Baton Music

Tschaikovsky composed his 'Concerto for Violin and Orchestra' in the spring of 1878. The work does have a rocky beginning, somewhat like that of his first Piano Concerto. The premiere was both somewha...

Tschaikovsky composed his 'Concerto for Violin and Orchestra' in the spring of 1878. The work does have a rocky beginning, somewhat like that of his first Piano Concerto. The premiere was both somewha...

'Ascanio' is a grand opera composed by Camille Saint-Saëns during 1887-1888. The opera's French libretto is based on the 1852 play 'Benvenuto Cellini'. The name was changed to 'Ascanio' to avoid confu...

'Ascanio' is a grand opera composed by Camille Saint-Saëns during 1887-1888. The opera's French libretto is based on the 1852 play 'Benvenuto Cellini'. The name was changed to 'Ascanio' to avoid confu...

In 1924, the celebrated composer Giacomo Puccini is working on his opera "Turandot". He is seriously ill, feels that his end is near and that he lacks the strength to complete the opera. In a final me...

In 1924, the celebrated composer Giacomo Puccini is working on his opera "Turandot". He is seriously ill, feels that his end is near and that he lacks the strength to complete the opera. In a final me...

Though Max Bruch did not, strictly speaking, leave behind a cello concerto, cellists are nevertheless extremely grateful for the four single-movement concertante pieces from his pen. Of course, 'Kol N...

Though Max Bruch did not, strictly speaking, leave behind a cello concerto, cellists are nevertheless extremely grateful for the four single-movement concertante pieces from his pen. Of course, 'Kol N...

Joseph De Luca (1890 - 1935) was an Italian-American composer, euphoniumist and conductor. De Luca entered the Conservatory of Music in Perugia and graduated when he was seventeen, studying composing,...

Joseph De Luca (1890 - 1935) was an Italian-American composer, euphoniumist and conductor. De Luca entered the Conservatory of Music in Perugia and graduated when he was seventeen, studying composing,...

Though now more famous as the father of Richard Strauss, Franz Strauss was a very well-known horn player with a well-documented reputation for being both musically conservative and difficult to work w...

Though now more famous as the father of Richard Strauss, Franz Strauss was a very well-known horn player with a well-documented reputation for being both musically conservative and difficult to work w...

The aria E lucevan le stelle is sung by Cavaradossi in the third and final act of Puccini's Opera Tosca. To fulfil his last wishes he is allowed to write a letter to Tosca: `And the stars flickered wh...

Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia (1816) is one of the greatest of all comic operas. The Cavatina 'Largo al factotum' is sung by Figaro, the barber of Sevilla, in the first act of the opera: he tells...

'L'Orfeo', sometimes called 'La favola d'Orfeo', is a late Renaissance/early Baroque 'favola in musica', or opera, by Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643), with a libretto by Alessandro Striggio. It is base...

'L'Orfeo', sometimes called 'La favola d'Orfeo', is a late Renaissance/early Baroque 'favola in musica', or opera, by Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643), with a libretto by Alessandro Striggio. It is base...

Sir Eugene Aynsley Goossens (1893-1962) was an English conductor and composer. Besides his career as a conductor, Goossens was also a skilled composer, completing nearly seventy works including chambe...

Sir Eugene Aynsley Goossens (1893-1962) was an English conductor and composer. Besides his career as a conductor, Goossens was also a skilled composer, completing nearly seventy works including chambe...

Iolanthe was the seventh collaboration between librettist William Gilbert and composer Sir Arthur Sullivan. Both men were "at the top of their game" for this venture and this operetta is well known fo...

Iolanthe was the seventh collaboration between librettist William Gilbert and composer Sir Arthur Sullivan. Both men were "at the top of their game" for this venture and this operetta is well known fo...

Joseph De Luca (1890 - 1935) was an Italian-American composer, euphoniumist and conductor. De Luca entered the Conservatory of Music in Perugia and graduated when he was seventeen, studying composing,...

Joseph De Luca (1890 - 1935) was an Italian-American composer, euphoniumist and conductor. De Luca entered the Conservatory of Music in Perugia and graduated when he was seventeen, studying composing,...

The third movement, "Allegretto grazioso", of Dvorák's eighth symphony is a melancholic 'sweet and languid" waltz in 3/4 time, which at the end changes into a more Bohemian folk dance in 2/4 time. The...

The third movement, "Allegretto grazioso", of Dvorák's eighth symphony is a melancholic 'sweet and languid" waltz in 3/4 time, which at the end changes into a more Bohemian folk dance in 2/4 time. The...

The 'Hungarian Dances' (Ungarische Tänze), evoking directly the warm blood of Hungarian gypsy music, consist of 21 dances, originally composed for piano four hands. Perhaps less familiar than the famo...