And, no, I am not talking about John Adams, the composer of gargantuan inanities such as the opera The Death of Klinghoffer. I am going to write about the other composer named John Adams, more accurately, John Luther Adams: born January 23, 1953; an American composer whose music is inspired by nature, especially the landscapes … Continue reading Celebrate John Adams
Month: April 2015
Was John Cage the greatest composer of the 20th century?
Who was the greatest composer of the 20th century? This was the question asked recently on a popular Classical Music forum. Many names were put forward: Bartok, Stravinsky, Schoenberg, my choice was Cage, but even some argued for Mahler. This raises the question how could a composer that died in 1911 be considered the greatest … Continue reading Was John Cage the greatest composer of the 20th century?
Overview : Pelléas et Mélisande
Debussy had planned on writing an opera for some time prior to Pelléas et Mélisande. Much earlier he had remarked, "For a long time I had been striving to write music for the theatre, but the form in which I wanted it to be was so unusual that after several attempts I had given up … Continue reading Overview : Pelléas et Mélisande
focus : early music
I really enjoy listening to music from the 13th-15th centuries. This has been an interest of mine for almost as long as my love of music. And I am told that often people who enjoy contemporary classical music also enjoy early music, and not much in between. While that is not entirely true for me, … Continue reading focus : early music
Musica Kaleidoskopea 