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

Beethoven’s Tenth Symphony completed by AI.  Picture: Alamy By Sophia Alexandra Hall, ClassicFM London @sophiassocials   Beethoven’s previously unfinished Tenth Symphony has been completed by artificial intelligence technology. The work will have its world premiere in Germany next month, 194 years after the composer’s death. In 1824 Beethoven premiered his final orchestral work, Symphony No. 9 in D minor. However, before his death three years later in 1827, he had begun work on a tenth symphony. All that remains of Beethoven’s Tenth Symphony is fragmentary sketches of the first movement which he started before his death in 1827 (read more about the  curse of the ninth symphony  here). However, these fragments have now been turned into a complete piece of music using artificial intelligence technology. The project was started in 2019 by a group made up of music historians, musicologists, composers and computer scientists. Using artificial intelligence meant ...

by Maureen Buja , Interlude Franz Liszt In 1839, Franz Liszt (1811-1886) returned to Hungary, which he had left in 1822 at age 11. In the new nationalism that was sweeping Europe, he was hailed as a true Hungarian champion. As part of his musical explorations of his home country, he was fascinated by gypsy music and started to transcribe it for inspiration. Later researchers, such as Bartók and Kodály, found that Liszt’s gypsy music was regular art music played in a gypsy style, rather than their original music, but no matter, it served as an inspiration for Liszt. Auguste Alexis Canzi:  Franz Doppler  (1853) Liszt wrote a series of piano works between 1839 and 1847 and published them under the title  Magyar dallok / Ungarische National-m elodien  (Hungarian Songs / Hungarian National Melodies). These included 15  Hungarian Rhapsodies ; 4 more were written later. Six of the  Hungarian Rhapsodies  were orchestrated by Franz Dopp...

By: Frances Wilson , Interlude The Piano: A History in 100 Pieces by Susan Tomes It was perhaps inevitable that pianist and writer  Susan Tomes  would turn her attention eventually to the extraordinarily broad repertoire of the piano – her instrument, and mine, and that of countless others, both professional and amateur players. While her previous books have been concerned with the myriad aspects of being a pianist – from performing, recording and teaching, concert preparation, etiquette and attire, and audiences to the daily exigencies of practising and rehearsing – her latest volume,  The Piano: A History in 100 Pieces  is concerned with repertoire and how the piano’s development and capabilities have influenced how composers write for it. This comprehensive book uses specific pieces from the repertoire – some very well known, others less so – to illustrate the piano’s history and illuminate its development, from the moment in the early 18th century when it began ...

by: Georg Predota, Interlude Vanessa Mae The “Tiger mom phenomenon,” a term coined by Yale law professor Amy Chua in 2011, describes an age-old system of strict authoritarian motherly control that is supposed to propel children towards excellence. Advocates suggest that it produces an exceptionally high proportion of top performers in a variety of academic and musical areas. Skeptics blame the system for inflicting a host of chronic mental health and psychiatric problems, including a high suicide rate amongst Asian children aged 5 to 12! As you might well imagine, the musical universe is full of ambitious parents who will do whatever it takes to see their sons or daughters succeed. But you don’t have to take my word, just ask Singaporean-born British violinist and alpine skier  Vanessa-Mae , who openly confessed that her mother Pamela Tan-Nicholson frequently used serious physical violence and humiliation to improve her violin playing. “She regularly hits me violently across the fa...

by Frances Wilson , Interlude Music has the power to tug at the heartstrings, and evoking emotion is the main purpose of music – whether it’s joy or sadness, excitement or meditation. A certain melody or line of a song, a falling phrase, the delayed gratification of a resolved harmony – all these factors make music interesting, exciting, calming, pleasurable and moving. Tears and chills – or “tingles” – on hearing music are a physiological response which activates the parasympathetic nervous system, as well as the reward-related brain regions of the brain. Studies have shown that around 25% of the population experience this reaction to music. But it’s much more than a pure physiological response. Classical music in particular steers a mysterious path through our senses, triggering unexpected and powerful emotional responses, which sometimes result in tears – and not just tears of sadness. Tears flow spontaneously in response to a release of tension, perhaps at the end of a particularly...

 by Georg Predota, Interlude Rossini’s  Otello We celebrate Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868) as one of the most successful and popular operatic composers of his time. And although you might never have actually seen or heard a complete Rossini opera, I am sure you know a good many of his overtures. In fact, the overtures have long been staples of the orchestral repertory and much more frequently performed than the operas to which they belong. It is a curious situation in that the reputation of his dramas has never equaled the sweetness “of their melodies, the richness of their harmonies, the brilliance of their orchestration, and the power of their rhythms.” We do know that almost all of his overtures make use of musical elements and melodies that appear somewhere in the opera, which begs the question if Rossini composed the overture before or after he had completed the opera? According to legend, that’s exactly the question a young composer asked Rossini, who described...

