![Conductor Marin Alsop, who criticised the film [Source: Wikipedia]](/discover/Marin_Alsop.jpg)
Todd Field’s film about an abusive and predatory female conductor, Lydia Tár (played by Cate Blanchett), has earned a string of awards and nominations, including from the British FIlm Academy, New York Film Critics Circle, Golden Globes and London Critics Circle Film Awards. Yet the film continues to provoke a range of reactions from audiences.
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It is nearly a year since Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine. The progress of events during that tragic conflict has been remarkable, with the Ukrainian side, inspired by Vladimir Zelensky, achieving some notable victories over the last 12 months.
Despite the disruption the war is causing, support for Ukraine remains strong. A recent Eurobarometer poll found that, even amidst the cost of living crisis, 74 percent of European citizens continue to favour supporting Ukraine.
One of the remarkable ways in which Ukraine has built and maintained its support has been the way the country has projected its culture to the rest of the world. And in this music has played an important role.
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The bassoon may be the Cinderella of the woodwind family when it comes to solo works but there’s still a good deal of repertoire out there to explore, including plenty of baroque pieces (Vivaldi, anyone?) and a trio of fine classical concertos by Mozart, Hummel and Weber – while 20th-century works range from Latin-flavoured works by Villa-Lobos and Piazzolla through to Sofia Gubaidulina’s memorably bleak Concerto for Bassoon and Low Strings.
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Did you know that January 10th is National Houseplant Appreciation Day? It was established in the 1980s by the Society of American Florists to promote the benefits of bringing plants inside our homes. Plants and especially flowers have, of course, long been a source of inspiration for composers. Here are 10 pieces inspired by flowers, complete with links to sheet music. So this 10th January, instead of talking to your houseplant, you could instead serenade it with an appreciative tune or two.
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The days are short, the weather's awful. Time to put another log on the fire and warm the soul with our seasonal round-up of winter classics.
Encouraging news about gender equality in classical music comes this week from Bachtrack's newly released report Classical Music in 2022.
Analysing data from 27,124 musical performances worldwide, the report highlights a number of interesting trends.
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Who knew that deer love Bach?
Cellist Diana Gomez discovered the truth when she took her cello to a park in Aarhus, Denmark, and started playing the famous opening to Bach's Cello Suite No.1 in G major
Watch the interaction below.
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The Argentine national anthem, Himno Nacional Argentino was composed by Vicente López y Planes and written by the Argentine national hero, José de San Martín. The song was officially adopted as the national anthem on May 11, 1813.
Interestingly, Vicente López y Planes wasn't just a composer, he was also a politician and was interim President of Argentina from July 7 to August 18, 1827!
But the hymn has more to its background as well.
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Carol of the Bells is a staple of the holiday season, particularly in the US. But where did this atmospheric song come from - it feels like a relatively recent addition to the Christmas repertoire, doesn't it?
The song actually has Ukrainian origins and the story behind it poignantly highlights the fact that Russian aggression against Ukraine isn't a recent phenomenon.
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