How the Oboist's Art is Like a Bad Marriage
Although many musicians won’t admit it, there are conversations that go on between an instrumentalist and their instrument. Making all that beautiful music together requires the cooperation of both...
View ArticleTen Favorite Pieces for Oboe
New York Public Radio's resident oboist picks his favorite works for the instrument.Ralph Vaughan-Williams - Oboe ConcertoRecording pick: Maurice Bourgue, oboe with the English String Orchestra...
View ArticleMahler's Second: The Story within the Symphony
Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 2 is the first composition that brought the Austrian composer fame, an all-embracing work that uses chorus and a grand narrative about the beauty of afterlife and...
View ArticlePassion Pointers: Five Tips for Getting to Know Bach's St. John Passion
The St. John Passion is one of Bach's two great surviving Passions, or sacred oratorios, the other being the St. Matthew Passion. Bach composed his St. John Passion at the beginning of his long tenure...
View Article'The Iceberg' Opera Drifts into Newark
On Sunday evening at the Park & Bark Arts Center in Newark, NJ I heard a performance of what is, without question, the most unusual opera I’ve ever heard.I’d been eagerly awaiting the New York...
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Clash of the Titans: An Exploration of Verdi & Wagner
Giuseppe Verdi and Richard Wagner wrote some of the most famous music of all time. They became icons of their nations during turbulent eras: Verdi for Italy and Wagner for Germany. Their music still...
View ArticleThe Operavore Field Guide to Singers
Welcome to Operavore’s Field Guide to Singers. With this handy companion at your side, you’ll soon be able to recognize even the rarest specimens by their distinctive songs and calls. To get the latest...
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Music is a Holy Art: A Richard Strauss Celebration
Richard Strauss was a hard man to pin down. As an artist, he was never tied to a single style. He embraced many musical forms during his lifetime. There was only one guiding principle: his belief that...
View ArticleEpic Tales Well Told: Strauss's Tone Poems
Strauss first came to international attention for his tone poems, those colorful, sometimes decidedly non-PC symphonic works that portray moods, events and characters.In this first of three segments,...
View ArticleStrong Women Dominate Strauss Operas
The operas of Richard Strauss are dominated by female voices. Of his 15 operas, most of them are named after their female protagonists. In this second segment, we examine Strauss's operas centered...
View ArticleThe Enigma of Richard Strauss
Strauss was a very private man, and many felt he wore a mask in public, never showing his true self. In this, the final segment of our three-part show, we attempt to pull back the mask and see the man...
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