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The Top Ten Violin Concertos of All Time
My list of the ten greatest violin concertos is a highly personal choice, and subject to amendment depending on: my mood, glorious new recordings, or a particularly brilliant live performance. However, I think I’ve listed the very best examples of the form here (although leaving out Bruch, Szymanowski and Bartok wasn’t easy). 1. Ludwig van…
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Symphonic Form – Sibelius vs Mahler
The following is an extract from New Yorker music critic Alex Ross’s new book The Rest Is Noise, a guide to twentieth century classical music. It provides some insight into the differences between Sibelius and Mahler, and their approach to symphonic composition. In 1904, Sibelius tried to escape the embarrassments of his Helsinki life style…