Antonio Cadenas plays piano.  Picture: Facebook / Antonio Cadenas By Kyle Macdonald, ClassicFM London   Today, on World Alzheimer’s Day, here’s a beautiful moment to remind us how deeply music runs – in our mind, body and spirit. Spanish musician Antonio Cadenas celebrated his 101st birthday in May. He’s a man with a remarkable story and talent, which speaks to the profound power of music-making. Cadenas has Alzheimer’s Disease, a syndrome that results in a decline of brain functioning and impacts on thinking skills and other mental abilities. Today, 21 September, is World Alzheimer’s Day, an international campaign to raise awareness surrounding the issues faced by people with dementia. Remarkably, it is possible for musical memories to be stored in different areas of the brain that have been unaffected by the decline. And incredibly, Antonio can still remember the music and his  piano  technique. He plays  Lagrimas y sonrisas , by Juan D’Arienzo. You can see th...

Bisaya Barok and Takya Blog | Bisaya Podcast Music as a whole can be used as an encouraging or depressing way to look at life. In this sense, it plays a big role in shaping the culture and values of people and the rest of the world. We see this through kundiman - it carries sentiments and emotions that evoke memories and images for Filipinos. These may clash with the outside world, but this clash gives us identity: these cultural imprints are then integrated back into society to create our metamorphosis into another era. So it's not just about tradition; it's also about forging new ground for generations to come. This ever-evolving system creates such wonderful flavours that we're able to adapt ourselves better than ever before--we learn new things and explore different ways to make the best out of them. Music is one way we express ourselves, and through this method, we show our appreciation for humility and hard work, two values that shape our bustling nation into a happy ...

Francisco Buencamino belonged to a family of musicians. He was born in San Miguel de Mayumo, Bulacan, on November 5, 1883.  In 1930, he founded the Academy of Music of Buencamino. His musical styles are Kundimans and Sarzuela. In the 1940s, he started working as a musical director. He also composed music for films produced by Sampaguita Pictures, LVN and Excelsior. For a time, Francisco Buencamino frequently acted on stage. He also collaborated on the plays written and produced by Aurelio Tolentino. Francisco first learnt music from his father. At age 12, he could play the organ. At 14, he was sent to study at the Liceo de Manila. There, he took up courses in composition and harmony under Marcelo Adonay. He also took up pianoforte courses under a Spanish music teacher. He did not finish his education as he became interested in the sarswela.   In the early 1900s, Francisco Buencamino taught music at the Ateneo de Manila and at the Centro Escolar de Senoritas. At the latter...

  Music of the Philippines (Filipino: Himig ng Pilipinas) include musical performance arts in the Philippines or by Filipinos composed in various genres and styles. The compositions are often a mixture of different Asian, Spanish, Latin American, American, and indigenous influences. Notable folk song composers include the National Artist for Music Lucio San Pedro, who composed the famous "Sa Ugoy ng Duyan" that recalls the loving touch of a mother to her child. Another composer, the National Artist for Music Antonino Buenaventura, is notable for notating folk songs and dances. Buenaventura composed the music for "Pandanggo sa Ilaw". Gong music Philippine gong music can be divided into two types: the flat gong commonly known as gangsà and played by the groups in the Cordillera region and the bossed gongs played among the Islam and animist groups in the southern Philippines. Kulintang refers to a racked gong chime instrument played in the southern islands of the Phili...

by  Georg Predota , Interlude Franz Liszt Towards the end of his long performance career, Franz Liszt finally managed to visit the Ottoman Empire in 1847. Liszt had wanted to visit Istanbul as early as 1838, and wrote to a friend, “… [I have a] desire and strong decision to go to Istanbul, although I would need signed letters of introductions for cities like Izmir, Istanbul and Athens from Prince Metternich.” In the end, the 1838 trip did not materialize because his mistress Marie d’Agoult was pregnant, however, Liszt continued to show great interest in all aspects of Turkish culture that had already attracted a number of his close friends. Istanbul Comtess Marie d’Agoult reports “Liszt speaks and dreams only of the Sultan, and wishes to bring his music to the Ottoman people.” And in 1846, Gaetano Donizetti wrote to his brother Giuseppe, who was director of the Imperial Orchestra at the Ottoman palace, that “my dear friend Franz Liszt is greatly d...