, on January 5, 1920, and died in Lugano, Switzerland, on June…Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli was born in Brescia, Italy, on January 5, 1920, and died in Lugano, Switzerland, on June 12, 1995. Few twentieth-century pianists inspired such a mixture of…♪2 September 2026Sviatoslav Teofilovich Richter was born in Zhitomir on March 20, 1915, and died in Moscow on August 1, 1997. He became…Sviatoslav Teofilovich Richter was born in Zhitomir on March 20, 1915, and died in Moscow on August 1, 1997. He became one of the most extraordinary pianists of the twentieth century, not…
2 September 2026Emil Grigoryevich Gilels was born in Odessa on October 19, 1916 — October 6 according to the old Russian calendar — and…Emil Grigoryevich Gilels was born in Odessa on October 19, 1916 — October 6 according to the old Russian calendar — and died in Moscow on October 14, 1985, only five days before his…
2 September 2026Emil Gilels: Anecdotes and Episodes of a Golden PianistEmil Grigoryevich Gilels was born in Odessa on October 19, 1916 — October 6 according to the old Russian calendar — and died in Moscow on October 14, 1985, only five days before his…
2 September 2026Edwin Fischer — The Pianist Who Made Bach And Mozart Breathe: Anecdotes, Curiosities And Remarkable Episodes From His LifeEdwin Fischer was born in Basel, Switzerland, on October 6, 1886, and died in Zurich on January 24, 1960, aged seventy-three. He was one of the most influential pianist-musicians of the…
2 September 2026Edwin Fischer was born in Basel, Switzerland, on October 6, 1886, and died in Zurich on January 24, 1960, aged…Edwin Fischer was born in Basel, Switzerland, on October 6, 1886, and died in Zurich on January 24, 1960, aged seventy-three. He was one of the most influential pianist-musicians of the…
2 September 2026Wilhelm Backhaus, Architect of Beethoven and Brahms: Anecdotes, Curiosities and Notable Episodes of His LifeWilhelm Backhaus was born in Leipzig on March 26, 1884, and died in Villach, Austria, on July 5, 1969, at the age of eighty-five. German by birth and later a naturalized Swiss citizen, he…
2 September 2026Wilhelm Backhaus was born in Leipzig on March 26, 1884, and died in Villach, Austria, on July 5, 1969, at the age of…Wilhelm Backhaus was born in Leipzig on March 26, 1884, and died in Villach, Austria, on July 5, 1969, at the age of eighty-five. German by birth and later a naturalized Swiss citizen, he…
2 September 2026Joseph Leopold Von Zenetti — The Teacher Of Anton BrucknerJoseph Leopold von Zenetti (15 November 1805 – 12 October 1892) was an Austrian composer, organist, choirmaster and teacher whose name has become particularly important because of his role…
1 September 2026Gaetano Donizetti: Between Bel Canto and Romantic DramaThe life of Gaetano Donizetti contains nearly every element of one of his own operas: poverty, ambition, a meteoric rise, love, international success, artistic rivalries, censorship, death,…
1 September 2026Alfred Cortot: Anecdotes and Notable Episodes of His LifeAlfred Denis Cortot was born in Nyon, Switzerland, on September 26, 1877, to a French father and a Swiss mother, and died in Lausanne on June 15, 1962, aged eighty-four. Although born in…
1 September 2026Francis Planté, a Bridge Between Two WorldsFrancis Planté was born in Orthez, France, on March 2, 1839, and died at Saint-Avit on December 19, 1934, at the extraordinary age of ninety-five. His life spanned almost the entire…
1 September 2026Arthur Rubinstein — The Pianist Who Loved Music As Much As He Loved Life: Anecdotes, Curiosities And Remarkable Episodes From His LifeArthur Rubinstein — born Artur Rubinstein — was born in Łódź, Poland, on January 28, 1887, and died in Geneva on December 20, 1982, at the age of ninety-five. He became one of the supreme…
1 September 2026Myra Hess: Anecdotes and Notable Episodes of the Pianist Who Played During the BlitzDame Julia Myra Hess was born in London on February 25, 1890, and died there on November 25, 1965. One of the outstanding British pianists of the twentieth century, she became admired…1 September 2026Dame Julia Myra Hess was born in London on February 25, 1890, and died there on November 25, 1965. One of the…Dame Julia Myra Hess was born in London on February 25, 1890, and died there on November 25, 1965. One of the outstanding British pianists of the twentieth century, she became admired…
1 September 2026György Cziffra, PianistGyörgy Cziffra — known after becoming a French citizen as Georges Cziffra — was born in Budapest on November 5, 1921, and died at Longpont-sur-Orge, France, on January 15, 1994. He was one…
1 September 2026Ignacy Jan Paderewski — The Pianist Who Helped Rebuild Poland: Anecdotes, Curiosities And Remarkable Episodes From His LifeIgnacy Jan Paderewski was born on November 6, 1860, in the village of Kurylówka, then in the Russian Empire and today in Ukraine, and died on June 29, 1941, in New York. He was one of the…