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: đź“š Schumanns SchattenRobert Schumann (1810 – 1856) đź“š Liebste Fenchel! Das Leben der Fanny Hensel-Mendelssohn in Etüden und Intermezzi.Fanny Hensel (1805 – 1847) đź“š SchubertFranz Schubert (1797 – 1828) đź“š HölderlinFriedrich Hölderlin (1770 – 1843) I love music and literature, I think, the essence of literature and …
This little fallen leaf that I met in Cologne was carrying a song. A song that I once heard in a beautiful concert in Cologne and the season in the song is autumn. To be precise, it is an autumn dawn, the protagonist is feeling lonely, even lonelier than last year. Suddenly, a leaf has …
Could I complain? Could I be apprehensive?Could I lose faith in you and in myself?No, I already bear your heavenhere within my heart. Im Abendrot (1825) D799Lappe/ Schubert I do not have many words to type for this post. In front of this gorgeous sunset and this splendid song, everything looks dull, including the words. …
“He (Salman Rushdie) sent us a text about love and art.” Case ScaglioneChief Conductor of the Württembergisches Kammerorchester Heilbronn David Philip Hefti’s Rhapsody for baritone and orchestra with a text by Sir Salman Rushdie is a music composition (25 minutes) commissioned by Wüttermbergische Kammerorchestra (WKO) Heilbronn. On 21.9.2022 was the world premiere in Harmonie Heilbronn …
When I have to play organ at short notice, I always can play the organ chorale prelude by J.S. Bach, an organ arrangement of the hymn “Who only lets dear God rule” (Wer nur den lieben Gott lässt walten) BWV 690. This piece is without pedal (Manualiter), so that I can play on almost every …
“I think it’s very important for artists to be open to contemporary music, because that’s how we can build music history. If we don’t do that, there would not have been Beethoven or Mozart. We have our time and we have to find our music, music that we hope will be sustainable, not just now …