Category: Classics on Sunday

I COULDN’T decide which of these piano sonatas was my favourite, so I thought I would write about both. Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) was born in Bonn, the son of … Continue readingTwo Beethoven piano sonatas

THE German composer Robert Schumann (1810-1856) completed his only piano concerto in 1845. It was premiered in Dresden with his wife Clara as the soloist. I wonder if this work … Continue readingSchumann Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op 54

LAST week I wrote about Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741), the Venetian composer sometimes called the King of Baroque. He was a major influence on Johann Sebastian Bach, who was seven years younger. … Continue readingBach Violin Concerto No 2 in E major BWV 1052

ANTONIO Vivaldi is well known as the composer of the violin concertos known as the Four Seasons, but he left at least 500 other concertos including some for less usual instruments … Continue readingVivaldi – beyond the Four Seasons

I FIND it incredible that Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) wrote his marvellous Octet in E flat major Op 20 when he was only 16. And this was after he had composed 12 symphonies, … Continue readingThe young Mendelssohn

TO my ear, the moment after the orchestral build-up when the solo viola and violin enter together, an octave apart, is one of the most thrilling in music. The work … Continue readingMozart: Sinfonia Concertante, K364

I FIRST heard this decades ago as the signature tune to a BBC serial reading of Henry James’s The Aspern Papers, and I was captivated. I don’t know why it is … Continue readingClassics on Sunday – Schubert: Notturno D897

THIS is the first in a series in which I hope to showcase my favourite classical music. I am not sure if a march counts as classical, but after this … Continue readingClassics on Sunday: The Stars and Stripes Forever