The Maestro’s Blog

A Pearl Among Us

No, I’m not speaking of the precious collectible created by oysters and other mollusks, but of violinist Itzhak Perlman. I have enjoyed his playing for decades and feel privileged to…

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Twas the Night Before. . .

It’s Christmas Eve 2013. (And I guess it was a miracle that we made it past 2012 after all the hype and prognostications to the contrary.) I do know that…

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Brooklyn Philharmonic May Face Bankruptcy

“Updated: November 8, 2013 4:39 p.m. The Brooklyn Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, which traces its roots back 156 years, may have played its last note. The struggling institution’s board is seeking…

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I'm thankful for Musicians

Thanks! An Encore Presentation. . .

As I began to write what I hope will be an annual Thanksgiving Day blog post, I re-read last year’s – my first. It appeared to contain some good thoughts,…

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Classical Podcasts

Musical Discoveries of the Third Kind

You may recall the motion picture Close Encounters of the Third Kind that centers about a groundbreaking encounter with extraterrestrials. If groundbreaking classical music discoveries are what you seek, you…

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Danse Macabre and Other Works for Solo Piano, Camille Saint-Saens

Halloween Candy

Sometime before Halloween, The Discovery Orchestra will post a photo on Facebook that purports to have me in the picture. It does, in fact, have a nine-year-old George Marriner Maull…

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Today I watched an episode called “Discover Beethoven’s Fifth”, and it was marvelous! Maestro Maull and his talented orchestra gave me a one-hour thrill. I’ve always loved Beethoven, especially his Fifth Symphony. I studied piano for 7 years as a young person, and came to appreciate so many of the classical composers, but Beethoven’s Fifth has always thrilled me. I so appreciated the format of the program, and the Maestro involved all of us and taught us so much. Thank you for this fine program. And many thanks and praise to the orchestra! When the program ended, I clapped loudly and shouted “Bravo!! Bravo!!!”

— Judy Webb, Loveland Ohio