All Entries Tagged With: "Germany"

Audio: Lutheran Mass For Christmas Morning - Michael Praetorius

As promised, here is a complete performance of Michael Praetorius‘ (1571-1620) Lutheran Christmas Mass. It is not a live recording, but rather a recreation of the service as it might have been on Christmas morning 1620 about 80km southeast of Hannover. The performers are the Gabrieli Consort and Players with the and the [...]

Aural Advent Calendar: Day 8

Day 8 of this Adventual Odyssey is a hat tip to great arrangements. Usually, Miss Mussel loathes The 12 Days of Christmas but, as you have no doubt already discovered in the video, it’s not the tune but what you do with it that counts. Watching The Kings Singers force feed Julie Andrews beer, pfeffernüsse and kügel is entertaining no matter which way you slice it.

Christmas The Hamburger Way

Last year Miss Mussel didn’t get around to Christmas shopping until three days before. This year, she appears to have morphed into one of those super cheery early adopters. Lists have been made, plans are in action, items are in the post. [Note to Mere Mussel: I can neither confirm nor deny [...]

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 7 ‘Leningrad’

Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975)
Symphony No. 7 “Leningrad”
Allegretto
Moderato (poco allegro)
Adagio
Allegro non troppo
There is great debate among musicologists regarding Shostakovich’s relationship with the Soviets. Some interpret his music as railing against Soviet cruelty while others have compiled evidence to show that he was at least somewhat complicit in their activities. Much of Shostakovich’s music is ambiguous [...]

Alexander Neef New COC Director

The Canadian Opera Company have been looking for a new general director since the much-loved Richard Bradshaw died unexpectedly in August 2007. This morning, the COC announced that German-born Alexander Neef, currently the casting director at the Opera Nationale de Paris, has accepted the post.
Neef is just 34 years old but according to [...]

Haupt Süß Haupt

Update: Elbphilharmonie Hamburg

A quick trawl through the rather intimidating OM Drafts folder reveals that Justin Davidson covered the start of construction of Hamburg’s iconic new concert hall about this time last year.
Designed by the firm Herzog & de Meuron, creators of the Tate Modern, the hall complex will contain 45 apartments, over 200 hotel rooms, [...]