Tango – Musical And Cultural Melting Pot
With the Tango, I finish together with Adrian, the Music Theory MentOWL, the mini article series on dance music. The Tango stands for Latin American temperament and is also becoming increasingly popular in Europe. What elements make up a tango?
Pianist Pawel Markowicz: Philip Glass’ Music as an “Exciting Mystery”
The pianist Pawel Markowicz has achieved what many soloists dream of – he is considered a specialist for a certain repertoire. Pawel’s focus is on the works of the American composer Philip Glass, whose Symphony No. 8 he arranged for piano solo in years of detailed work and released as an album in August 2020. In the StarkConductor Interview Pawel gave me an insight into his work.
Germany’s Cultural Construction Sites
In today’s blog post I present three cultural construction sites in Germany. These are “construction sites” in the truest sense of the word – the opera houses in Bayreuth and Stuttgart are being renovated, and a new concert hall is being built in Munich.
Richard Strauss’ Famous Left Hand
What is the task of the left hand in conducting? Richard Strauss, a famous conductor and composer of the 19th and 20th centuries, had a clear opinion on this.
Conductor’s Tools 2: the Tailcoat
Along with the baton, the tailcoat is probably the most eye-catching trademark of a conductor – even though not all conductors wear tailcoats regularly any more. A few thoughts on the history, meaning and purpose of this festive garment.
Waltz – Variety in Three-Four Time
You know the waltz – of course. Probably you were even tormented with it in dance school. What is often forgotten: not all waltzes are the same. This dance is characterized by an extraordinary richness of facets. Adrian and I will give you an insight.
Operetta Composers: Four World Stars Form the Core Repertoire
Even if you are not a big operetta fan, the titles Die Fledermaus, Die lustige Witwe and Die Csárdásfürstin might be familiar to you. Do you also know the operetta composers? They are Strauss, Lehár and Kálmán. Together with another colleague – Offenbach – these operetta composers are responsible for the core operetta repertoire.
Csárdás – An Ecstatic Folk Dance
After our time travel to 17th century France, we now make a trip to Hungary. We dance Csárdás! You don’t know Csárdás? You have certainly heard this dance before – perhaps unconsciously.
Slovenska Filharmonija – High Culture Meets Tradition
With the Slovenska Filharmonija, Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, has a valuable cultural asset. Not only does this orchestra look back on a very long history, but it is also characterized by a special sound culture and high responsiveness. In the following I will go into the history of the Slovenska Filharmonija as well as my personal connection to this orchestra.
