Rachmaninoff

Discovery Orchestra Chat 143 – Codas

Codas are special endings that composers may write for the conclusion of a movement. Maestro Maull explores the codas used in Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 and Brahms’ Symphony No….

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The Opening Chord Revisited

I’ve been blogging now for a little over three years. I sometimes wonder if anyone out there has actually been reading them. To recapitulate, as we’d say in sonata form,…

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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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Discovery Orchestra Chat 110 – Another Effective Surprise

All surprises in life feel the way they do because of the unexpected aspect of the surprise. Composers can create “musical surprises” – see how in this Chat featuring pianist…

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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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Discovery Orchestra Chat 108 – The Land of 6th’s and Octaves

When composers want to add harmony to a melody, there are a number of ways they can do it. Learn more in this Discovery Orchestra Chat, featuring high-school musicians Katie…

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You are like the music teacher I never had! I devour your lessons. Thank you! {Refering to chat video Tchaikovsky’s “Romeo & Juliet Overture-Fantasy”, Part 1}

— Jethro Gómez Rodriguez, Australia