Walking down Fifth Avenue just after dark last night, we could see the two commemorative 9/11 light shafts. They were at the foot of Manhattan, shining their seemingly endless high blue columns into the sky. The day itself – September 10 – had been weirdly reminiscent of September 11 in 2001. Absolutely beautiful weather, not …
Music
Independence Day: A Musical Observance for Our American Birthday
On Sunday we Americans celebrate Independence Day, our July Fourth “birthday” commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It is a day on which we often try to give thought to our history, and the values that have shaped that history over the last 245 years. Celebrating the Day No matter where in the …
Manhattan Joy: Voices of Ascension
Sometimes we “big-city” types can go a little overboard, but there’s no question that being part of the so-called “critical mass” in New York City has its advantages. And for those who take special pleasure in beautiful choral music (as most readers know, I’m one of them), wandering about pre-pandemic New York provided many splendid …
A Little Inspiration Perhaps
As we struggle with what’s happening all around us, from time to time we need a little inspiration. I recommend listening to two choral pieces. Both are pretty remarkable and speak to us – it seems to me – in our current situation. In the first, the Met Orchestra and Chorus, conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin, …
The Most Beautiful Art Nouveau Concert Hall in the World
[Author’s Note: Written with Andrew Berner, a true Barcelona aficionado whose assistance is much appreciated.] This is a post about the Palau de la Música Catalana (the Palace of Catalan Music) in Barcelona. And right off, let’s get past this “most beautiful” business. These posts would be very boring and predictable if every time you opened one …
- 1
- 2
- 3
- …
- 8
- Next Page »