Change a modern violin’s metal strings for gut, and the quality of the tone changes. This is one of the (several) things that makes a period-instrument orchestra sound so different.

This little bit of interview conversation by Cate Blanchett contains what I think could possibly be the kernel of the whole artistic impulse.

Without the benefit of reading or research, these two people are simply wandering from quarter to quarter, taking pictures that include “a beautiful old church” as well as some creative graffiti in forgotten little alcoves.

Torontonian Tamara Bernstein explains it all in an essay included in the competition programme, where Banff competition director Barry Schiffman recalls the day when he and fellow St Lawrence String Quartet founding violinist Geoff Nuttall listened to a recording of quartets by Joseph Haydn performed on period instruments by Austrians, the Quatuor Mosaïques.

Orchestral concerts are a lot of fun, but for those who have never been, going to see a show can raise a lot of questions. After taking some classical music newbies to see the symphony, a few common queries emerged.

I had a shock of recognition as I read British music critic Jessica Duchen’s post today on U.K. site CultureKicks on the difficulties of writing or speaking about music if your audience doesn’t know the basics.

Bastille Day is a fine excuse to spend a moment with underappreciated French composer Charles Koechlin (1867-1950), who is benefiting from some very fine new recordings, including an album by Toronto violist Steven Dann.

 

A recent addition to Naxos’ American Classics series by the Seattle Symphony and its former music director Gerard Schwarz offers an excellent opportunity to appreciate the imagination and technique of this talented man, who worked as a teacher in a private boys’ school by day, and composed by night.

In this fourth peek at the legacy of Benjamin Britten during his 100th anniversary year, let’s listen to his music for solo piano. For someone who was an accomplished player, Britten didn’t write much for the instrument. It could be because he saw the piano in the way he used it: as a collaborator.