From the Lebrecht Album of the Week:
Dmitri Shostakovich wrote his last symphony with left hand alone. A heart attack in 1966, followed by several falls and fractures, left him heavily disabled. His solution was to train one hand to do the work of two, and to economise on physical effort. This may explain the expanses of blank staves in some pages of his 15th symphony …
Read on here.
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Alexandra Pakhmutova, composer of ‘Nadezhda’ and other Soviet schlaggers, turned 95 last week. Her biggest fan, Vladimir Putin, sent a message. The Bolshoi was packed with acolytes. Yuri Bashmet conducted, just about. Ildar Abdarazakov, Hibla […]
The death has been announced of Andrzej Klimczak, international bass-baritone and co-founder five years ago of Polish Royal Opera. He had endured a prolonged illness. Klimczak appeared, in Poland and internationally, in 50 bass-baritone roles. […]
