Klaus Döring's Classical Music/Klaus Döring's Klassische Musik

  by  Frances Wilson    April 24th, 2026 Browse streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube, as well as broadcasters like the BBC, and you will find curated playlists of music for relaxation, calm, winding down, nighttime, and sleep. That Max Richter’s   Sleep   – his landmark 2015 concept album and “eight-hour lullaby” designed to be listened to while sleeping – has surpassed 2 billion streams across all platforms is a testament to the popularity of this genre of music. Susan Tomes Why has the night inspired composers for so many years? In her new book  Nocturnes and the Fascination of Night Music , pianist and writer Susan Tomes looks for answers, exploring one of classical music’s most expressive forms. The nocturne is closely linked to the piano and the quiet, thoughtful moods of the evening. Susan Tomes calls the nocturne “ the origin of today’s sleep music….a short, lyrical and usually tranquil piece evoking night .” When we thi...

By Emily E.Hogstad , Interlude Delicacy. Poignancy. Romance. These are just a few of the words often associated with   Frédéric Chopin ‘s timeless compositions for piano. Frédéric Chopin © ClassicFM That said, Chopin’s music doesn’t have a monopoly on those adjectives. Today, we’re looking at ten works by ten composers who, just like Chopin, understood the piano’s expressive power…while forging their own creative identities, too. If you’re looking for music like Chopin’s, here are ten suggestions for your playlist: John Field (1782-1837) Pianist and composer John Field was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1782. He studied with Muzio Clementi in London and toured Europe with him, finally settling in St. Petersburg in 1802. John Field, 1820 In his late twenties, he began experimenting musically. He started writing short pieces for solo piano featuring an arpeggiated accompaniment in the left hand and a highly chromatic melody in the right hand. These pieces would usually be poet...

by Emily E. Hogstadt , Interlude Audiences can never resist a duel. For hundreds of years, audiences have enjoyed watching confrontations between virtuoso pianists that showcase both their technical prowess and competitive spirits. © wshu.org Today we’re looking at six of the most famous piano duels in the history of classical music, from the time  Mozart  was pitted against a rival on Christmas Eve in a Viennese palace to the time  Liszt  and his greatest rival trying to settle the question of who was best in a sparkling Romantic Era Paris salon. Let’s get started! Bach vs. Marchand (1717) In 1717, when  Bach ’s work travels took him through Dresden, he unknowingly walked into a veritable snake’s pit of musical intrigue. An irascible musician named Louis Marchand, who had left (or possibly been fired) the French royal court, was visiting Dresden at the same time that Bach was. J.S. Bach © ClassicFM Dresden-based musician J.B. Volumier feared that Marchand ...

Muzio Clementi Italian composer and pianist      Alternate titles: Mutius Philippus Vincentius Franciscus Xaverius Clementi Born: January 23, 1752 Rome Italy Died: March 10, 1832 (aged 80) Evesham England Muzio Clementi, in full Mutius Philippus Vincentius Franciscus Xaverius Clementi, (born Jan. 23, 1752, Rome, Papal States [Italy]—died March 10, 1832, Evesham, Worcestershire, Eng.), Italian-born British pianist and composer whose studies and sonatas developed the techniques of the early piano to such an extent that he was called “the father of the piano.” A youthful prodigy, Clementi was appointed an organist at 9 and at 12 had composed an oratorio. In 1766 Peter Beckford, a cousin of William Beckford, the author of Vathek, prevailed upon Clementi’s father to allow him to take the boy to England, where he lived quietly in Wiltshire pursuing a rigorous course of studies. In 1773 he went to London and met with immediate and lasting success as a composer and pianist. The p...