Articles

In 1857, Edward Elgar was born in a village in the English West Midlands – north-west of London, in the heart of England. He was born into a world of music, as his father traded in musical instruments and accessories. A musician and self-taught from an early age Little Edward tried his hand at the instruments, pilfered music books and studied them at night under the … [Read more...] about “I’m composing like crazy.”

“The Dream of Gerontius”, Edward Elgar It is 3 October 1900. That morning, the renowned Birmingham Triennial Music Festival stages *The Dream of Gerontius* for the very first time. The premiere is a failure – and is described by critics as a “poorly executed performance”. Yet the audience cheers. Almost 2,000 people call the composer onto the stage after the first part of … [Read more...] about “It was a dream! The dream of GERONTIUS!”

More than a hundred years after Dvořák, Naji Hakim (*1955 in Beirut) wrote his "Messe solennelle", or "solemn mass", in 1999. It combines the traditional liturgical form with a rhythmically lively tonal language that is characterised by Hakim's origins in Lebanon and French organ music. Choir and organ are extraordinarily intertwined The close interweaving of choir and … [Read more...] about „Music is the word of the inexpressible“

in 1859, Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) founded the "Hamburg Women's Choir" in Hamburg at the age of 26. He had met the singers at a wedding when he accompanied them on the organ. He suggested that the ladies rehearse their own compositions with him. They agreed enthusiastically. According to Brahms, this was the beginning of the best time of his life. Brahms: "The best time of … [Read more...] about Dreary themes, musically packaged in a cheerful way

Created as musical miniatures in 2023 and 2024, five different individual movements are summarised as a collection under the title Geminids 23. What unites these small, independent movements is their reference to events in the year 2022/23. However, the instrumentation and occasion of each composition is different, and there is not necessarily a musical bracket - as in a … [Read more...] about Jin Jiyan Azadi – Zan Zendegi Azadi

"Don't be surprised that I am such a believer," wrote the Czech composer Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) to his patron in 1887 after he had completed the "Mass in D major". "But an artist who does not believe does not accomplish such a thing." Between personal devotion and artistic maturity The words show that the "Mass in D major" is more than a commissioned work. It combines … [Read more...] about „An artist who does not believe does not achieve something like this.“