Trumpet

The Unnatural Trumpet: The Adoption of Vent Holes in the 1960s and ’70s

With the founding of the Cappella Coloniensis in 1954 by the Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) in Cologne, historically informed performance style was adopted by the modern orchestral scene. (Nikolaus Harnoncourt’s Concentus Musicus had preceded this group by one year.) The orchestra’s instrumentation was copied from that of the Dresden court orchestra in the late 17th century. Not only were old string instruments found and rebuilt to 17th-century standards; it was also necessary to build models of Baroque and Classical woodwind and brass instruments. Another similar ensemble which I soon joined was the Collegium Aureum. It was founded in 1962, also in Cologne, by the record label Deutsche Harmonia Mundi. In both of these groups, the natural trumpet resisted adoption.

The Unnatural Trumpet: The Adoption of Vent Holes in the 1960s and ’70s Open »

Piano

Thoughts on Learning All of Beethoven’s Sonatas

If when it comes to writing or talking about something so well known as Beethoven’s piano sonatas is almost impossible to avoid repeating what’s already been said, it’s also true that the necessity of looking into this music is always impellent. Studying them all has been one of my most rewarding experiences so far. I would like to share some of my experiences of spending quite some time with it as well as some personal discoveries I’ve made along the way.

Thoughts on Learning All of Beethoven’s Sonatas Open »

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