“Rigoletto”, the Sad Story of a Jester
“La ra, la ra, la la, la ra, la ra,” – is it possible to express deep feelings with the aid of such primitive words? Read my article about the opera Rigoletto and listen to its key fragments. Perhaps, you’ll…
War in Two Masterpieces
In many popular movies, battles are the most gripping scenes. We admire mighty heroes killing several enemies with one blow. We enjoy the heat of combat, the thrill of victory… Here are a piece of music and a painting, both…
The Swan That Will Never Die
The ballet we’ll watch today is known by two names – The Swan and The Dying Swan. The second title seems to be more expressive, and more accurate; nevertheless, it has failed to displace the first one. There are good…
Schubert in Love: the Fantasia in F minor for Pianoforte Duet, D.940
Franz Schubert wasn’t blessed with happy love. The composer twice experienced deep affection for women who were above him in social status. One of them returned his feelings, yet they couldn’t marry; another treated him as a friendly acquaintance. Schubert’s…
I Died for Beauty – a Strange Masterpiece by Emily Dickinson
“I died for beauty, but was scarce” conjures up pictures linked with the macabre physicality of death – the narrator is a decaying corpse. This poem should be frightening and unpleasant… It attracts, even comforts the reader though.
Saint Sophia Cathedral in Vologda, a True Russian Church
Walking through Vologda, you’ll find the central square with ease: the orthodox “onion” domes of its church ensemble are visible from far away. The gilded dome belongs to a pseudo-gothic belfry. It resembles a beautiful woman who wants to be…
Olga Spessivtseva, a World-Famous Giselle and Patient 360446
You may have seen the ballet Giselle or heard of it, at least. Its main character is a peasant who, despite her frailty, loves to dance. Beautiful and pure-minded, she’s meant to be happy… A dreadful tragedy suddenly happens in…
I Remain Forever: the Seikilos Epitaph
If you have been to an old cemetery, you have seen how cruel time is. Even the headstones which were placed a hundred years ago often seem half-destroyed: sad angels without heads sit on the cracked steles, names of the…
La Serva Padrona – the Light-Hearted Intermezzo that Changed the World of Opera
What do we do when the first act of an opera ends, the curtain falls, and the entr’acte begins? We rush off to the buffet, of course. Relaxation with a glass of good sparkling wine – that’s what entr’actes are…
When You Cannot Breathe: the Prelude Op. 28, No. 4 by Frédéric Chopin
Pieces of classical music tend to be relatively long. Even their separate parts often last up to fifteen minutes. Fine themes unfold gradually and enter into complicated relationships with each other. Preludes by Frédéric Chopin from Op. 28, in contrast,…