StarkConductor Blog
The StarkConductor blog has been around since August 2020, and since then a number of articles have come together. To make browsing as convenient as possible, this page is divided into three sections: At the top you can use the search function to find articles. After that, you will always find the 3 most recent articles. Finally, you will find all articles sorted by category.
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Have fun reading!
Jonathan Stark
The 3 most recent articles
Here you will always find the 3 most recently published articles.
Gustav Holst’s Career: A Roller Coaster Ride (Spring 2023 Mini-Experience Part 3/3)
Gustav Holst’s career was like a roller coaster ride: major failures alternated with minor successes.
“He should have tested us!” – How Anton Bruckner went on and on and on (Spring 2023 Mini-Experience Part 2/3)
In this article you will learn why Anton Bruckner was one of the “Prussian tin soldiers” among composers: he just went on and on.
Composer Careers: Whiz Kid, Tin Soldier, or Roller Coaster Rider? (Spring 2023 Mini-Experience Part 1/3)
Some composers had great success early in their lives – they were whiz kids. But there were also composers with very different career paths…
Mini-Experiences
The Mini-Experiences are anecdotes from classical music in story format. Four of them are published per year.
Composer Careers: Whiz Kid, Tin Soldier, or Roller Coaster Rider? (Spring 2023 Mini-Experience Part 1/3)
Some composers had great success early in their lives – they were whiz kids. But there were also composers with very different career paths…
What collaboration can trigger… (Winter 2023 Mini-Experience Part 1/3)
A Russian painter, a Russian composer and a little French boy…. Together they help a long unnoticed piece to break through.
The Groundbreaking Article (Autumn 2022 Mini-Experience Part 1/4)
In 1872, a 23-year-old musicologist published an article that astonished experts. In it, a whole new way of perceiving music was outlined.
The article was signed “Hugibert Ries”.
Everyone in the professional music world wondered: Who is this man?
The Change (Summer 2022 Mini-Experience Part 1/4)
It was around the year 1800 that a centuries-old tradition began to falter. Read the StarkConductor Summer 2022 Mini-Experience Part 1/4.
The Founding Story of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra – Part I
The founding story of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra does not begin in Chicago. Nor does it begin in New York, nor even in America. It begins in a tiny town in northern Germany, where 10-year-old Theodor plays his violin.
Composers
These articles are about everything to do with Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and many other composers.
Orchestras and concert halls
This is where classical music resounds! Interesting facts about orchestras and concert halls from all over the world.
Opera and opera houses
Would you like a little more singing? Then this is the right category for you.
Three Facts About Opera
I keep saying that opera is an incredibly versatile art form. Accordingly, there is a lot to tell about the world of opera. Today, I present three facts that you might not immediately think of when you hear the word “opera”.
Great Moments of Operetta: the Vienna Johann Strauss Theater
123 years ago today, the operetta Die Faschingsfee by Emmerich Kálmán was premiered at the Johann Strauss Theater in Vienna. This house, which unfortunately no longer exists today, was one of the top addresses at the beginning of the 20th century when it came to operetta.
Estates Theater Prague: Enlightenment and National Pride
A theater in which two Mozart operas were premiered? A theater that opened with a Lessing play? A theater in which a national anthem was born? In fact, there is one in which all this happened: the Prague Estates Theater.
Music theory light
Musical background knowledge, presented in an understandable way.
Music world
News from the classical music industry, interviews with colleagues and more of everything that is happening in the exciting world of classical music.
Conducting
Insights into the mysterious craft/art of conducting.
