Without wishing in any way to be morbid, I would like to discuss the importance of the theme of death in some of the music in the upcoming concert, specifically the Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber. It’s not hard to see how this piece of music might be associated with mourning, with its elegiac [...]

I’ve often wondered why musicians, even Via Salzburg, turn to the Baroque during the Christmas holidays. It seems that the holiday spirit is synonymous with the music of Bach, Vivaldi, and Handel. Even Handel’s Messiah has been drafted into the Christmas season, despite the fact that it was written as an Easter oratorio. So why [...]