Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Ballade for Violin and Piano – Porumbescu

Having once written about J.S. Bach being sentenced to jail for his strong desire to leave his position of concertmaster, I admit that it wasn't a serious law violation. Okay, composers are generally not involved into something of a like kind, however I can't help but recall a case of a greater misdemeanor: a Romanian composer Ciprian Porumbescu was arrested for his political activity one day. Luckily for us and him, all turned out well and he was able to continue composing. One of the major composers of Romania, he and his quite diverse oeuvre deserve a close look. Here is his Ballade for Violin and Piano.

Haydn's Miracle Symphony No.102

They call Joseph Haydn the father in music. He is considered to be, indirectly, the father of both the symphony and the string quartet, hav...