“We know what we are, but know not what we may be.” — Ophelia, Hamlet, Act IV, Scene 5 The cover image is inspired by Friedrich Heyser’s painting Ophelia, the tragic heroine of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Ophelia speaks these words shortly before her death, reflecting on the uncertainty of human life.…
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Jealousy is one of the most destructive human emotions, so it is no surprise that composers have returned to it again and again. This playlist explores how different artists transformed this green-eyed monster into music. From family tensions in the classical era to violent confrontations on the opera stage, these…
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Motherhood appears surprisingly often in classical music — just rarely in direct form. Composers often approach the subject through lullabies, prayers, childhood memories, or music connected to comfort and protection. Brahms, for example, added the most personal movement of his German Requiem shortly after his mother died in 1865. And…
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What does “home” mean? In English, the word usually refers to a private space—the place where someone lives. The German word Heimat works differently. It can describe a region, a country, or a shared cultural environment. This difference is not accidental. Linguists often point out that languages develop words for…
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The piano concerto is one of the central genres of the 19th century. Around 1800, it still followed a clear model: the orchestra introduces the material, the soloist responds, and virtuosity plays a central role. Over the course of the century, this balance begins to change. Starting with Beethoven, the…
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The relationship between gods and men is one of the oldest themes in human thought. Myths describe gods who rule the world, religion speaks of a single divine presence, and philosophy questions how humans relate to both. Music has found different ways to approach this idea. It can present the…
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Awakening and decline are basic experiences of human life. Myths and religions speak about the beginning of the world, nature wakes up every year when spring returns, and every day begins with the change from night to morning. Moments like these have inspired composers for a long time. Music can…
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Contrast is part of life. We experience difference constantly: tension and release, light and shadow, movement and stillness. Music works in the same way. Differences in tempo, dynamics, register, texture and orchestration define musical form. Fast and slow, loud and soft, major and minor, solo and tutti — these oppositions…
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Early in 1977, Anne-Sophie Mutter played for Herbert von Karajan in a private audition. Much has been said and written about this encounter and the collaboration that followed. But this Weekly SpinOn centres on a principle that guided Karajan’s work with Anne-Sophie Mutter from the very beginning: repertoire choice was…
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Mozart’s Many Faces brings together four works from different moments in Mozart’s life. The playlist moves chronologically from Salzburg to Vienna and from court music to opera and sacred music. Each track represents a different genre and a different working situation. Together, the pieces reveal not a single Mozart, but…
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Here you can download the full curriculum vitae of Herbert von Karajan!