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 Universität 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-Dieskau’s 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 …
This children’s music book contains 5 places in the Palace of Versailles, each place is assigned to a music piece around 17th century. There are little white buttons to press to make the music play. Little words in French combine with the illustrations, they reflect what music for which occasion. The musical life in Versailles …
I am very sorry if I have disappointed you, when I talk about Heidelberg without showing you the old bridge, the old castle and the old church. I love the Heidelberg old town, like the whole world does. People from all over the world cross the ocean for just a glimpse of Heidelberg and I …
My Lenten season this year began in Amsterdam. It was also my first time visiting Amsterdam. I heavily relied on the google map to find my way to every location. When I was not sure if I was heading into the right direction, I would stop walking and check with the map. To me, Lent …
A blog I’ve written on March 23, 2022 received a comment recently. The blog is about a cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach – Ich habe genug, BWV 82. The memories of when and where I’ve heard this cantata in concert come back to me, summer in Stuttgart, Advent in Cologne and winter in Berlin. In …
The Four Fictionalized Biography Books by Peter Härtling: 📚 Schumanns SchattenRobert Schumann (1810 – 1856) 📚 Liebste Fenchel! Das Leben der Fanny Hensel-Mendelssohn in Etüden und Intermezzi.Fanny Hensel (1805 – 1847) 📚 SchubertFranz Schubert (1797 – 1828) 📚 HölderlinFriedrich Hölderlin (1770 – 1843) I love music and literature, I think, the essence of literature and …