The great 20th century cellist, Pablo Casals, was the first in the world to record all six of Bach’s suites for unaccompanied cello. This was in 1939. Before this, people only considered the suites as study pieces. Casals... More
4/23/2019 by John Pitman
Early in her career, violinist Hilary Hahn took on music that many before her wouldn’t approach until they were a little older. She chose three of the six unaccompanied violin works of J.S. Bach, a set regarded as... More
4/10/2019 by John Pitman
We of the Pacific Northwest consider Morten Lauridsen “one of our own”, as his roots can be traced here. Lauridsen was born in Colfax, Washington, lived not far from Mount St. Helens as a boy, and was in... More
3/26/2019 by John Pitman
Baritone Benjamin Appl, who was born in Bavaria and now performs in recitals and concerts around the world, was introduced to the music of Bach as a chorister at the age of 6. His new CD, titled simply... More
3/5/2019 by John Pitman
Rachel Barton Pine long ago established herself as a violinist willing to step outside the normal realm of the classical canon to explore a broader landscape of music. Pine’s performances of metal bands such as Metallica (she actually... More
2/19/2019 by John Pitman
American soprano Nadine Sierra, 2018 winner of the Metropolitan Opera’s prestigious Beverly Sills Artist Award, has just signed on to Deutsche Grammophon. The daughter of parents passionate about music who sought a better life in the United States,... More
2/5/2019 by John Pitman
Winner of the 2018 Grammy for Best Choral Performance, The Crossing has just recorded an oratorio with a text that resonates with our times. Conductor Donald Nally is John Pitman’s guest, discussing “Zealot Chronicles, an oratorio for tolerance”... More
10/29/2018 by John Pitman
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has always loved classical music. Especially opera. More than once, people have captured her on their camera phones at Santa Fe Opera (you can find this on Facebook and You Tube). Now... More
8/27/2018 by John Pitman
In this anniversary year – the 100th anniversary of Leonard Bernstein’s birth – many record labels are releasing new performances of his music, as well as his own discography. Many of them are of his music: West Side... More
8/21/2018 by John Pitman
Back in 2011, American violinist Joshua Bell became the first music director of London’s Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, since its founding by Neville Marriner. Bell and the orchestra already had a longstanding relationship: Around the time of the... More
8/2/2018 by John Pitman
