Fazil Say is a Turkish classical composer and concert pianist. He grew up as a prodigy: he was able to do basic math with 4 digit numbers and play recognizable tunes on a makeshift flute at the age of two
Fazil Say and Avi Avital
Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5
When we listen to the inventive, magically melodic and infectious music of Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky, it’s hard to imagine that the composer was plagued with doubt about his talents throughout his all-too-short life, often swinging wildly between pride in his
The Emotional Odyssey of Brahm’s Symphony No. 4
Was there a greater transformation in music than the one that took place over the 63 years of Brahms’ lifetime? He was born just after Beethoven’s death into a world dominated by Liszt, Chopin and Schumann; Early Romantics mapping the
The West Coast Premiere of Michael Daugherty’s Blue Electra
Michael Daugherty, GRAMMY® Award winner and longtime composer-in-residence of Pacific Symphony, composed a vivid story that captures the thrill of flight and the daring bravery of the first woman to ever fly across the Atlantic Ocean. Blue Electra was commissioned
Gustav Mahler’s Puzzling Symphony No. 1, “Titan”
If only Gustav Mahler could have told a tale as well as Richard Strauss. Strauss, undisputed master of programmatic music, famously believed that he could depict a knife and fork in music if so motivated. He sought the ability to
Beethoven’s Only Violin Concerto
Ludwig van Beethoven wrote only one full violin concerto – Op. 61 in D major. Many of his concertos were written for Beethoven himself to play on the piano with an orchestra, but his violin concerto was designed to highlight
“Don Quixote”: Delusions of Grandeur and Voices of Reason
“In short, he became so absorbed in his books that he spent his nights from sunset to sunrise, and his days from dawn to dark, poring over them; and what with little sleep and much reading his brains got so
The Composer Who Scored Hollywood’s Golden Age
Erich Wolfgang Korngold was born in Brünn, Austria-Hungary (now Brno, Czech Republic). A child prodigy, he was composing music by age seven and earned early praise from legendary composers Gustav Mahler and Richard Strauss. Jewish musicians were a particular target
The Many Tales of The Firebird
Enter the world of fairy tales and you’ll find yourself surrounded by rules. Don’t lie or no one will believe you when you tell the truth. Don’t tell someone you can spin straw into gold when you can’t. And if
Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake: The Ballet That Won’t Stop Evolving
Why can’t we stop tinkering with Swan Lake? The traditional version of the ballet, set to Tchaikovsky’s tender, ravishing, dark and brooding score, tells the story of Odette, a beautiful princess cursed by an evil sorcerer to transform into a