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Mahler’s Eighth Symphony: Unjustly Neglected?
There’s no other symphony like Gustav Mahler’s Eighth. The piece got its nickname, the “Symphony of a Thousand,” at its 1910 premiere in Munich, which featured 1,030 performers, including 858 singers, 171 instrumentalists and the composer himself on the podium. Although a thousand musicians aren’t normally used these days (300 to 500 is more typical), it’s still a demanding and expensive undertaking, […]
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Hollywood’s Diversity Debate Has Echoes in Classical Music
The dearth of black actors among this year’s Oscar nominees has triggered what some observers are calling a full-fledged diversity crisis for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, even as the president of the organization has promised change. Lack of diversity in the arts isn’t just a concern for Hollywood, of course, and there […]
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‘The Revenant’ Mixes Savage Landscapes with Classical Music
For the second year in a row, the film with the most Academy Award nominations features a soundtrack peppered with classical compositions. In both instances, the filmmaker responsible for the mix is the Mexican director, producer and former composer Alejandro González Iñárritu.
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11 Classical Music Highlights From the NYPL Digital Archives
Once the esoteric pursuit of historians and library nerds, interest in archival photography has skyrocketed recently thanks to digital-forward research libraries as well as social media websites like Instagram, Retronaut and Vintage Everyday. Last week, the New York Public Library did its part in a big way, releasing over 180,000 digital images for public use on its Digital Collections website.
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Classical Music Listeners Faithful to Physical CDs in 2015
Classical music listeners remained faithful to the physical album in 2015, even as CD sales across all genres dropped and overall streaming numbers nearly doubled.
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Pierre Boulez’s Rug Concerts, Ahead of the Curve
Tributes are being paid to Pierre Boulez, the pioneering French composer, conductor and theorist, who died on Tuesday at age 90. Looking back at a career that stretched over seven eventful decades, a particularly lively chapter took place during his tenure as music director of the New York Philharmonic, from 1971 to 1977.
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7 Classical Music Trends to Watch for in 2016
What will happen in 2016 in classical music? Here are seven trends to look out for.
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The Year 2015 in Classical Music Videos
For the final week of 2015, the pop music critics of the New York Times put together a survey of their top music videos of the year. A couple of the choices crossed into classical territory, including an intriguing video for Terry Riley’s minimalist landmark In C.
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The Top Classical Music States, According to Google Trends
Here’s a test: try and guess where in the United States people exhibit the most interest in classical music.
Brian Wise
Producer, Editor and Journalist
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About Brian Wise
I am an audio producer, journalist and editor with more than 20 years of experience working for major-market media outlets, radio stations and arts organizations. More