The pipa is a four-stringed Chinese lute with antecedents going back more than two millennia. Formerly used primarily to accompany voice, the pipa developed a virtuoso solo style in the 19th century, and is now the leading traditional Chinese instrument of female musicians.
Oh boy — the Diva issue!
Whether or not you care for opera, you really should check out Opera News magazine. This month's is the annual "Diva issue", devoted to the larger-than-life (even when petite) ladies who make the art form so fabulous. After all, what other magazine would feature articles on Lily Pons and Tori Amos? Go for it!
Mondo Cello
Each time we select a piece of music for WFCR, we make two decisions: the piece and the performance. Two recent close encounters with great cellists reminded me again of how the latter decision is often as important as the first.
The Miró Quartet comes to town
Usually, the “golden age” of anything can be defined as any time before the present. But for chamber music lovers, this is it, right here, right now. Never before have there been so many ensembles who can not only play the spots off of music formerly forbidden to all but the select few, they do so with a hiterto rare combination of ensemble, tonal beauty and musicality. Would you like to hear what I’m talking about? Show up at Amherst College’s Buckley Recital Hall this Sunday afternoon at 3 when the Miró