Classical Archives

A Venetian Coronation, 1595, Gabrieli Consort - It's good to be king --- or, in Venice, Doge. The Doge was the chief magistrate. Thus, a man of a certain age and accomplishment.
Appassionato Yo-Yo Ma - Appassionato Yo-Yo Ma     Yo-Yo Ma can't be accused of hiding behind the great composers --- every envelope
Arvo Part - Do you recall how Michael Moore handled the attack on the World Trade Center in 'Fahrenheit 9/11'? To the surprise of those who hate him, he
Bach: Mass in B minor - Bach’s B Minor Mass was never played in his lifetime, but once it was discovered a century or so later, it was an object of awe.
Bach: Suites for Unaccompanied Cello - Considering that the Bach Cello Suites live in the marrow of millions and millions of music lovers, it seems hard to believe that these six masterpi
Beethoven Violin Concerto, Jascha Heifetz, violin; Charles Munch, Boston Symphony - Franz Clement may not have been as great a violinist as Ludwig van Beethoven was a composer, but he was quite the celebrity in 19th century Vienna
Beethoven: Piano Concertos - If you're in the mood to hear five of the greater piano concertos ever written --- and if my experience is any guide, it's a very easy mood to slip
Carmina Burana, Carl Orff - Some would say that the most overplayed piece of classical music --- if only because people continue to get married --- is Pachelbel's Canon in D.
Claudio Monteverdi: Vespers of the Blessed Virgin (Vespro Della Beata Vergine) - Quick: Name two great pieces of choral music that were created as job applications.   "The B Minor Mass" by Bach? Yes.
Four Last Songs, Richard Strauss - If you've seen The Year Of Living Dangerously --- Peter Weir's 1982 film about a young journalist looking to make a name for himself in Indonesia ---
Gabriel Faure: Requiem - It's been a year of unexpected deaths and serious illnesses of friends --- reality telling us who's boss. Which set me to thinking: Have you ever
Glenn Gould: The Goldberg Variations - In 1741, a Russian count who lived in Leipzig had trouble sleeping.
Jacqueline du Pre - Her career lasted only 12 years, but if had been only half as long, she'd be considered one of the greatest cellists of the century --- her playing
Julia Fischer - This is the age of the phenomenon, of unknowns rising like rockets and lighting up the sky until they're all we can see. But only briefly.
Lara St. John - Video Bach: BWV 1041, Allegro assai Is there a more frequently recorded piece of classical music than Vivaldi's Four Seasons?
Les Choristes, Bruno Coulais -  "I got in on the ground floor of Tina Turner," a gent announced decades ago at a party.
Miserere, Gregorio Allegri - Rome. Easter Week. The year: 1639 or 1790, it's all the same. The Matins service at the Vatican. 3 AM. Twenty-seven candles are lit.
Mozart - January 27, 2006: Mozart's 250th birthday. He's looking good for someone his age. But then, he should look good --- he's immortal.
Mozart: Complete Violin Concertos - I’m so grateful to have Gidon Kremer’s two-CD set of Mozart’s five violin concertos. You may think of Mozart only as a pianist.