I first encountered Schubert’s Der Doppelgänger in college, right at the beginning of my vocal studies. Immediately I knew I was handling fire. The poetry spoke to me very directly, and once I knew the contours of Schubert’s accompaniment I was awestruck. I know it is one of the songs I will sing for the […]
Schubert v Schubert The G Major String Quartet and the C Major String Quintet
Winter
Two of Franz Peter Schubert’s latest and greatest works of chamber music were composed within his last few years of life. His G Major String Quartet (D. 887, Opus 161) dates from 1826, and the C Major String Quintet (D. 956, Opus 163) was written in 1828, only months before the composer’s death. Schubert never […]
Schubert’s Cello Quintet in Recording Comparative Tempo Relationships in the Trio of the Scherzo
Summer
Schubert’s String Quintet in C major, Op. 163, D. 956, was composed in his last year and completed only a few weeks before his death on the afternoon of November 19, 1828. It was not until twenty-two years later, on November 17, 1850, that the work received its premiere performance. Another three years were to […]
The Challenge of Programming
Spring
Serious music programming is an ongoing challenge. Creating programs that are inventive, interesting and have a chance to sell well is increasingly difficult, considering that contemporary audiences seem to be neither as culturally literate nor as intellectually curious as their counterparts from 50 years ago. How do we preserve the integrity of art music, and […]
Reclaiming Genius A Review of David Montgomery's Franz Schubert's Music in Performance
Winter
How are cherished art works of the past best served and most deeply savored? A visitor to the Basilica of San Francesco in Arezzo will find the remains and restoration of only what Piero della Francesco himself painted in the great 15th century frescoes. The restorer has removed all of the renderings of the many […]