This post is a continuation of my previous reflection. Two thoughts came to me while listening to Mendelssohns Elijah at the Berlin Philharmonie on 8 March 2026. In my previous post, I discussed the essence of Elijah. In this post, I would like to share my thoughts on Baal worship. At first sight, it looks …
The Elijah I listened to at the Berlin Philharmonie on 8.3.2026 is the kind of version where Mendelssohn would be watching from heaven and smiling with utmost satisfaction. Having heard Benjamin Appls excellent and moving interpretations of Bachs St. Matthew and St. John Passions, I had been anticipating his interpretation of Mendelssohns Elijah. Personally, the …
“One Line a Day” is a diary I received as a gift, and I have been using it for a year now. Honestly, I did not fill in every page last year. This year, I want to be more consistent. Having five years recorded on the same page for the same date helps me reflect …
The CD I have been waiting for over 19 days finally arrived today, and I realised that I had never written a proper review of my absolute favourite Christmas album. Today, I am putting that right. If you are interested in reading this review, you are probably more interested in my personal thoughts than in …
In September 1710, ten-year-old Agata buried her mother. She was left with her frail grandmother and her incompetent father. Wanting Agata to be protected and educated, her grandmother entrusted her to the care of the Ospedale della Pietà — a convent, orphanage, and music school for girls. The second and third parts of the book …
I had fairly high expectations for this concert, Franz Schubert: Master Storyteller by Benjamin Appl and Sholto Kynoch, which was also the opening concert of this year’s Oxford International Song Festival, for three reasons. Firstly, I had heard their wonderful performance back in May in Heidelberg, Germany. Secondly, I have been a lover of Lieder …
“Me and the horn are history.” After one disastrous concert, Cate made that decision. She walked away from the horn and reinvented herself as an English teacher. For ten years, her life was ruled by trauma. Instead of facing it, she spent those years in denial, chasing pleasure, traveling the world, partying in Italy, skiing, …
The concert at Aula der Alten Universitt Heidelberg at 19:30 was the 100th anniversary commemoration of the singer Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. A significant figure who contributed greatly to the cultural landscape after the war, especially in the German cultural heritage of Kunstlied (Art Song). His last pupil, Benjamin Appl, curated the programme using Fischer-Dieskaus biography as …
“No one who was there will ever be able to forget the poignant effect of the St. Thomas Boys Choir singing Bach’s St John Passion on Good Friday in 1945, the first year of peace, performed in the beautiful old St Thomas Church, which had been largely spared from the war, but the windows were …
Do you read non-fiction books? Reading good non-fiction books help me gain more clarity, here are 12 non-fiction books that cover my 3 most concerned topics: Christianity, Love and Art. Art The War of Art – Steven Pressfield Sounds and Sweet Airs – Anna Beer Undistracted – Bod Goff Counterfeit Gods – Timothy Keller “The …