MusiLLection

  Costume design for one of Weber Oberon's opera characters. Although the work is rarely performed nowadays, at its premiere in London in 1826, it was a huge success. Oberon Opera   (or The Elf King's Oath) is a 3-act romantic opera and was Carl Maria von Weber 's last. He composed it for the Theatre of London's Covent Garden (not for the current building that houses the opera house) and directed its premiere on April 12, 1826, to the cheers of the audience. Unfortunately, he was very ill and the workload required by the opera accelerated his death in London on 5 June 1826. Oberon's libretto by James Robinson Planché was based on the German poem Oberon by Christoph Martin Wieland, which itself was based on the epic romance "Huon de Bordeaux" (a medieval French tale). However, like Euryanthe , it has never had any real success in its performances, although the introduction is still a much-loved concert work. Some of the opera's characters are the sa...

'The Woodman's Child' painting of Arthur Hughes, expresses wonderfully the dreamy quality of "Dreaming" from Schumann's "Scenes from Childhood". For Robert Schumann , music was almost always a personal expression of contemplation, feelings and poetic contemplation and that is exactly what makes him one of the most important romantic composers. The piano was Schumann's first love and his compositions for this instrument are among the most resistant through the passage of time. Schumann composed "Scenes from Childhood" album, the best-known of all his pianistic circles, in 1838. It consists of 13 "peculiarly small works", as described by the composer, each with its own title, which expresses a specific childhood memory. These works are all simple and charming, but Dreaming ( Träumerei) is the most popular and best known of all.  It is often included in musical collections for solo piano and often the virtuoso performers includ...

A little the weak-mindedness of those who do not want to admit the exceptional, unusual abilities of others, a little his "mephistofelic" appearance, favored the development of the myth that the violinist and composer Niccolò Paganini "Faust" of music wanted. His virtuosity on the violin was truly transcendent, as no one listed collaboration with the devil. Paganini's insurmountable technique had its morphological characteristics and exhibitionism at the time of public interpretation. Thus, the myth was well preserved. All the music centres in Europe enjoyed this theatrical artist, but he was unreal only on stage. In his daily life he was an ordinary man, a kind man, a man of virtues and weaknesses. He not only developed the technique bequeathed to him by the virtuosos violonists of the 18th century, but he developed it unexpectedly by inventing tricks that gave him the right to be called a pioneer. The techniques of "staccato", "pizzicato", ...

The beautiful Prague where Smetana came to study. He'd rather watch the concerts than go to school. In 1848 liberal revolutions broke out throughout Europe. Most of them crashed, but their effect gave ordinary people an unprecedented pride in their national identity. This feeling was particularly strong in Bohemia, where the Czechs were for centuries under the rule of the Habsburgs, the monarchs of Austria. This revival of patriotism was conveyed by Bedřich Smetana to the music of Libuše 's three-act festival opera, which he wrote from 1869 to 1872. As Smetana was an excellent craftsman of the symphonic poem, his operas had freshness and dramatic intensity. Although deeply influenced by Richard Wagner and Franz Liszt , he created a highly personal, sensational music that praised the spirit of the Czech people. The opera refers to the legendary events that led to the establishment of the first Royal Bohemian Přemyslid dynasty in the 13th century. The opera was not just a stage...

 A densely written score by Brahms, from Rhapsody, Op. 53. Symphonies: Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68 Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73 Symphony No. 3 in F major, Op. 90 Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98 Orchestral music: Variations on a Theme by Haydn ("Saint Anthony Variations"), Op. 56a Academic Festival Overture, Op. 80 Tragic Overture, Op. 81 Concertante works : Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, Op. 15 Piano Concerto No. 2 in B♭ major, Op. 83 Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77 Double Concerto in A minor for violin and cello, Op. 102 Choral and Vocal music: Ein deutsches Requiem ("A German Requiem"), Op. 45 Rinaldo, cantata, Op. 50 Rhapsody ("Alto Rhapsody"), Op. 53 Piano music: Ungarische Tänze (10 "Hungarian Dances"), W. 1 Book 1-2 Ungarische Tänze (11 "Hungarian Dances"), W. 1 Book 3-4 Piano Sonata No. 1 in C major, Op. 1 Piano Sonata No. 2 in F♯ minor, Op. 2 Piano Sonata No. 3 in F minor, Op. 5 6 Pieces for Piano, Op. 118 Sche...

The Nocturnes, Op. 15 are a set of three nocturnes for solo piano written by Frédéric Chopin between 1830 and 1833. The work was published in January 1834, and was dedicated to his great friend and pianist Ferdinand Hiller. Nocturne in F major, Op. 15, No. 1 This Nocturne has been said to be like Chopin painting the melody "with the soft wings of a butterfly". Nocturne in F-sharp major, Op. 15, No. 2 This Nocturne is rich in ornaments and is a model of elegance, although it also has this usual dramatic middle part. It's so sweet, it's likened to "champagne and truffles"! Nocturne in G minor, Op. 15, No. 3 This Nocturne is particularly graphic. Its mood is heartbreaking and it has even been likened to lamenting a lost love.

Johann Strauss II 's love for Viennese life is evident in this waltz he wrote in 1868. He had just returned from his triumphant visit to Paris and this waltz is an anthem of life in his city. The people of the city used to escape to the "heuringen" or country taverns, to drink and taste the fresh air. The atmosphere of these merry excursions is expressed in the lively melody in the "Tales from the Vienna Woods". It is one of Strauss's most figurative waltzes and one of his most popular. The themes are performed in such a way as to submit the sounds of the Viennese countryside and the fun of the villagers. After a long introduction with melancholy hunting horns, vigorous melodies are interwoven with bird chirping, folk dances and a little memorable melody on the zither, which presents an old Austrian dance called "Ländler". The zither was the most common musical instrument of peasants and folk musicians in Strauss's time. Strauss, in this waltz ...