On March 8, the violin of Alan Choo, concertmaster and assistant artistic director of Apollo’s Fire, was stolen. Choo and his friends and colleagues have been sharing his “Cash Reward: $2,500” poster on social media—including a “no questions asked” plea for the return of the instrument.
Stolen Baroque Violin, Cash Reward Read More »
The definition of early music is always expanding, and this Early Music Month we look into traditional kora music from West Africa, which predates the European Baroque. Next week, New York’s Music Before 1800 presents Malian kora master Ballaké Sissoko and South African guitarist Derek Gripper in recital, an initiative to explore not ‘world music’ but ‘specific niches of historical music that deserve an equal spotlight.’
Mali Before 1800: the Kora Finds its Place in Early Music Read More »
Arrangements of popular music have long been shunned in certain circles. But the author of a concise new book suggests that by ignoring arrangements, we’ve missed considerable cultural, artistic, and historical insights into music from the era.
From the Golden Age of Musical Arrangements Read More »
At EMA’s 2023 Emerging Artists Showcase, the brilliant duo of historical clarinetist Maryse Legault and fortepianist Gili Loftus gave a taste of their album ‘Around Baermann.’ The recording looks into a key era in the clarinet’s history, centered on celebrated clarinetist Heinrich Joseph Baermann, who inspired music from great composers and helped push the instrument into new technical and virtuosic realms.
When the Clarinet Got Interesting Read More »
‘The kinds of roles written for my voice type, as an operatic bass,’ writes Michael Galvin in a personal essay, ‘have never fit the roles that have excited me as a stage performer. It’s why I’ve been so drawn to early music — the farther back one goes in history, the more the lines blur between what is prescribed and what is possible.’
Canto: Baroque Opera and Drag, a Natural Match Read More »
